Details of an Old Firm plan to join the EPL has gone mainstream.
Earlier this month Phil MacGiollabhain broke the news that in early 2011 Peter Lawwell and Martin Bain were putting together a plan to present both clubs to the EPL.
Yesterday The Sun added more detail to the story including claims of email exchanges between the two chief executives.
Money was the prime motivation for both men, an escape to the EPL would see Celtic’s share price soar while at the time would have provided a financial lifeboat to the Ibrox club who were just over a year from going into liquidation.
The Sun reports:
It claimed they’d have a “massive impact” on the Premier League down south — and insisted their departure would also boost the Scots game by making it “more competitive”.
The paperwork was sent from Lawwell’s assistant Eleanor O’Neill to Bain’s PA Louise Barrie in 2011. The document’s first section was titled: “What would the Old Firm bring to English football?”
It said “the addition of two more “giant” teams” would have “an exponential impact” on the number of big games available to be shown on TV worldwide.
The proposal added: “In a media environment craving additional quantity and quality of games, the introduction of Celtic and Rangers into the FA Premier League would have a massive impact on the ability to meet that demand.”
A familiar type of exclusive https://t.co/r41ccKKYxN pic.twitter.com/CV4FJSQ2X7
— Phil MacGiollaBhain (@Pmacgiollabhain) January 20, 2020
In March 2011 the two clubs were thrown even closer together following the explosive Scottish Cup replay at Celtic Park. Three Rangers players were sent off with Ally McCoist clashing with Neil Lennon at the final whistle.
Within days Lawwell and Bain were explaining the situation to the Scottish government who introduced the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act on the back of that match.
At the same time Rangers were submitting their application to the SFA for European football while knowingly failing to declare overdue taxes of £2.8m.
Rod Petrie and Andrew Dickson were on the Licencing Committee of the SFA that failed to apply the UEFA rules, both men remain in the corridors of power in Scottish football.
There seems to be a lot of worrying emails starting to surface about exactly what priorities the Celtic CEO hashttps://t.co/rYJ0PIyiIB
— Joe McHugh (@videocelts) January 20, 2020