sport news Court case may free Old Firm giants Celtic and Rangers chance to leave SPFL for ... trends now
Bosman lawyer Jean-Louis Dupont insists Scotland's top clubs stand to benefit from a new legal challenge to UEFA's stance on cross-border leagues.
Minnows FC Swift Hesperange have filed a lawsuit against Europe's governing body and the Luxembourg Football Federation.
If successful, it could open the door for the likes of Celtic and Rangers to boost their earning power by taking part in transnational leagues with bigger television markets.
Backed by the club sponsors, Swift Hesperange claim UEFA's opposition to cross-border leagues has hampered their ability to join a proposed Benelux League with teams from Holland and Belgium.
The club have filed a claim with the Tribunal D'Arrondisement in Luxembourg insisting UEFA and their national FA are restricting their prospects of growth via 'rules prohibiting clubs from creating and running transnational competitions'.
In 2020, Aberdeen, Celtic, Hibs, Hearts and Rangers were informed of plans for a 20-team competition featuring clubs from Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the Republic of Ireland. Drawn up by Andrew Doyle, co-owner of League of Ireland side Shelbourne, the blueprint had the backing of investment bank JP Morgan and projected annual broadcasting revenue of up to €400million.
Celtic and Rangers (pictured in April 2022) may be free to pursue a transnational league should a landmark court case by minnows FC Swift Hesperange be successful
Talks ground to a halt when Celtic's major shareholder Dermot Desmond informed Doyle's SAL Sports Capital that the Parkhead club were no longer interested.
Confident that cross-border leagues are coming 'sooner rather than later', however, Dupont - the legal brain behind the Bosman ruling and a key figure in the fight between UEFA and the clubs pushing a European Super League - will ask a Luxembourg judge to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) at a preliminary hearing this autumn.
'Swift and its sponsor, Leopard, are ambitious,' the Belgian told Sportsmail. 'The club had already complained publicly in the past regarding some FLF and UEFA rules - in particular, the
