© EuroFootball.com
Financial difficulties plaguing the Edinburgh club are worrying Scottish football fans, but the biggest fear is the possible withdrawal of Lithuanian businessman Vladimir Romanov.
Footballers are hoping to receive their wages on Wednesday, which were supposed to be paid a few weeks ago - on October 16. Such a long period of non-payment has not been seen in Romanov's six-year ownership in Edinburgh. But the players are not planning to strike - they are advised not to heat up emotions.
It is claimed that "Hearts" debts amount to 36 million pounds (around 140 million Litas). However, fans are more afraid of the possibility of the Lithuanian businessman's withdrawal, as it is well understood that in that case the Edinburgh team would face disappearance from the football map, writes "Guardian". It was Romanov who saved the struggling club in 2005 and helped it establish itself among the strongest Scottish teams - last season they finished only behind Glasgow "Rangers" and Glasgow "Celtic" in the league table.
"In essence, Romanov has done a lot of good for the "Hearts" club - helped it move forward, invested a lot of money. Because of that, the majority of fans will always be grateful to him," said the head of the fan group Derek Watson last summer. - Although in the last two or three years he has been distant from the club, the financial situation is being maintained, so the support from the fans has not disappeared."
It is true that Romanov is not satisfied with the "corrupt" Scottish football and "harmful" system. There are other worrying signs - one of the "Hearts" leaders, Sergey Fedotovas, recently doubted whether the team's footballers are worth the money they are paid - as if footballers running on the green grass determined the size of their salaries offered to them.
Moreover, in basketball-ignoring Great Britain, the name of Kaunas' "Žalgiris" has recently been buzzing - it is noted that the attention of the tycoon is increasingly turning to the basketball club controlled in Lithuania, which is receiving abundant financial injections to buy players and maintain the arena. Meanwhile, the affairs of "Hearts" remain in the background.
However, not always - it is planned that the club will soon leave the 125-year-old "Tynecastle" and move to a new stadium, which would be built in collaboration with the Edinburgh city council. It is expected that the municipality could finance the construction of the stadium and lease it to the club, which could lead to new commercial success.
A new 30,000-seat stadium could cost about 30 million pounds (almost 120 million Litas). Romanov does not hide the fact that without him "Hearts" cannot progress: "The club has no future without a new stadium."
