Congratulations to SPL chief executive, Neil Doncaster, who delivered a remarkable increase in the league’s TV deal with Sky and ESPN; £80m for five years until 2017. The one concession he had to trade, was the possibility that he had to subjugate the link between sporting meritocracy and the commercial imperative.
When news of the deal broke yesterday a Rangers fan was quick to suggest that Sky and ESPN would not have bid on such terms if they had any doubt Rangers would survive in the league, however, later details emerged to prove the exact opposite. The entire deal is dependent on a clause assuring Celtic play Rangers four times each season. If Rangers were eliminated from the league, or even if they failed to earn enough points after an administration penalty to finish in the top six after 33 games, the TV deal becomes invalid.
While this clause was crucial in Doncaster getting his deal it does nothing for the sporting integrity of the competition. It has been five years since Rangers finished outside the top two in the league but if they go into administration, or worse, a fire sale of assets and a point deduction is likely.
The league has now introduced a contractual ceiling on whatever penalty would be applied to a financially deviant club, irrespective of the offense. Doncaster will now also set off to find a sponsor to replace Clydesdale Bank, promising the TV exposure his deal with Sky and ESPN provides. By extension, not only will TV income be dependent on four Celtic-Rangers games per season, so too will league sponsorship income.
Can you imagine the goings-on if Rangers enter next season in administration, with a 10-point deduction and a skeleton squad? Beating Rangers, making it less likely for them to reach the top six, could cost each team in the league millions. Clubs have a clear incentive to ensure Rangers are in no danger of finishing outside the top six.
Neil Doncaster, who is likely to be financially incentivised to deliver TV money, is a member of the SPL board who would decide whether or not to admit a prepack company into the league in the event of an existing club failure. His partiality would be compromised by this deal, so too would other board members from clubs without the liquidity to cope without TV or sponsor income.
While TV broadcasters have a clear financial incentive to lobby for whatever it takes to keep Rangers buoyant, the financial incentives will touch everyone with their snout in the trough, and that includes non-TV media and referees.
This is a dreadful deal as it inserts a clause which compromises the sporting integrity of the competition. Can you imagine giving the team talk to a club, safe from relegation, about to face a Rangers team needing a win on game 33? What about the referee who makes a mistake in Rangers favour, late in the season, under similar circumstances? How would Sky, ESPN and others frame the debate in the event of Rangers going into administration?
I can understand why Sky and ESPN want clause, but the rest of us might as well chuck it.
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Barrach Obampot says:
22 November, 2011 at 11:42
As this is turning into a complete farce shouldn’t the league be renamed the Scottish Pantomime League?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Since you mention pantomime have you seen this mime of a typist?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQJtQcMcYmU
He is very good.
On the COPFS data I do have my MSP on the case, but thanks for the info.
Mort / DBBIA
Andre Blackman —–
An interesting one —–
Arsene Wenger compared him to Ashley Cole .
Harry Redknapp and Clive Allen gave him the big up.
He went on to being shown the door at AFC Wimbledon..
We’ll see !
James Forrest is Lennon
Well said James.
My 4 year old son is constantly telling me that he’s going to play for Celtic one day, well I worry that there isn’t going to be a Celtic for him to support or play for if things carry on as they are.
I do want to have hope that this will all work out in the end and sporting integrity will win over cheating and establishment protectionism. However I cannot understand the mindset of our own board of directors, they seem to assume that the support will constantly take any rubbish thrown at them and continue to sing “Over and Over”. Can anyone give me a reasonable explanation for what they think the outcome of all this will be?
Celtic_First
As I said I admire your optimism.
Lets hope for the sake of scotland and Celtic you are correct.
As for this “Old Firm Game Abroad”
If that EVER takes place I will NEVER give another penny to Celtic by ANY means at all, for as long as the “OF” tag persists.
I want NOTHING whatsoever to do with the tax cheating, sectarian, fraud squad across town, and any further commercial deal which preserves that tag will finish it for me completely.
JAMES FORREST 1134
I agree entirely,but by watching it on tv,even in a pub,you are actually paying your share to the clubs.
Now,an HDMI cable and a bit of thought,that’s a different matter….
The Battered Bunnet,
I posed the question yesterday of why any firm of solicitors would choose to represent the huns when several are taking action for non payment.
I guess that would expand to other businesses too. Most small businesses that go to the wall do so because of cashflow problems. So if I were dealing with the huns I would insist on payment in advance. In cash. No credit whatsoever.
The Exiled Tim
Aye, let’s hope so. All the best to you and yours.
You know what? The administrators know how fans feel and how they will react. They also know that, if there is a game on, the fans will go. Perhaps, some will give up, some may boycott for a while, but they factor that in and know that the punters will soon fall into line once the competition starts and all will be well eventually.
And that’s what will happen. It’s all bluster. Fans will turn up. They always do.
The Honest Mistake (Sickened) says:
22 November, 2011 at 11:42
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Dear, Dear!
All I’ll say to you is this………
“They all laughed at Christopher Columbus, when he said the world was round……….”
Adios Amigo!
Off oot this time!
Hail! Hail!
S of Tunis -if he’s that good he wouldn’t be at Celtic!
The bhoy has had some serious character flaws in the past [ in terms of being a professional footballer, rather than a decent human being].
We’ll see if they can be ironed out.
Having been deemed ‘surplus to requirements’ at AFC Wimbledon when they were in Div5 he may be the shot of defensive class the Sieve is crying out for…
Headtheball 11.50
Really? you actually believe that? even when you know the league is bent?
Why waste your money?
As I said before why even pretend it’s still football.
I’d sooner play Football manager then bother with a game that will ensure that 2 clubs must be protected and end up at the top of the pile.
KevJungle – Put the Green Brigade into a new JUNGLE 22 November, 2011 at 11:51:
You’ll have to explain that comment to me. It doesn’t make sense.
The Honest Mistake (Sickened)
I think he means what you’re suggesting could easily come to pass.
Big Nan my internet connection is slower than David Weir, so I’ll have to check that clip when I get back from posting my Amnesty appeals.
bringonthesatellitebroadbandcsc
Just a Macchiavellian thought.
Was that type of clause ALWAYS in the contract,and did Neil Doncaster,inadvertently or NOT,toss us a bone to chew over?
Now, the difference between that,and what the likes of weeminger says-effectively as you were,nothing to see-is
Either we’re right,or we are paranoid.
Thankfullyinmycaseits honestly somebodyelsesfaultCSC
C1st
Muchas gracious
So, lets say everything is ironed out, the Celtic support drops because they dont want any part of it, the teams struggle on for 5/6 years, Celtic hit financial trouble due to lack of support, anybody see the same agreement being proposed to help Celtic ?
cavansam
I’m sorry to say that I do believe it. If your team is playing it would be hard to ignore it by either not going to the game or by not paying your Sky subscription. For sure, numbers would be down but they’d recover eventually.
I think the powers that be know this too.
Headtheball says:
22 November, 2011 at 11:50
Not supporters that have a scared soul, a memory of how the past (and present) contempt them, and who can spell and live integrity. Those supporters will not pay their money; Why would they? To promote the perpetuation of bigotry?
We might as well take up the flute and the El Dorado swagger. It’d be cheaper.
Glasgow Herald getting implicated in bad press practices at the Leveson inquiry.
Probably discussed many times before, but…
Does anyone know how difficult (or straightforward) it would be for Celtic to resign from the SFL and enter the English league structure? Even if we had to go in at the bottom i honestly believe we’d be in the premier league within 10 years. With our fan base and the TV money we’d be challenging the big guns easy. Ragers would be left, well, …raging!!
Would remaining at Parkhead be an option or would we need to set up shop south of the border?
#justasking!!
Headtheball says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:01
‘cavansam
I’m sorry to say that I do believe it. If your team is playing it would be hard to ignore it by either not going to the game or by not paying your Sky subscription.’
If the Celtic board are party to a deal that allows a newco huns to stay in the SPL then as far as I’m concerned Celtic are dead and any team playing under that name are no longer my team. I wouldn’t give a tinker’s fart for what happens to them.
You can only suspend disbelief for so long.
Headtheball 12.01
Again your ignoring the bit about the league being bent?
Just what are you or any other fan willing to put up with? are you saying that you’ll pay money to a club which potentially will sign up to a deal allowing another club to continue in top level football despite years of cheating? and not only that but under current structures ensure that this club cannot finish outside the top 6 places?
There’s loyalty and then theres something else….
Fassreifen says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:03
‘Glasgow Herald getting implicated in bad press practices at the Leveson inquiry.’
Have they mentioned the Lena Zavaroni joke?
Kitalba, Ernie
Well said.
Headtheball:
Anybody who buys a season ticket year after year to watch dreck, to see us cheated by the league authorities, ignored by our board, harrased by the police, hated and slandered by the press, to support a bunch of over-paid players, fat cat directors and corrupt officials … well I have to question their sanity.
Football fans are often deemed insane by those who don’t follow the sport. But when something is THIS badly out of whack, the plot has been well and truly lost.
I want no part of it. I miss games. I do. I miss going week in week out, I miss the atmosphere of the big days and the decision not to buy a season ticket this time around was a wrenching one, and I did it because I saw (and see) no level of ambition from our club in terms of player recruitment and backing the manager.
I do not expect that to change next season, and that on top of this charade, on top of this outrage, means I’ve seen enough that I don’t forsee me ever returning to an SPL ground.
The Exiled Tim @11 32 ——
Note your comments re Poland and every game being dissected by the TV media .
Same thing happens on the Italian equivalent of the Beeb and the plethora of channels owned by the vile Berlusconi .
One of the interesting things to emerge from the Calciopoli Scandal in Italy was the revelation that Juve were paying TV Producers / Directors / Video Tape technicians etc to ” doctor and favorably render ” film of controversial decisions which had gone the way of Juve .
One of the many things that Calciopoli illustrated was that the corruption of football involves many people ——all doing something for somebody in exchange for money / power / employment / holidays / property / gifts / women etc..
Maybe such things only happen in corruption is a way of life Italy ?
cavansam,
Don’t get me wrong, I can assure you that I won’t be party to any of it. No way. It would be the end for me.
All I’m saying is that the administrators will work on the assumption that some will groan and grumble but will eventually fall back into line.
Paul
It is really is very difficult to know what to make of the news about the new TV deal.
I do not know of any other footbal league, or even sport, which would place such a heavy emphasis on the fortunes of one team for its own financial security.
If there is any intergrity left in Scottish football – and I do think this is an issue which affects every club and not just us – the deal cannot be allowed to stand. In particular, those clubs which would benefit from TFOD not being in the SPL would be penalised for trying to run their club on a sound financial footing.
I am also concerned about the extent to which we will be informed of the full terms of the agreement. Any lawyer will tell you that you need the whole agreement to make sense of ay part of it. However, both the SPL and Sky are private companies and, therefore, we cannot see the agreement under freedom of information requests. At the very least our board should be requesting sight of the full deal as soon as possible.
cavansam \o/ says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:05
Agreed.
Can you imagine that in any other aspect of your life that you’d be willing to annually part with over a grand in the hope of gaining something that you know you will be cheated out of each and every time?
It’s like placing your hand on the hot cooker ring, being burnt and shouting ‘Oh-ya bassa’, then placing your hand on the hot cooker ring, being burnt and shouting ‘Oh-ya bassa’, then placing your hand on the hot cooker ring, being burnt and shouting ‘Oh-ya bassa’, then placing your hand on the hot cooker ring, being burnt and shouting ‘Oh-ya bassa’, then placing your hand on the hot cooker ring, being burnt and shouting ‘Oh-ya bassa’, then placing your hand on the hot cooker ring, etc
My brand new allotment will be getting a lot more attention than I thought if the Board don’t scream blue murder and actually do something.
James Forrest
As you say…all that stuff has been going on for years yet still people buy into it.
That’s my point and also my fear that they will continue to do so no matter how corrupt or bent is.
A very disturbing item, Paul.
Do you know exactly how much Celtic FC get from this deal ? I would not think that over the season we’d do too well by this and maybe, just maybe we should consider paddling our own canoe.
Sadly it looks like hunman will come out of this mess in pretty god shape, as if any of us ever doubted it!!!!!
Hail Hail
KINGLuBO
South of Tunis
We may as well just give up then :>)
The game is well and truly a bogie.
If you consider Celtic’s new approach to player recruitment and development, look at Hibs, review the recent comments from Hearts, the outlook for Rangers, the current practices at Aberdeen, Dundee Utd, Motherwell, St Mirren amongst others, and look at the prevailing structure and approach of clubs in the first division, it is reasonable to conclude that Scottish football’s future is akin to that of a Secondary School for aspiring footballers.
Welcome to the Youth Development League.
KNOXY2000 1204
Love yer moniker,ya brave lad,as you explained before you have bad memories of “”ROAMIN’ IN THE GLOAMIN'”
Don’t we all…….
Not for me mate,even though I live in Swindon which would make life easier for me.
We might as well turn ourselves into a franchise for world-wide bastardisation. And DON’T even think of it,Peter.
Celtic is Glasgow Celtic.
There are other Celtics throughout the world,and we have a great affinity with them,but we MUST always be in Glasgow
Headtheball 12.10
Ah well that’s a different kettle of fish.
If that’s the assumption of the board then they are in for a rude awakening.