NEIL DONCASTER has warned that any legal action that Hearts take against the SPFL over the club's relegation would cost the other 41 member clubs.

The capital club's relegation was confirmed on Monday when the 2019/20 Premiership campaign was brought to an end following a unanimous vote that the season could not be completed.

Hearts owner Ann Budge is still to submit a proposal for league reconstruction and has threatened legal action against Scottish football's governing body in the event that it fails and Hearts are demoted to the second tier.

In a statement on Hearts' website, Budge argued that the cost of a legal battle would pale in comparison to the financial hit that relegation would bring with it.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Doncaster said that clubs are right to explore every possible avenue to act in their best interests - but pointed out that the other 41 SPFL clubs would bear the financial brunt of any court action.

"It's really important that any club makes its own decisions because they are an independent business," said the SPFL chief executive. "Although they are one of 42 member clubs within the league, each club - and the board of each club - has to do what's right for their club.

"But any action that's taken by any member against the league ultimately is taken against members as a whole.

"We don't hold reserves year to year, so any action that any one individual club takes, effectively the burden of that would fall on all the other members."

Doncaster added that he would be willing to listen to Budge's reconstruction proposal, but stressed that it would require widespread support throughout the pyramid in order to be successfully implemented.

"Ann Budge of Hearts is keen to come back again with another resolution looking at reconstruction around an enlarged Premiership," he said.

"Clearly that would have the consequence of effectively avoiding relegation for those clubs relegated as a result of the early curtailment of season 19-20, so that would be certainly Hearts, Partick Thistle and Stranraer if that were to come to pass.

"It's something that a number of clubs have said they are open-minded about and I think there is a sympathy for the position that the relegated clubs find themselves in and we'll see where it goes. We await the proposal and I know that a lot of clubs will want to look at it with a really open mind.

"Any change would certainly need to go to a vote and it really depends what form of process Hearts choose to go down. We have members' resolutions, board resolutions, possible potential for an EGM, and I know that we at the centre will be doing what we can to support those efforts and it'll remain to be seen whether they are supported by member clubs in the numbers that are required.

"It is likely that any expansion would need 11 out of the 12 Premiership clubs to approve it and then 75 per cent effectively of other clubs.

"But again it does depend on the detail - the devil is in the detail here - but we are certainly looking forward to seeing the proposal and as and when we see it we can share it with member clubs and have a broader discussion."