Hearts have been slapped with a ban on registering new players aged 21 or over until February 2014. The Scottish FA reached the decision at Hampden on Thursday as punishment for the Edinburgh club entering administration in June, for which they have already been given a 15-point penalty for the new season. Although the club escaped being hit with a financial penalty, Manager Gary Locke will now be unable to add any experienced players to his small squad until the end of the January transfer window. An SFA statement said the penalty was "prohibition up until February 1, 2014, of registration of new players aged 21 and over". It added: "This prohibition will not apply to players currently registered with the Scottish FA as being with the club." Administrators BDO had revealed that Hearts owe £28.5 million to Ukio Bankas and UBIG, the collapsed Lithuanian companies of departed Russian owner Vladimir Romanov. Both the fan-backed Foundation of Hearts and former Livingston owner Angelo Massone's Five Star Football Ltd are currently attempting to buy the club out of administration. However neither have been able to strike a deal with the major creditors in Lithuania.