Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes says relegating Hearts is a 'terrible decision' by the SPFL

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes says the Scottish Professional Football League made a “terrible decision” by relegating Hearts.

Last week’s call to end the Premiership season early following the coronavirus outbreak sent the Edinburgh club into the Championship in controversial circumstances.

They were four points adrift of second-bottom Hamilton in the Premiership table, with eight league games remaining and 24 points still to play for.

Hearts feel they have been unfairly treated and McInnes agrees. He insisted more should have been done and greater patience shown by the SPFL, but instead the campaign was ended prematurely.

“I think it is a terrible decision that Hearts have been relegated. It is so unfair and I would say that for any club at the bottom of the table,” he said.

“That would be the case even with one or two games to go, never mind eight or nine games to go. It was still in their hands and well within their control.

“The hand that they have been dealt in being effectively relegated is so harsh.

“I thought there could have been a way where we could have had temporary reconstruction that could have satisfied the majority.

“It might not have been what everybody wanted and I understand why there is a need for not having a permanently expanded league.”

The Hearts owner Ann Budge is finalising a league reconstruction plan which she hopes will be sufficient to expand the top flight and save her club.

McInnes believes a temporary restructure would be possible. “Something could have happened on a temporary basis to deal with this situation,” he told the Press and Journal.

“I find it so disappointing that Hearts, as it stands, are going to get relegated. Not just because it is Hearts and what they bring to the league.

“If it had been any team I would have thought it was so unfair on them. A temporary reconstruction could have been possible, but those conversations have been had and we move on now.”

McInnes explained why he feels the SPFL should have taken more time and explored every option before calling an end to the campaign.

Other leagues in Europe are continuing their seasons, with Germany already restarted and Spain and England set to follow suit next month.

“We are all in the hands of the people running our game, the people running our country and the broadcasters,” added McInnes.

“We need to know what the broadcasters want. We don’t even know if they have been asked that. We are still going on about reconstruction when I thought we had moved on from that.”

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