The Threat From The North!

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 04/08/2003

DERMOT Desmond, the Celtic chairman, has once again raised the issue of Celtic and Rangers being allowed to join the English Premier League arguing that the current TV deals were specifically intended to prevent that happening.

Desmond, claims that a cartel is thwarting competition in the two countries and that the television rights system is illegal.

"The Premier League clubs - the smaller ones, that is - have issued a mandate to the executive that they don't want Celtic and Rangers in the Premiership because they might undermine their own positions."

"The Premier League executive are under guidance from those majority of clubs and again I don't think that is competition or in the interests of football. To say that all clubs are equal, forget about it. Manchester United have five times the revenue (of most clubs). It's pretty apparent that Sky, the Premier League and maybe the BBC have got together and formed a little cartel to decide how they are going to break up the rights." END

What Mr Desmond seems to have overlooked is that if Celtic and Rangers enter the English premier league it will just about finish football in Scotland. What about the 'small clubs' then? Seems the lure of the TV money is too good to resist for some, like Celtic, who would depart their own national league and leave it in ruins for a few extra quid!

Whatever happened to Scottish nationalism?

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