Celtic and Rangers could join English clubs to form a breakaway league that would revolutionise the structure of British football, according to an English press report today.
The Scottish Old Firm rivals are said to be on the brink of joining a Phoenix League that would include leading Division One teams, according to a report in the
Daily Mail
.
The radical shake-up of football in England and Scotland would bring Celtic, Rangers, existing Premiership clubs and the elite Nationwide clubs together in a new two-tier league system.
Although Manchester United, Arsenal and Leeds claim not to have entered talks yet, 16 top flight clubs have given their backing to the proposal which have been prepared with Premier League chairman David Richards, the newspaper said. Plans for the Phoenix League are well advanced with six clubs - Manchester City, Birmingham, Coventry, Wolves, Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford - poised to serve notice that they are quitting the Football League on December 11.
That would allow them to comply with their legal requirement to issue provisional resignation letters by December 31.
And the aim is to set up two 18-team divisions by the start of next season, with clubs breaking away for the Nationwide League to form a Premiership Division Two.
The Daily Mail cites an unnamed source close to the talks who believes that a breakaway is certain to happen by the start of the 2003-04 season. The proposal could be undermined by the time needed for Rangers and Celtic to sever their links with the Scottish Premier League (SPL).
The reports come on the day after Rangers chairman David Murray announced that his club could not continue playing in the SPL under its current format.
But Dan Johnson, press and communications executive for the Premier League, on Saturday dismissed suggestion that the current 20-team Premiership was set for a shake-up.
He told PA Sport: "There is no prospect of a restructuring of the Premier League.
"This story seems to keep coming round again and again. The Premier League has been consistent in its view throughout. It is complete nonsense."