Today’s Daily Telegraph features reports suggesting that Celtic could be invited to join League Five of the English Football League- or an Atlantic League.
Both stories have been running for over a decade without any real developments taking place but with the growing influence of television- as witnessed by the new format to the Champions League- change could be round the corner.
In 1999 former Celtic chief executive Allan MacDonald introduced the idea of an Atlantic League featuring teams from Scotland, Holland, Belgium and Scandinavia.
Such a move would require the approval of UEFA and the relevant football authorities and although kicked into touch at the time has resurfaced occasionally with clubs from the nations involved in regular contact.
According to today’s Telegraph: “Informal discussions about a North Atlantic League have also been held, with a proposed start in 2021 to coincide with the end of the current Champions League broadcasting cycle. A North Atlantic set-up, including the likes of Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, FC Copenhagen and Malmo, is more likely to confine Scottish participation to the Old Firm plus one – probably Aberdeen – but any invitation to the Scots from the Football League could be broader in scope.
“Celtic are understood to favour a pyramid system open to other SPFL clubs, solidarity payments, their continued participation in the Scottish Cup and the possibility of maintaining colt or ‘B’ teams in the Scottish leagues. The downside, for Celtic in particular, would be a minimum of five years without European football, assuming that they would be able to sustain continuous momentum towards the ultimate goal of a place in the Premier League.”
The same publisher also claims that changes at the English Football League could involve an invite to join a revamped set up which would finally open the door to the riches of the Premier League- in a minimum of five years.
That report claims: “Shaun Harvey, the English Football League chief executive, says that his members will decide whether Celtic and Rangers can join a new ‘fifth division’ planned for the start of the 2019-2020 season.
“The 72 EFL clubs are being asked for their opinions on how the Football League expands to four divisions of 20 teams each, as part of the ‘Whole Game Solution’. The two Scottish clubs have long been considered a possibility for the new ‘fifth division’ and Harvey says the final decision will be down to his members.
“We have recently gone out to our clubs to elicit their further views in relation to any different number of areas from the proposition that was first put forward. Once we have their views we can move forward.
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