The idea of Celtic and their Glasgow rivals joining a restructured Ligue 1 has been floated by a top French economist.
The recent collapse of the Mediapro TV deal in France coupled with the news Belgium and Holland look set to combine leagues has inspired the idea of a reimagined French league.
However, even this would be seen as a means to an end, paving the way for a super league further down the line.
Jean-Pascal Gayant explained to FootballCritic.com
“I am convinced that we must anticipate rather than undergo an internationalisation of so-called “domestic” leagues. European football is characterised by a fragmentation that seems more and more anachronistic.
“The Champions League and the other European cups form a system allowing the best teams to compete against each other on a recurring basis, but, in the national championships, the gap between the cadors [the biggest teams] and the ‘rank-less’ continues to grow.
“It is also a real proposal, because the Scottish championship is a bit wobbly: 12 teams that meet three times each, then five more games to find a way to end the season by trying to correct the structural imbalance.
“In addition, the two Glasgow clubs crush the others. Yes, making room for these two Scottish clubs in our Ligue 1 seems to me to be an opportunity jointly for Scottish football as for French football.”
Laying out the plan Gayant said:
“As a first step, go to 16 teams in Ligue 1, or 18 possibly with the two Scottish teams, therefore, to create a competitive shock.
“With approximately the same payroll spread over 16 or 18 teams rather than 20, the average quality numbers will increase and the clubs will have time to play European matches.
“Of course, we have to cushion the shock for the clubs which will be relegated to Ligue 2 and National. We must therefore also create a professional Ligue 3, and even a mixed Ligue 4 with pro and non-pro clubs.”
It’s an interesting proposition from a Celtic point of view.
The powers that be at the club want a route out of Scottish football to unleash Celtic’s untapped potential.
The big issue would be UEFA signing off on two Scottish clubs heading to the French league.
It seems like a pipe dream but money will dictate where football goes in the next ten years. Celtic pulled out of talks when it comes to an Atlantic league but make no doubt about it, if they could get a lucrative move approved, it would be something Dermot Desmond would push for.
