Hearts board blame ‘mafia involvement’ on failures

The chairman and board of Scottish Premier League club Hearts issued a statement claiming that their lack of success over the past few years has been due not to their players or coaching failings but to outside ‘mafia’ involvement.

In what sections of the Scottish media described as a ‘bizarre statement’ their Russian-Lithuanian chairman Vladimir Romanov, in situ since 2005, and his fellow board members alleged that among those seeking to destabilise their efforts was a well known agent, Gary Mackay, who holds the record number of appearances for the club with 737.

“What’s happening with the club today is not a new thing. For almost seven years, we have been fighting to shield the club from crooks, criminals and thieves,” read their statement.

“Every year Hearts fights to be in the top three, but even last season in the last 12 games of the season it was almost like someone replaced the team with a different one. Whose fault is that? Players? Manager’s? Or it is mafia.”