The disgraceful manipulation of Scottish football by Rangers and Celtic for four decades continues.
The two clubs in 1980 gave themselves a huge financial boost by “persuading” other clubs to accept that they could retain 100% of their home league match gate receipts.
This single step is estimated to have added 70% to the two clubs overall annual domestic gate receipt revenue.
Sir Alex Ferguson was still at Aberdeen when this change was made, achieving regular trophy wins.
However, within five years the massive extra revenue enjoyed by Celtic and Rangers meant Aberdeens success story was over.
Since 1985, no team apart from Celtic and Rangers has won the Scottish Premiership.
The Glasgow duopoly saw its domination of Scottish football cemented in place with the advent of the European Champions League in the early 1990’s.
Since only Celtic or Rangers have ever qualified as league winners to particulate in the Champions League, they have cornered the vast majority of revenue flowing into Scotland from European tournament participation in the last 30 years.
European revenue alone has often recently been more than £25 million a season for one or other of the Glasgow giants.
With their massive financial dominance, Celtic and Rangers have almost total control of the transfer market for players who are employed by Scottish clubs.
Celtic and Rangers have only twice paid more than £3 million for a player on the books of another Scottish club.
The two transfers in question were Duncan Ferguson – from Dundee United to Rangers in the 1990’s – and Scott Brown, who moved from Hibs to Celtic 15 years later. Both were transferred for around £4 million.
What Celtic and Rangers are prepared to pay in transfer fees basically sets the market price for players operating at other Scottish clubs.
Only one Scottish player – Craig Gordon, the current Scotland goalkeeper – has ever moved from another Scottish club to a club outside Scotland for more than £3 million.
Meantime, Celtic and Rangers have themselves recently regularly received transfer fees in excess of £10 million for their players in transfers to England and elsewhere.
A prime tactic of the Glasgow duopoly is to destabilise players relationships with their existing clubs by letting it be known that Celtic or Rangers might be interested in signing them.
The players know that Celtic and Rangers can afford to pay wages five times or more higher than other Scottish clubs can offer.
Suddenly, the player is asking for a transfer. He lets it be known he is unhappy and wants to move on.
The general line taken by clubs is that they won’t keep a player who wants to leave. That, coupled with the fact most Scottish clubs are continuously short of funding, means that when Celtic or Rangers offer a small fee for the “unhappy” player, the transfer is soon done.
The Pre Contract situation has exacerbated this problem. A player can now sign up to join another club 6 months before the end of their contract. No transfer need be paid under such a contract arrangement.
This is exactly the contract John Souttar of Hearts has signed with Rangers.
The complication is that Rangers would like Souttar before the 6 month grace period expires. So they have offered Hearts a reported £300,000 to release Souttar early.
This fee effectively values Souttar at around £2.5 million, a derisory sum for a player of his quality – and once again below the £3 million transfer fee ceiling established by the two Glasgow clubs.
Hearts will not be letting Souttar leave early – but most Scottish clubs, being desperate for funds, would release a player early in the same situation.
Robbie Neilson and his management team and players are making Herculean efforts to challenge Celtic and Rangers league domination on the pitch. Given the financial power of the Glasgow clubs, challenging them on the field of play is almost impossible – but Hearts will battle on, trying for that miracle.
However, a duopoly is almost certainly illegal in the UK if it acts against the Public Interest.
So a challenge may well be about to be made in the Scottish Courts, aimed at ending the Celtic/Rangers duopoly.
We shall see.
One thing is certain.
The 37 season domination of Scottish football by two clubs cannot be allowed to continue.
37 must NOT be allowed to reach 40.
The Time for Change?
NOW.
Scottish Football Matters 