Hearts: Valdas is still our coach

Hearts director Sergejus Fedotovas insists Valdas Ivanauskas remains “officially” the club’s head coach despite not being seen at Tynecastle for 11 days.

Hearts last night called a press conference for this morning to reveal a “major announcement”, amid speculation Ivanauskas would relinquish his coaching role and become director of football.

However, the club announced a major kit deal with Umbro worth a seven-figure sum for each of the following two seasons.

Fellow Lithuanian Kestutis Latoza has been earmarked as a potential replacement for Ivanauskas, with the head coach still absent after leaving for a short break in Germany following the draw with St Mirren on February 17.

Former Lithuania boss Latoza has admitted holding talks with Hearts majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov, but would not confirm whether they were concerning a role at Tynecastle.

Non-executive director Fedotovas confirmed Ivanauskas had not been replaced.

He said: “Officially he is still the coach of the club. When we decide any issues concerned with coaching positions we will inform you in the official way.

“We have good news all the time but most of the media just don’t want to notice that.

“I thought a lot of media guys are here today to find out we have changed the coach and there were not very smiley faces around when they found out we were having the Umbro announcement.

“For me that was the main news.”

Fedotovas insists the Romanov regime will take Hearts forward.

A motion to increase the debt from £28.4m to a potential £40m was passed at yesterday’s AGM.

But many shareholders were not satisfied with answers over the playing side, and tempers got so frayed that two fans were captured on camera fighting outside Tynecastle.

Fedotovas said: “We are involved with the club to move the club towards winning and achieving results.

“If we don’t achieve results today that doesn’t mean we don’t want to achieve results in the long term.

“I’m more than convinced that this club has the supporters that stood with the club through hard times and they understand heavy work is needed to achieve results, and that doesn’t come in one day.

“I think there was a kind of circus for the media outside the club yesterday.

“When two people go out in front of the cameras and fight I don’t want to comment on that.”

Fedotovas admitted his job was a “major challenge” and confirmed he had found Scottish football difficult to work in.

He added: “My impression of Scottish football is..... at first you like what you see and then when you get to details you’re not so happy, but we’re working towards improvement I think.”

When asked if he thought Scottish football was biased against clubs like Hearts and in favour of those such as Rangers and Celtic, Fedotovas said: “Absolutely.”