Dermot Desmond is a man of few words – at least when it comes to uttering them in public – however Celtic’s majority shareholder has today opened up a little and discussed his views with The Athletic in an interview that is both rare and intriguing.
Desmond discusses a host of subjects from the Martin O’Neill years to his respect for the out the box thinking of the smaller Scottish clubs, all the way to an All-island Irish football league. However, it seems his views on Celtic escaping the confines of a Scottish league haven’t diminished, even if he’s a little less reliant on his skills of persuasion and more inclined to leave it to market forces these days.
Discussing the possibility of Celtic and indeed other Scottish clubs plying their trade in an alternative league, he sees it not as a possibility at all, more as a natural conclusion.
Speaking to the Athletic Desmond had this to say on a possible British League in the future:
“Everything now is about the size of clubs and their followings. It’s become a digital world – streaming, Zoom. This pandemic has changed things.
“Now, what are we going to see with football? Will we see clubs sell their own international rights, take more control of their finances internationally? If that’s the case, because you know the top clubs in England want to control their international rights, those rights will be far more valuable if they’re playing against Celtic and Rangers.
“Celtic and Rangers are in the top eight clubs in Great Britain by any metric – support, attendance, international appeal. At some stage, there’s going to be the realisation that if they want to maximise their revenues, then there’ll be a British Premier League. And there should be a British Premier League, because you already have a couple of Welsh teams in the English leagues. So why not?
“As we get more digitally advanced and as clubs take more control of their revenue streams — particularly broadcasting revenues — that will create more potential for Celtic and Rangers, and maybe some other Scottish clubs, to be invited into British leagues.”
It is certainly then not an ambition that has lessened any for Dermot Desmond and although a British league seems his preference – and despite it appearing there is no active encouragement being employed – it is interesting to hear that Celtic’s majority shareholder still sees a future for Celtic beyond the confines of the Scottish league. It’s something I’d personally welcome.
While a British league would of course allow Celtic to expand their revenue capabilities and increase exposure to marketing and sponsorship avenues, I’m less inclined to believe a British League is the way forward. It seems to me that clubs outside the big five leagues of England, Spain, Italy, Germany and to a lesser extent France, have a very comfortable existence, with good domestic TV deals and of course a Champions League that seems entirely weighted in their favour.
Far be it for me to disagree with Dermot Desmond but there must surely be far more scope and likely interested parties when it comes to Celtic finding kindred spirits in big clubs outside of the big five’s apparent cartel.
The likes of Benfica, Porto, Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord in Holland, Club Brugge and Anderlecht in Belgium must also find they are hamstrung by their current markets. They too must be concerned that the gap is growing and they are being left behind.
If it’s possible Dermot Desmond has given up on persuading English clubs of the benefit of Celtic’s involvement in their product, it’s likely to be because his pleas fell on deaf ears.
We could sit and wait for that to develop organically or we could instead look to other clubs feeling the pinch and the frustration of being left on the outside looking in. Do we simply have to wait for an invite to a British league or can we actively lobby for an alternative involving European clubs?
I think I’d prefer to see Celtic play some of the sides mentioned on a regular basis rather than join a British League. As much as playing Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City is attractive, there are teams like Sheffield United, Burnley and Brighton that wouldn’t interest me one bit, indeed there are far more of those encounters than the so-called glamour clubs.
There would of course be obstacles to overcome, including UEFA, however would they be any more difficult to manoeuvre than access to a British League?
It’s certainly encouraging to hear Dermot Desmond discuss his thoughts, and refreshing to see his vision involves Celtic escaping a league the confines of which we have long since outgrown. It would be interesting also to hear his views on alternative options to a British League. A chat with our Portuguese and Dutch neighbours might be an alternative worth exploring.
Niall J
