HEARTS and Partick Thistle will claim a combined payout of £10 million unless their respective relegations are quashed.
In a statement released by both clubs on Wednesday, it was confirmed that a petition has been submitted to the Court of Session in Edinburgh challenging the ‘unfair decision’ to demote the sides.
Should the bid to salvage their Premiership and Championship statuses fail, Hearts and Thistle will vigorously pursue a compensation claim to mitigate the ‘significant losses’ they face.
It is understood Hearts are seeking £8 million and the Jags want £2 million.
While the clubs are not requesting an interim interdict to delay to the start of the Premiership season on August 1, Hearts have pointedly refused to rule it out ‘in the event that becomes necessary’.
The SPFL have just seven days to lodge their response to the claim after the Court granted a motion to expedite the process.
The case relates to the contentious vote to end the Scottish football campaign for all leagues below the Premiership and crown Celtic top-flight champions on April 15.
The ballot ultimately gained the support of 81 per cent of members but was mired in controversy following Dundee’s infamous u-turn.
Hearts and Partick have confirmed that they have no desire to strip the respective champions – Celtic, Dundee United, Raith Rovers and Cove Rangers – of their titles or wipe out Motherwell and Aberdeen’s European places which resulted from that vote.
They also do not wish to challenge the prize money paid out to the SPFL’s 42 clubs when the season was called.
HEARTS AND PARTICK THISTLE STATEMENT IN FULL
The statement read: “Heart of Midlothian Football Club and Partick Thistle Football Club have today lodged a petition with the Court of Session to challenge the unfair and unjust decision of the SPFL to enforce relegations, to the extreme detriment of those clubs affected.
“Unfortunately, Scottish football has been unable to pull together at this time of national crisis to prevent the need for this legal challenge. We desperately hoped Court action would not be necessary, but we were left with no other option.
“For clarity, our petition does not seek to set aside or unravel the fee payments made to clubs, nor indeed the declaration of Champions, or the nomination of clubs who will participate in European competition.
“Instead, the petition primarily seeks to reduce the unfair resolution insofar as it changed the SPFL’s rules on promotion and relegation. If that remedy is not granted by the Court, we seek, in the alternative, awards of compensation relative to the significant financial loss which the unfair relegations will visit upon us.
“As matters stand, we have not asked the Court to grant an interim interdict which would prevent next Season commencing on 1 August. However, we have to reserve our right to do so in the event that becomes necessary.
“We would emphasise instead that we have no wish to disrupt Scottish football but rather our aim is to have the proceedings litigated to a conclusion as quickly as possible. I
“In that regard, the Court has today granted our motion to reduce the normal period within which the SPFL must answer our petition, to 7 days.”
