UK government reforms could all but end English clubs entering any new talks of a European Super League - but Celtic and Rangers have been warned the idea itself can NEVER be written off.
It's claimed by the Daily Telegraph that ministers will soon publish plans for a football regulator that will aim to prevent club bankruptcy and attempts by bigger fish to carve out new competitions for financial gain. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus are still pushing the Super League idea that threatens the likes of Celtic, Rangers and other clubs from nations outside's Europe's top five leagues from getting a slice of European biggest football's riches.
A reformed version of the Champions League was put through in the aftermath of the failed ESL bid in 2021, with the tournament going from 32 teams to 36 and a Swiss format rather than six group stage matches. But this hasn't resulted in an increase in market value for the broadcasting rights. Dan Plumley, sports finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University, tells the Mirror that there's hesitancy in the market at the current time as it can't be guranteed the new 36-team UCL system will turn big profits.
And that might provide some Super League hope. Plumley said: "The big clubs have been appeased somewhat by this new format.
"There was the promise of more money for more games. But there was also the promise of the bigger clubs being more likely to get through to the latter stages with this format. They have been protected and I think that has appeased in the short to medium term. But, for me, the Super League is never off the table."
