"It is news to you that this is a fixed league?" he asked at a Hearts shareholders meeting. "Rangers and Celtic win titles by 30 points. How many times this season have we been screwed by referees? We ask you to help us to fight this system that doesn't allow a smaller club to grow. If a club starts to grow, they use all mechanisms to pull it down. Vladimir would not waste his money in this club if he did not believe things could be changed."

One shareholder was labelled a "provocateur" for questioning the Hearts board's recent decision-making.

"Go read newspapers, that is where you get your opinions from," said Romanov.