Inverness Caledonian Thistle have been given a 15-point deduction by the SPFL after being placed into administration.
The club are currently bottom of Ligue 1 with -3 points, 12 points behind their nearest rivals, and are likely to switch to part-time football if they are relegated for a second successive season.
Caley Thistle launched a crowdfunding page hoping to raise £200,000 in one month, but failed to reach its target by last week’s deadline.
Manager Duncan Ferguson has donated his salary and is working for free to save the struggling club, which needs between £1.4m and £1.6m to last until the end of this season.
Inverness CT won the Scottish Cup in 2015 but now face relegation to the bottom of the SPFL.
Talks were held with investors from the UK, US, Denmark and the United Arab Emirates over a takeover, but no deal was agreed and administrators are now tasked with finding a new owner. If it fails, assets can be sold to raise funds for creditors.
Duncan Ferguson has been working for free at the club.
BDO’s James Stephen, Malcolm Cohen and Shane Crooks have been appointed joint managers, the club said in a statement.
A BDO spokesperson said: “We can confirm that an official appointment has been made and Inverness Caledonian Thistle is now in care.”
“We understand that this will be a difficult and uncertain time for the club, our staff, our loyal fan base and our local community.
“The administrators will be in a position to provide further information and plans to secure the long-term future of the club in due course.”
