Scottish teams to discuss Euro league

Published on 23/09/2012 02:53

Some of Scotland’s leading clubs are to discuss the possibility of being part of a new European regional league set-up, it was reported last night.

The idea has been floated by the European Club Association whose members include Aberdeen, Celtic, Hearts and Rangers. The ECA has already discussed regional leagues involving neighbouring countries and so-called Supra National Cup Tournaments.

The plans will be talked over at a reconstruction strategy meeting involving Scotland’s three main governing bodies this week, according to a BBC Scotland report.

UEFA is said to be increasingly concerned by the economic divide between the top clubs and top leagues. UEFA has previously been resistant to the idea of clubs playing outwith their borders, except in the governing body’s sanctioned tournaments. This stance stymied any hopes the Old Firm had of playing in England.

But the idea of a league involving clubs from some of Europe’s so-called second tier nations such as Scotland, Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands has never gone away.

Former Hearts chairman Leslie Deans championed the concept last year when he told Scotland on Sunday: “No disrespect to the likes of St Johnstone or Hamilton or St Mirren but think about it, what is the more attractive fixture list, one where we have Hearts v St Johnstone, Hamilton v Rangers, Celtic v St Mirren or one where we have Standard Liege v Celtic, Rangers v Feyenoord, Hearts v Ajax, Benfica v Aberdeen?”