Former Inverness Caledonian Thistle manager John Robertson and his wife faced being made bankrupt yesterday over thousands of pounds of unpaid council tax.
The Hearts legend was threatened with sequestration by the local authority because of a debt dating back several years.
Highland Council claimed the 49-year-old and his partner owed almost £12,000 on a property near Inverness.
But the bankruptcy threat was lifted at the last minute when the local authority withdrew its civil action to allow the sale of the couple’s home.
Dance teacher Sally Coppen-Robertson – whose most famous pupil is Inverness-born film star Karen Gillan – was named in a separate action by the council for an additional £3,400 due on a property at Ardersier.
The couple’s most recent address was at Westhill’s Woodside Gardens near the Highland capital and yesterday afternoon a new family was moving into the six-bedroom, £380,000 house.
They declined to comment other than to confirm that they had bought the house and the Robertsons had moved south.
Papers were lodged last month at Inverness Sheriff Court by Highland Council seeking to separately sequestrate Mr Robertson and Ms Coppen-Robertson.
The council claimed that the all-time Hearts top scorer owed £8,549.35 to the council on the Woodside Gardens address.
Ms Coppen is also liable for the same amount on the home they shared there, but the authority was pursuing her individually for £3426.05 owed on the Ardersier property.
In total, the couple have to pay Highland Council £11,975.40.
When the sequestration hearing was called yesterday, the couple were not present or represented by a solicitor.
In a brief statement, a council lawyer asked Sheriff Margaret Neilson to dismiss the local authority’s application.
He explained: “I am asking to dismiss this action immediately to enable them to sell their house.”
Sheriff Neilson granted the request and the sequestration proceedings were dropped.
However, if the debt is not paid, the council can raise the actions again.
A local authority spokeswoman said: “The council previously lodged a petition for sequestration of John Robertson and Sally Coppen but asked the court today to lift it immediately so their house can be sold.
“It is not our policy to discuss the reasons or sums involved, but we only pursue an action for unpaid monies in the courts for council tax or business rates debt.”
Mr Robertson was recently appointed Hearts under-17 coach and had also previously been manager of Ross County, Livingston and East Fife.
He was manager of Inverness Caley Jags from 2002-04.
The couple also had a spell living at Fettes Road in Ardersier, 11 miles from Inverness.
Ms Coppen was a choreographer in London but also ran a theatre school in Inverness.
Mr Robertson played for Heart of Midlothian, Newcastle, Livingston and Dundee, and was also capped 16 times for Scotland.
The Press and Journal was unable to contact him yesterday despite making a number of attempts.