‘Evolve or die’ warning from SFA chief

Credited with being among the men who devised the Champions League, Campbell Ogilvie’s views on European competition hold more weight than those of most observers. He sensed the thirst for non knock-out European competition, meaning fans and clubs alike could count on prolonged participation. At the time occupying the role of secretary at Rangers, he also saw the financial need for it.

The old European Cup was a popular success. Commercially, however, it was viewed to be dead in the early 1990s, hence the change to a league format, one which was originally limited to just two leagues of four teams.

Rangers, it will be recalled, finished second in one of these groups in 1993, thus providing followers of the Ibrox club with a reasonable right to claim they had reached the semi-finals. Rangers finished second to Marseilles in their own section, falling short of the later discredited French side by a single point.

Making the feat more notable was the fact that Rangers got so far with a side which included just three non-Scots, as per Uefa regulations at the time. Ogilvie actually sat on the Uefa committee which introduced the rule.

How times change, although one constant has been Ogilvie’s recognition that playing hugely significant European ties at the start of the Scottish league season – or even, at times, before the domestic campaign has kicked-off – is an unsatisfactory state of affairs. Even a 23 July start, the earliest ever in Scotland, failed to produce the desired effect this season.

As recently as last week Rangers were bundled out of Europe completely at the hands of Maribor, having already been eliminated from the Champions League qualifying stage by Malmo, while Celtic and Hearts joined them in making exits.

In 1996 Ogilvie was part of a Rangers proposal to expand the Champions League to either 24 or 32 sides from 16, which it was then. “We would like to see the preliminary round eliminated because playing that in August is a nightmare,” Ogilvie explained. Fifteen years ago.

His perspective might have changed, but his opinion hasn’t. Rather than seek to eliminate them, Scottish clubs are these days more likely to be eliminated from the preliminary stages of competitions.

Ogilvie, now speaking in his role as president of the Scottish Football Association, realises that clubs are being stymied by the need to play such financially-loaded matches at a time when the form and fitness of their players is not yet at a high enough level. The implications of this are particularly resonant when the opponents are teams who benefit from a league season which runs throughout the summer.

Back in the mid-90s, when Rangers were a more powerful force and voice in European football, Ogilvie was able to agitate for change, and the Ibrox club’s proposal to increase the number of sides in the Champions League group stages was heard by the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona, who were also present around the negotiating table.

But as Ogilvie yesterday noted, the original aim of the Champions League was to create a playground of bona-fide champions. “That was the plan,” said Ogilvie yesterday. “It has evolved over a period of time.”

At this particular meeting, in February 1996, Scotland were one of only 12 countries invited. Now, rather than enforce change, Scotland must aim to adapt to the prevailing climate, which is why Ogilvie yesterday called for an in-depth look at how Scottish football is structured.

He cannot seek to eliminate the need for Scottish sides to play important European fixtures so early in the summer, as once he was able to do at Rangers. Instead, he realises Scottish football must now dance to the piper’s tune. Evolve or die, as they say, and the president all but did that yesterday when he surveyed Scottish football’s current standing following the draw for the first round of the William Hill Scottish Cup, one which produced such lyrical sounding ties as Dalbeattie Star v Inverurie Loco Works, and Gala Fairydean v Hawick Royal Albert. As someone quipped, “at least there are some Scottish teams in this one”.

The task now is to ensure Scottish sides are included in European draws made in August. Ogilvie believes Scotland cannot whine about being caught cold. Instead, clubs must ensure they are in the swing by the time they are required to compete in Europe, which, due to the worsening co-efficient situation, is likely to get even earlier in the calendar.

“We can all talk about the finances of the game, how we do not have the money these big five countries have, but that is a fact of life and we cannot hide behind that,” said Ogilvie. “We have to work hard with what we have got. Other countries have teams qualifying without having the resources of some of the big countries.”

Some will maintain that promotion to office bearer at the SFA necessitates the adoption of a conservative outlook. Gordon Smith, a long-time proponent of a shift to summer football, appeared to trash this notion during his time as chief executive, and Ogilvie, too, sounded, if not like a revolutionary at the gates, then one eager to at least provoke discussion.

“We can’t just be talking about the number of teams in a league,” he said, in contrast to Scotland manager Craig Levein, who last week suggested a change to a ten-team Premier League would cure many of Scottish football’s troubles. “We need an in-depth look at how we play the game in this country.”

Returning to an earlier question about a change to summer football, as implemented to good effect in Ireland, or at least an earlier start to the league campaign, he said: “You talked about the change of the season. Most people would put their hand up against that, but changing the season could bring all sorts of benefits which need to be looked at, from improved TV contracts to ensuring teams would be up and running for European competition.

“The Irish have gone up from 42 to somewhere in the twenties [in the co-efficient league table]. As you know it is more difficult to enter European competition against teams who are halfway through their season.

“I think moving the season forward by two weeks doesn’t really do it. The fact we are moving down the rankings means there is every possibility that Scottish clubs in European competition will be starting the season even earlier. It’s something we should be looking at in depth.”

It is, however, all summed up by one salient fact. When Ogilvie helped devise the original Champions League format, the league stages began in November, with the first and second rounds played in September and October. The Uefa Cup, meanwhile, did not kick off until mid-September.

“The reality is that European games now start in June,” pointed out Ogilvie. “I can remember when they used to start in September. Things evolve in football and sometimes you have to sit back and think ‘where are we going here?’”