TALK of cross-border competitions leaves most of us cross-eyed given it’s a topic which has hit more dead ends than a flea-market satnav.
Such ramblings soon enough get us to whether any of our teams, it used to be the Old Firm but now only Celtic in the minds of some, could ever move south to gorge themselves on the riches of English football.
But then came along the IRN-BRU Cup which last season saw teams from both sides of the Irish border and Wales compete with Scottish sides and, at Lesser Hampden yesterday, it was announced next season’s competition will also include Bray Wanderers and Sligo Rovers.
UEFA does seem to have lessened its grip when it comes to cross-border football but does that really mean we are going to one day at least get a British Cup? It seems as unlikely as the Atlantic League, which now sounds like a team of superheroes; however, Neil Doncaster, the SPFL chief executive, stressed this was good news for our game.
Indeed, it was so good that he didn’t really want to cloud the day by commenting on Craig Whyte being found not guilty of fraud in his purchase of Rangers 24 hours previously.
“Nobody knows as we don’t have a crystal ball,” said Doncaster, when asked where the cup’s expansion could lead.
“There is a willingness to embrace the concept of cross-border football. The EPFL’s agreement with UEFA on a new memorandum is good news with regards to co-operation with those two entities. There is an appetite for further cross-border competition including at league level across Europe, and we are well positioned having had this competition up and running.
“The innovation that we have announced today will benefit the game in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and I would like to think that any future cross-border competition would equally enhance and benefit the game for all across the British Isles.”
To give Doncaster his due, at least he is trying something different. True, unless you were a fan of either finalists you would be excused for not knowing who won last time [Dundee United beat St Mirren] but some big ideas do begin small.
“To talk about any particular cross-border involvement would be a mistake,” said Doncaster in reply to being asked if this could mean somewhere down the line those who want a crack at England would be granted their wish.
“We have to be open-mined about where the future takes us. We are not the biggest entity in world football but we can innovate. There is an absolutely strong appetite [among Premiership clubs] to embrace innovation and be open-minded about anything which is going to benefit the game and attract interest.”
But, seriously, apart from a day out in Dublin for a few dozen Falkirk fans, is any of this really going to make a difference?
“If you asked anybody when I arrived in the game eight years ago if we would have any sort of cup involving the British Isles leagues then they would have shook their heads and said that won’t happen,” said Doncaster.
Despite his reluctance to be drawn on the Whyte situation, what he did say was that the days of our biggest clubs going bust were behind us.
“The rules within the league were changed dramatically in the aftermath of what happened with Rangers in terms of taxes payable being paid and players being paid on time,” said Doncaster.
“That was a fairly dramatic change. I think many any predictions about the future is fraught. If anybody had predicted what was going to happen in the past five years they would have been laughed out of town.
“We are in a new place now with Rangers in the Premiership and we also look forward to a top flight with Hibernian making it as competitive as it has been for some while.”
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