SPFL clubs given go ahead to join Atlantic League by UEFA

Numerous SPFL clubs have been given the go ahead recently to join the Atlantic League by UEFA, according to reports emerging on Sunday.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has revealed he has approved for Scottish football to join regional leagues if they can work in alignment with European competitions.

Irish sports investment guru Andrew Doyle came up with the plans for a new Atlantic League, which would have seen Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibernian and Hearts join a reshaped 20-team league against sides from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the Republic of Ireland.

The league would have been heavily backed by investment bank JP Morgan with a projected income of up to £350 million.

Celtic’s Dermot Desmond indicated that he wasn’t interested in the plans, but he was then urged to reconsider by Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack, who believes there will be European or cross-border leagues in the near future.

Clubs in Belgium and the Netherlands have also set up plans for a new BeNe League, which they claim would raise up to £400 million in TV revenue alone.

European football’s governing body has revealed they have already held talks with national associations to see if they can make progress in establishing the leagues.

Cererin said: “At UEFA, we are thinking about regional leagues and we have been talking to the leaders of national federations about that.

“More and more countries are interested in the possibility of a regional league because that would increase the value of clubs, as well as income from sponsors and the sale of TV rights.

“UEFA, in principle, has nothing against regional leagues. The main problem is how to go from those leagues to European competitions. UEFA would have to solve that problem.

“In addition, we do not want to create some regional leagues that would destroy national championships. So, regional leagues are a serious undertaking and nothing concrete has been decided yet, but it is being considered.”

Celtic and Rangers given Atlantic League go ahead but UEFA chief presents two key issueshttps://t.co/UUyM7xcUEB pic.twitter.com/fUDEwpiEdT

— Daily Record Sport (@Record_Sport) January 3, 2021

Scottish clubs could be playing in a cross-border or European league “within 10 years”, Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack believes.

“If there’s a significant amount of money on the table it should be looked at,” Cormack said.

“We’ll stick our heads in the sand if we don’t think there’s going to be cross-border leagues or European super leagues with divisions. What we have to do as a country, as a group of clubs, is be at the table looking at these opportunities.”

Cormack told Aberdeen’s annual meeting that it was “critical that all clubs in the SPFL discuss and contemplate what lies ahead”.

He adds that the club would not join another league without a full consultation first with their supporters.

“There’s no doubt that, in particular, Celtic – and I don’t blame them – they would like a bigger platform to play on,” said Cormack. “With Scottish football, getting to a consensus can be a difficult challenge.

“To look at it selfishly from an Aberdeen perspective, I don’t want us to sit back and wait for the crumbs off the table from something that we had no input into.

“People have talked recently about British leagues. So, for example, if Celtic and Rangers went off to the English Premier League, where does that leave the rest of us? Are we playing Exeter? Plymouth? Where do we go and would our fans want that?

“It’s healthy to have a discussion and a debate over what might be and we need to do more of that as Premiership clubs and clubs in Scotland.”

He goes on: “This was a serious proposal for Scandinavian teams, a team from Ireland and five teams from Scotland to form an Atlantic League.

“But the real opportunity was to bring in 300m or 400m Euros a year in broadcast media rights, which would be significant for every Scottish league all the way down.

“The SFA were aware of it. The SPFL were aware of it. And Celtic, Rangers and ourselves and Ron Gordon at Hibs were aware of it.

“UEFA got behind it, but it was really down to the individual leagues.

“I got involved in a couple of Zoom calls in the last couple of months of discussion. And it was then that Andrew Doyle from SAL Partners in Ireland came out and said Celtic had pulled out.

“I don’t know why. The clubs were simply informed that Celtic had decided to pull out at this stage. And so they are back to the drawing board with it now.

“I think it is something we all need to really look at.

“If there is 300m to 400m Euros available to Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Scotland and Ireland, then there is money to go around. It should be a serious conversation point.”

Fans reacted as SPFL clubs are given the go ahead to join the Atlantic League by UEFA…

@MillieWiller: Please say it’s true. I’d love to be rid of these cancerous beasts for good.

@euanmilne1: I would love them to go! The league would be competitive again surely? They are never going to do anything to make our game competitive are they?

@8b769aa66e024cc: This is utter tosh, I heard this nonsense back in the mid nineties. It didn’t happen then and it wont happen now

@GrahamLove17: If they even hint that they’re away, the SPFL will suddenly find themselves very open to ‘colt’ teams again, happily turning their own venture into a reserve league, just to appease two clubs.

@Sbuddiesaints: Please, please please let this happen. That would be by far the best outcome for Scottish football if they left

@gorbalstony: The atlantic league proposed is utter shite ,teams from ireland , sweden ,denmark what benefit is that to rangers or celtic

@Stephen55767497: Ive argued for 20 years the Atlantic league was the way forward. To include relegation and promotion into your own countries league, and to include all the countries clubs in cup competition.

@Hun8r: The sooner they are out of the Scottish leagues the better.

@RobbieMacMorris: Would probably restore my faith in sevco integrity. No way Belgium or Dutch refs can be staunch believers of the Rangers parasite. I say give this the green light but keep the sevco on amber because they love orange so much. Caution is needed alot with them lot

@Smur_AOK: Atlantic League of teams from Scotland, the ROI, Denmark, Norway and Sweden? Does anybody think that would be an attractive competition to replace what we have? I don’t see it.