'We got that wrong' - BBC apologise for Craig Levein complaint claims over Hearts training

The BBC issued an apology to Greenock Morton and Raith Rovers on Wednesday night’s Sportsound show following comments made by Craig Levein.

The ex-Hearts boss was a guest on the programme on Monday when he claimed the two Championship sides had complained to the Scottish FA over Hearts training and having an unfair advantage.

It regarded a discussion on the Joint Response Group opting to pause training for teams outside the Premiership until 24 August, a response to the Covid-19 issues caused by Aberdeen players as well as Celtic defender Boli Bolingoli.

Levein said: “I didn’t realise that a couple of teams had actually complained to the SFA that Hearts had had an unfair advantage because they were training,” he said.

“I believe it was Morton and Raith. Those teams also had the opportunity to start training two weeks ago, but they didn’t want to.”

It prompted both clubs, who Hearts will face in this season’s Championship, to put statements with Morton confirming they had made a complaint to the BBC.

An apology arrived on Wednesday’s show.

Host Kenny Macintyre said: "On Monday night's programme we had a discussion on the decision announced by the Joint Response Group that training at all clubs below Premiership level was to be paused.

"As part of that discussion it was said on our programme that Morton and Raith Rovers had complained to the SFA to say they were unhappy that Hearts would be allowed to continue training while other clubs were prevented from starting up again.

"We got that wrong. We've apologised to both clubs."

Not a grain of truth

Raith Rovers chairman Bill Clark, speaking to the BBC, dismissed the claims by Levein and admitted that he has “no interest” in being involved in any dispute with clubs in Scotland.

He has previously spoken of wanting to “build bridges" with Hearts over their relegation and the subsequent failure of league reconstruction.

“There was not a grain of truth in it at all,” he said. “Neither Greenock Morton or ourselves, and I’ve checked with David MacKinnon at Morton, neither of us made any complaint whatsoever to the SFA or anybody else. We’ve checked around our own clubs and no other person in our clubs has made any complaint

“We are in a similar position to Hearts, not quite the same, but we intended to come back to training on Monday of this week, that’s the 17th, and we had actually tested 26 players and staff the previous week. I’m glad to say all of them came back negative. We spent £2,500 on that, got the tests done in preparation to coming back to football. The delay to next Monday has cost us money as well.

“We just accepted when the new instruction came out that that was the position, we know it is a difficult position at the moment, things are liable to change very quickly. We just accepted it and got on with it.”

He added: “My whole intention and my whole attitude is to put an end to all these kind of difficulties and try to move on and concentrate on football. I’ve got no interest in continuing any kind of dispute with any club at all in Scotland.”