HEARTS and Partick Thistle have each been fined £2500 by the Scottish FA following a disciplinary tribunal.

The two clubs were penalised for being in breach of Rule 78 which states that SPFL clubs cannot take a dispute to a legal court if it falls within the terms of the SFA's jurisdiction.

Hearts and Thistle challenged their relegations from the Premiership and Championship respectively when they took their case to the Court of Session, where Lord Clark ruled that the matter must be settled via an independent tribunal.

The outcome of that process confirmed the two clubs' demotions, and the pair's request for financial compensation based on loss of earnings was rejected.

Now, the SFA's Disciplinary Tribunal have ruled that the two clubs did breach the rules that member clubs are bound by and fined each team £2500.

Hearts and Thistle later released a joint statement in response to the sanctions.

It read: "Hearts and Partick Thistle acknowledge the decision of a SFA Judicial Panel earlier today.

"Whilst we are naturally disappointed by this outcome, we nevertheless consider that the sanction applied by the Panel reflects that the petition issued by the clubs before the Court of Session was brought in good faith.

"We look forward to putting these matters behind us and focusing on the season ahead."