SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell admits he understands why Hearts will feel the latest week-long suspension of training ahead of the new Championship season will feel like a 'slap in the face'.

The Joint Response Group earlier announced that clubs below the Scottish Premiership would be unable to train until August 24 at the earliest, despite relegated Hearts starting back earlier this month. The announcement came following Nicola Sturgeon's 'yellow card' comments regarding any more protocol slip-ups surrounding Scottish football. Eight Aberdeen stars and Celtic's Boli Bolingoli recently broke strict rules.

Hearts were furious after the club incurred 'significant unnecessary costs' as a result of the development. But Maxwell has revealed he spoke with Ann Budge to make it clear that, while the issue was unfair on the Jambos, it was also not ideal for anyone else who had hoped to return to training this coming Monday.

"I absolutely understand and I was very clear to Ann on the phone that I knew this wasn't going to be a popular decision," Maxwell said on BBC Sportsound. "They [Hearts] will feel harshly treated and I can understand why. I think when you look at everything that's happened to Hearts over the summer, this will feel like another slap in the face to them. I tried to make it clear to Ann that this is not about Hearts.

"While it is unfair on Hearts it is also unfair on the hundreds of grassroots or amateur clubs that would've had training organised next week and will potentially lose money for them. There are a lot of people affected, we had to take a decision, as we said, to put that pause in place. When we looked at it there are Championship clubs already testing that wanted to come back to training on Monday.

"We were left with the decision do we allow one club to train and tell others who haven't started training that they can't, even though they want to, or is it just a blanket one week suspension. We were also aware that Hearts were looking at giving their players a bit of time off, eight days was the notification we had. I'd spoken to Ann about marrying those two things up to give us the time we need, that it doesn't really impact your training or preparation for the start of the season.

"I completely understand and get where hearts are coming from. I know it will be disappointing but hopefully Hearts and everyone else in Scottish football understands why we've done it."

The Tynecastle club, whose legal challenge against their relegation from the Premiership failed after going through the SFA arbitration process, are considering their next step.

Maxwell, meanwhile, responded to claims made by Scots Government's national clinical director, Jason Leitch, who said the government did not force the SFA and SPFL to take such drastic measures. But the SFA chief justified their decision. "When you've got the First Minister saying, live to the nation, that Scottish football is on a yellow card and when you have the national clinical director, who advises the First Minister, stating that he does not have confidence in Scottish football's ability to adhere to protocols, then we had to take decisions.

"Jason is right in what he said, the decisions are sector-specific. We wouldn't go back to government with the level of detail to what this actually means, we proposed a range of measures to government. One of them was the suspension of the game to allow that pause, to allow us to ensure the protocols clubs have in place are appropriate.

"We're starting to see more and more clubs wanting to come back to training, we're reaching that point of pre-season preparations where they want to begin for the league campaign going in October. That was a decision the Joint Response Group took to pause the game."