ALLEGATIONS that Glasgow City Council broke the law in historic land deals involving Celtic Football Club cost taxpayers £280,000, it has emerged.

It is understood the hours spent responding to queries from the European Commission and dealing with Freedom Of Information requests from the public following the accusations have left Scotland's largest local authority with the deficit.

Council officials were also required to travel to Brussels on more than one occasion - funded from the public purse - as part of preliminary inquiries into claims Celtic benefited from 'state aid'.

The Commission did not take the complaint as far as opening a formal investigation.

It comes as the authority is facing cuts and savings of as much as £150 million in the next three years, with the impact falling on frontline services and jobs.

The figure spent by the authority on dealing with the allegations is the equivalent to 10 classroom teachers.

Lawyers close to the case have also said the only substantial grounds to appeal against the Commission's decision are if a 'competitor' of Celtic's asks Europe for the case to be re-opened.

Essentially this amounts to another Scottish football club, none of whom were involved in the 11-month inquiries ahead of last week's decision by the European Commission not to proceed any further with the allegations.

One prominent member of Ukip in Scotland has spoken of a potential appeal via social media sites.

One source said: "No clubs made any attempt to get involved in the case and there no reports any did.

"It is highly unlikely any would because they may not want to attract attention to anything that may be perceived as assistance they may have received from local authorities or other public bodies over the years."

The complaints focused on a series of land purchases around the city's east end by Celtic from the council, primarily during the last decade, with the accusation the club secured the plots at a knockdown rate.

Last year, the council agreed to sell land valued at more than £750,000 to Celtic.

The claim was this put Celtic at a competitive advantage over other clubs.

A council spokesman said, "We are pleased the Commission has found in our favour following its consideration of the claims of state aid. We will make no further comment."