Neil Doncaster: Hearts legal action would see 41 other SPFL clubs suffer

Neil Doncaster today told Hearts that any legal action against the Scottish Professional Football League would lead to clubs suffering financially.

The Tynecastle side are considering litigation after being relegated to the Championship following the coronavirus outbreak.

Owner Ann Budge expects her club to lose up to £3million a season in the second tier, but SPFL chief executive Doncaster said a legal battle would be detrimental to the other 41 teams across the four divisions.

Although stressing Hearts would be within their rights to take any action they see fit, Doncaster explained that there is no pot of cash which could be used by the SPFL.

Instead, other clubs would be impacted. "It's really important that any club makes its own decisions because they are an independent business," Doncaster told Sky Sports.

"Although they are one of 42 member clubs within the league, each club – and the board of each club – has to do what's right for their club.

"But any action that's taken by any member against the league ultimately is taken against members as a whole.

"We don't hold reserves year to year, so any action that any one individual club takes, effectively the burden of that would fall on all the other members."

The Hearts owner Ann Budge is working on a proposal for league reconstruction aimed at expanding the Premiership. That would prevent her club dropping down a division and this avoid any possible legal case.

However, any change to the SPFL set-up is likely to need 11 of 12 top-flight teams to approve it via a vote, plus 75 per cent of those in divisions below.

"Ann Budge of Hearts is keen to come back again with another resolution looking at reconstruction around an enlarged Premiership," added said.

"Clearly that would have the consequence of effectively avoiding relegation for those clubs relegated as a result of the early curtailment of season 19-20, so that would be certainly Hearts, Partick Thistle and Stranraer if that were to come to pass.

"It's something that a number of clubs have said they are open minded about and I think there is a sympathy for the position that the relegated clubs find themselves in and we'll see where it goes.

"We await the proposal and I know that a lot of clubs will want to look at it with a really open mind.

"Any change would certainly need to go to a vote and it really depends what form of process Hearts choose to go down.

"We have members' resolutions, board resolutions, possible potential for an EGM, and I know that we at the centre will be doing what we can to support those efforts and it'll remain to be seen whether they are supported by member clubs in the numbers that are required.

"It is likely that any expansion would need 11 out of the 12 Premiership clubs to approve it and then 75 per cent effectively of other clubs.

"But again it does depend on the detail – the devil is in the detail here – but we are certainly looking forward to seeing the proposal and as and when we see it we can share it with member clubs and have a broader discussion."

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