English Football League clubs to decide Old Firm invitation

English Football League clubs will decide whether the Old Firm are invited to join a new 'fifth division' planned for the league structure, according to EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey.

Football League clubs will decide if the Old Firm are invited to join a "fifth division". Picture: John Devlin

The governing body wants to re-organise into four divisions of 20 teams below the Premier League in time for the 2019-20 season.

That would involve the introduction of eight new clubs to the league system. Harvey previously admitted it would be difficult for Celtic and Rangers to gain entry, but didn’t rule out the possibility.

Two teams would be promoted from the National League and six other sides would be added to the newly-formed League Three. Six additional clubs are likely to also come from the National League, although should Rangers and Celtic be added to the mix, the two Glasgow giants could enter at this point in a bid to work their way up through the divisions.

Harvey has stated that current EFL clubs will decide where the additional eight sides will come from.

He was quoted as saying in the Telegraph: “One of the simple questions is, if this is to proceed, is where should the [new] teams come from? So the only ones who will decide that are the clubs themselves, so we will see what they say. I don’t want to pre-empt anything.”

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