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| | Wednesday, 22 May, 2002, 18:39 GMT 19:39 UK SFA snub Old Firm talks Celtic and Rangers still want to play in England Scottish Football Association chief executive David Taylor has no intention of attending any meetings designed to smooth the path of the Old Firm to English football. Taylor had already warned that, if Celtic and Rangers moved to the Nationwide League, it would lead to the demise of the Scottish national team and the creation of a single British side on the world stage. And, following the SFA's annual meeting, Taylor dismissed suggestions by Rangers that there would soon be talks between the English and Scottish FAs, the Scottish Premier League, Nationwide League and the Old Firm. Taylor insisted: "I find it very difficult to imagine such a meeting taking place.
"Restructures are not up for debate tomorrow. You've got to look at what's happening in Europe and elsewhere. "In Europe, there's going to be a new Uefa Cup competition to introduce more clubs so there are a lot of changes happening all the time. "We want to support the changes that we think will be good for the game, but we certainly don't have any plans to meet with the Nationwide League or whoever. "The position of the FA, the Premiership and the SFA has been made clear." While the Nationwide League seems anxious for the Old Firm to join them, the Premiership's annual meeting this week again insisted that it would block any promotion from the First Division by Celtic and Rangers if they ever played in England.
Taylor said that, if Scottish clubs were playing in England, Fifa would quickly see no need for separate national sides for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. "Over a longer period of time, I suspect that there will be change in Scottish football as there will be in European football," he said. "But they will be playing here for the foreseeable future." He urged the Old Firm to therefore get together with the other 10 Scottish Premier League clubs and resolve the damaging dispute over television and voting rights. Meanwhile, the SFA annual meeting decided that, from next season, every team taking part in the Tennent's Scottish Cup will have to have a minimum of two Under-21 players involved to bring the competition in line with the SPL ruling. | |
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