Barry Ferguson shares Rangers situation he’d be ‘dead against’ after court ruling emerges
Barry Ferguson has revealed that he would be “dead against” any shake-up that means Rangers no longer prioritise the SPFL title following a European Super League development on Thursday (21 December).
Writing on the Daily Record website on Friday (22 December), the pundit said challenging for Scottish football’s highest honour has been the “bread and butter” for as long as he’s been alive after the European Court of Justice ruled that UEFA and FIFA acted “unlawfully” by blocking the formation of the ESL in 2021.
While he understands the appeal for bankers, marketers and the leagues across Europe that are trying to compete with the money being poured into the Premier League, he wouldn’t want to see the situation in Scotland ever change.
“I can also see the appeal where the bankers and marketing guys are concerned,” said Ferguson. “And I appreciate that the rest of Europe is looking at the money pouring into England’s Premier League and trying to find a way to level the playing field.
“But I’m also naturally suspicious about where this is all heading because I would be dead against any shake-up that means Rangers are effectively no longer prioritising the Scottish title every season. That’s been the bread and butter for as long as I’ve been alive. Call me a dinosaur but I wouldn’t ever want to see it change.”
Can’t happen
It’s pretty clear that the new Super League plans are still very much focused on helping the elite clubs across Europe improve their financial situations.
The other major European leagues have been exploring avenues to compete with the Premier League over the past few years and they see this as the best way to do that.
While the latest announcement that the Super League is looking to relaunch its plans claims to award clubs based on meritocracy, it would mean clubs in Scotland are incredibly unlikely to be in with a chance of going head-to-head with some of the biggest sides across the continent.
Apart from the sides looking to qualify for a place in the third tier of the new model, the domestic competitions would mean very little as winning the SPFL wouldn’t mean clubs could compete at European football’s highest table as the top league would largely consist of the same teams every season.
There are question marks about UEFA and how it governs the sport in Europe, but the latest Super League proposals go against the spirit of the game and must be rejected to ensure some of the smaller leagues aren’t left behind.
In other Rangers news, a loan bid is set to be made to sign one Gers player in January.