Racing Genk demand transfer ban on Hearts

RACING Genk want Hearts banned from the transfer market for failing to pay for the signing of Mirsad Beslija.

The Belgian club say they are still due 80 per cent of the of the £835,000 fee agreed when the Bosnian winger joined the Edinburgh club in January.

Racing Genk director Erik Gerets claims the Tynecastle outfit told him middle men completed the transfer without their permission and now want to change the terms.

But the Belgians are determined to secure the full transfer fee and want FIFA to ban Hearts from strengthening their squad when the January transfer window opens unless they are paid up in full.

When asked what action he would like to see taken against Hearts, Gerets said: "The usual stuff. You are not allowed to do international transfers and not allowed to take part in the Champions League.

"That's normal in the rules of FIFA and UEFA and we hope they put pressure on this team to follow the rules.

"In Belgium, you need a license to play in the Belgian competitions and a European license for European events. To get these licenses, you cannot have debts to other teams.

"We now have a lawyer on the case and he tells us we should get the money, but Hearts are doing everything they can not to pay the agreed amount.

"What we are hearing from Hearts is that the player isn't worth the money and that the people who completed the transfer didn't have permission to do it. They are also asking us to make another agreement that would let them pay less and finish it, but that's not the way we act. They have to pay what was agreed."

Beslija, who played for the Bosnian clubs NK Bosna and NK Zeljeznicar before joining Racing Genk, was injured in his first game for Hearts, the 3-0 cup victory over Aberdeen.

Meanwhile, Romanov's "other" club, FBK Kaunas, have secured their seventh league title in eight years. Romanov will be delighted that his Baltic investment is showing dividends on the park.

With four games to go, Kaunas reclaimed the Lithuanian title after a 1-0 win against FK Vetra in Vilnius. And the newly-crowned champions' coach, Eugenijus Riabovas, who took over from Eduard Malofeev mid-season, praised his predecessor's groundwork.

He said: "Good preparation allowed us to take the lead early in the campaign. After a dip in September we rallied and proved our superiority once again."

Taken from the Scotsman