Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) chief Neil Doncaster believes UEFA are open to the possibility of Scotland’s elite sides competing in cross-border competition.
Doncaster revealed to the Scottish Sun on Thursday that there was “a willingness to embrace the concept of cross-border football”, which could see the likes of Celtic and Rangers competing in England.
Celtic cruised to their sixth successive Scottish Premiership title and a domestic treble during the 2016-17 season, adding further evidence to the prolonged debate over the quality of competition in Scotland.
The prospect of the Scottish giants competing in the English Premier League has also been discussed, albeit to little avail, but Doncaster has admitted for the first time that it could be possible.
Irish duo Sligo Rovers and Bray Wanderers have been granted the chance to compete in the IRN-BRU Cup, as part of the latest expansion of the tournament otherwise known as the SPFL Challenge Cup.
Doncaster believes that the recent expansion of the Scottish tournament will be a boost for sides looking to compete at “cross-border” level.
He told the Scottish Sun: “Nobody knows as we don’t have a crystal ball, but there is a willingness to embrace the concept of cross-border football.
“There is an appetite for further cross-border competition including at league level across Europe and we are well positioned. The innovation that we have announced today will benefit the game in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
“And I’d like to think any future cross-border competition would equally enhance and benefit the game for all across the British Isles. We have to be open-minded about where the future takes us.”
Welsh giants Swansea City and Cardiff City are already competing at the top-end of English football, and have done so for a number of years, with Swansea competing in the Premier League since 2011/12.
Cardiff, meanwhile, joined Swansea in the top-flight in 2013/14, but have spent much of the modern era in the Championship.
Yet although Doncaster’s revelation re-ignites hope that the likes of Celtic and Rangers could one day end up competing in English competition, such a drastic change would not likely occur in the immediate future.