Hearts will discover this month if they are to served with a fine by the Scottish Football Association after the Tynecastle club received a notice of complaint as a result of going into administration last month.
The notice stated that Hearts have until Monday to respond, although of greater concern to administrators will be what subsequent punishment the SFA will choose to impose.
The governing body can impose fines of up to £1m on clubs which have broken the rules relating to insolvency events, with a transfer embargo, exclusion from the Scottish Cup and termination of SFA membership also open to the disciplinary panel, which will meet on July 18.
It would appear a five-figure fine is the most likely punishment, though, with SFA protocols detailing a £10,000 sanction for a "top end" breach of regulations. Rangers became the first club to fall foul of the new rule last year and received a £50,000 penalty, with Dunfermline Athletic given a signing ban in May when they fell into administration.
Hearts were given some good news yesterday, when Billy Brown offered to resume the role of assistant manager without pay. The coach had previously served as assistant to Jim Jefferies – when current manager Gary Locke was first added to the Hearts coaching staff – and completed the paperwork yesterday following a brief meeting with the first-team squad. Brown was most recently employed as manager of East Fife but resigned after a change of ownership at the club.
His offer was graciously accepted by Locke, who had been informed by the club's administrators that they could not sanction an assistant to be brought on board to replace Edgaras Jankauskas, who left at the end of last season. "It's not often you get the chance to get someone of Billy's experience and he's come in to help me out during pre-season, which is a magnificent gesture," said Locke.
"I can't do it all on my own and it's obvious I'll need a help, so to have Billy in here is a great help. I can't afford to bring in an assistant and it's a measure of the man that Billy was only too willing to help out without getting paid."
Filling the captaincy role is also a priority for Locke, although a candidate has now been put forward by a member of his squad. Jason Holt has noted the leadership qualities shown by Danny Wilson since the defender first arrived on loan from Liverpool in January and is confident the defender would be a natural fit for the captain's armband.
"The presence he has, what he offers to those round about him, is just great," said Holt. "He's similar to Andy Webster in that he's got a lot of advice to give, which is helpful to every member of the team."
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