‘Shameful’ – Chris Sutton hits out after Celtic controversy

Chris Sutton was clearly not amused by UEFA’s recent letter to the SPFL warning them against finishing the season and declaring Celtic champions.

The future of the football season remains uncertain at this point of time as it remains suspended due to the global outbreak of the coronavirus. And with the number of cases growing at an alarming rate every day, it looks like it will be quite some time before things are back to normal. As a result, Celtic fans have been left questioning about the fate of the league title.

As things stand, the Hoops sit at the top of the table with a comfortable 13-point lead. But if it takes months for it to be safe to play football again and the league cannot be resumed this season then what happens to the title?

Obviously, one solution is that the season is resumed whenever it is that things are back to normal. That could be in May or that could be in August. Another solution would be to declare the season finished and hand Celtic the title as a result of their immense lead at the top. That is the same thing that the Belgian league did recently by handing Club Brugge the title.

Obviously Rangers fans are calling for the season to be cancelled and declared ‘null and void’ as it is their last resort to somehow save face. But the SPFL do not seem to be pursuing that option at all.

Earlier The Telegraph reported that the SPFL were planning to crown Celtic as champions but UEFA decided to interfere by sending them a letter in which they warned them against taking any such action at this stage, which they consider premature. Otherwise, the Scottish clubs might not be allowed into the European competitions next season.

Chris Sutton was not amused at all with UEFA’s move and launched a scathing attack on them in his column in the Daily Record:

"UEFA are a reprehensible organisation.Their attempts to bully and push around smaller nations for their own gain is as disgusting as it is utterly shameful.Health over wealth is the mantra which a struggling world is living within at the moment.If you are in power in the corridors of that organisation in Switzerland, however, it’s only the wealth part that seems to matter.The fact they could cause serious harm and even cripple nations like Scotland with their playground bully actions only serves to heighten the sense of anger towards them.Telling clubs such as Celtic and Rangers their European places are in jeopardy if they go against what UEFA wants, and by doing what may ultimately help people in their own country, is quite shocking, frankly."

UEFA certainly seem to want to push around the smaller leagues in order to fulfill their own needs. They know very well how much the European money helps clubs like Celtic. Thus, their thinly-veiled threat might very well do the trick.