A statement released by the club said that James Stephen, Malcolm Cohen and Shane Crooks of BDO had been apppointed as joint administrators.

A spokesperson for BDO said: “We can confirm a formal appointment has been made and Inverness Caledonian Thistle is now in administration.

“We understand this will be a difficult and uncertain time for the club, its staff, its loyal fan base and the local community.

“The administrators will be in a position to provide further information and their plan to seek to secure the long term future of the club in due course.”

It is unclear yet what the impact will be for playing and non-playing staff, as well as the manager Duncan Ferguson – although job losses are likely at the club.

Talks were held last week with businessman David Anderson about a possible takeover but they ended without agreement.

Then on Tuesday, the Court of Session confirmed that the club had appointment administrators.

Losses ran to £1.2m last season and the club has forecast a similar loss this year, but that figure does not include money spent on restructuring following relegation from the Championship last season.