Hearts will hold a crisis meeting this week to discuss options including a potential legal fight if an early end to the Ladbrokes Premiership season sees them relegated to the Championship.

The Jambos were bottom of the pile and four points adrift of 11 placed Hamilton when all Scottish football was suspended last week due to the coronavirus pandemic currently sweeping the globe.

A decision by the UK Government to end the season could be taken this week, and crucially, current standings could be final in order to protect next season’s bumper broadcast deal and allow the 2020/21 campaign to start in August if possible.

That would see Hearts relegated to the Championship despite, in theory, still having 24 points left left to play for when games were halted.

It’s understood the capital club’s board will meet to discuss their options early this week, when it’s thought a potential legal challenge to the decision won’t be ruled out.

Whether that could be successful under the current SPFL rules is doubtful, which appear to give the league board discretionary power over when to call time on the current campaign..

Current definitions and interpretations within the rules of the Scottish Professional Football League state: “Season means the period of the year commencing on the date of the first league match in a season and ending on the date of the last league match in the same season or otherwise as determined by the board and which excludes the close season.”

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“As determined by the board” could provide the league with a get out if faced with a legal dispute from clubs affected across all four Scottish leagues.

If current standings are declared final, then Partick Thistle would be relegated despite being two points behind second bottom Queen of the South having played one less match.

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Raith Rovers would be promoted from League one by a point from Falkirk with the two scheduled to meet each other on the final day of the season in a potential title decider.

If Hearts were forced through the relegation trap door, it would leave big questions over the future of manager Daniel Stendel and a number of the playing squad.

Owner Ann Budge confirmed at the club’s AGM in December that a number had relegation clauses in their contracts, which would be activated if the club slipped in to Scottish football’s second tier.

Hearts were of course a Championship club when Budge bought a controlling stake back in 2014.

But that proved to be just a one season dalliance as the Jambos romped to the 2014/15 title under Robbie Neilson, setting a record a points total and blowing main rivals Hibs and Rangers away.

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Ironically, Neilson’s current club Dundee United are set to replace Hearts in the top flight. The Arabs hold a 14-point lead at the top of the Championship and were unlikely to be caught had the season played out.

Circumstances this time around are much different, however, with an immediate return for the Gorgie outfit far from guaranteed.