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Former Rangers CEO Charles Green has revealed how he wanted the team and Celtic to play in the Premier League.
Green drew comparisons to clubs in Wales being a part of the English system, and thinks that the Light Blues also deserved to be there.
He has revealed that if it was sensible, he would have Rangers playing in the Premier League.
Speaking on Keys & Gray Unleashed, Green said: “We’ve always got we’ve now got the precedent, right? So this is where you then don’t argue with anyone you just sue for damages, because whilst you’ve got Berwick playing in that league and whilst you’ve got Wrexham and them playing in the English leagues, then we can’t have a set of rules where just because you’re called Glasgow Rangers you can’t play in one of the other divisions.
“And look, you know, I said it, I said it all along, you know, if it was sensible, you know, you’d have Rangers and Celtic playing in the English Premier League tomorrow.”
Green’s suggestions, as promising as they may seem, ignore a number of important regulatory, structural, and legal roadblocks. He has argued about Welsh clubs playing in the English system, but that misses a key point.
Welsh clubs like Wrexham, Cardiff and Swansea have long played in the English system because no proper league existed in Wales in the 19th century. Berwick Rangers sit on the border and joined the Scottish setup for the same practical reason.
Current FIFA and UEFA rules push back hard against new cross-border switches that lack that kind of deep history, as they would undermine how domestic leagues are organised, and one can understand where they’re coming from. A club can’t just buy a lower-division side, rebrand and jump into the Premier League or Championship.
Anyone entering the English system has to start at the bottom of the non-league pyramid and climb through the ranks. The EFL and Premier League also require a heavy club vote for any exceptional admission. This proposal is one that the English clubs and fans would resist strongly as well.
The two big Scottish sides would permanently take two places, changing promotion, relegation and European spots. Policing, fan culture and TV deals would all become more complicated.
This would also have a catastrophic effect on Scottish football and would surely gut the SPFL. Rangers and Celtic drive most of the league’s TV money, sponsorship and interest. Without them, the remaining clubs would face serious financial problems, so neither the Scottish authorities nor UEFA would be likely to approve a move that damages an entire member association.