Champions League is about prestige, being able to compete, not about money

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The Celtic Star

·24 août 2025

Champions League is about prestige, being able to compete, not about money

Making it through to the Champions League or dropping into the Europa, what is your honest preference?

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park on August 23, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Brendan Rodgers wants Celtic to be competitive in the Champions League and so does the Celtic support. Can the same actually be said about the Celtic Board who only want the money it brings and don’t appear to give a second thought to what might actually happen to a weakened Celtic team in the group stages.

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Without the necessary recruits we’d be this year’s Young Boys or Slovan Bratislava where the Champions League is literally pointless from the footballing point of view. Weak teams get slaughtered and we’d be paying to watch the humiliations, all because of these three and the Irish Billionaire who’ll be on the golf course.

Peter Lawwell, Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay applaud during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park on August 23, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2024 Dermot Desmond on the 18th tee during the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2024 on the Old Course at St. Andrews Golf CLub, Fife, . 06/10/2024. Picture Fran Caffrey / Golffile.ie

The Celtic squad has departed for gruelling journey to Kazakhstan to take on Kairatin a shootout for the right to earn a place amongst Europes elite, and it’s safe to say that a lot of Celtic supporters are feeling far from optimistic.

That is understandable due to our lacklustre display last Wednesday night, but we are still very much in contention to overcome the Kazakh champions and earn our place in the cash laden group stages.

It’s where we as a support aspire to be.It’s where the manager aspires to be and it was one of the main reasons he returned to Celtic, having sought assurances that the board and the biggest shareholder felt the same. It’s where the best sides play and the financial gains are massive, it means a lot to the club, the players and the supporters. On and off the park, it’s where we need to be.

Dermot Desmond

You would be lying to yourself however if you hadn’t harboured positive thoughts about competing in Europe’s secondary competition the Europa League.

In contrast to the glamour and prestige of the Champions League, it massively pales in comparison. The gap between the two competitions has never been greater. But in a way it’s a level that we would have no problem competing in, and would have a realistic chance of reaching the last eight. Some optimists might even see Celtic going further and getting to the last four, and even the final itself, but that is a fantasy. We might win 7-1 at Ibrox at the weekend too but it’s unlikely.

Michael Nicholson, Chief Executive of Celtic FC and Chris McKay, Chief Financial Officer look on from the stands prior to the Premiership match between Celtic FC and St Mirren FC at Celtic Park on May 17, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Lose on Tuesday and Celtic will see some players looking for the exit door and who could really blame them?

A decent Celtic side could do well in the Europa League. That’s not wishful thinking, as one look at the calibre of teams at the quarterfinal stage last season tells you that we would have a more than realistic chance of doing so, whilst in the Champions League our next target would be to qualify for the last 16, with the latter stages seem well out of our reach. But it’s the glamour that’s the appeal. More night’s like that one in Munich when European football noticed that Celtic were stronger than before and were given credit and respect for it.

Brendan Rodgers after the Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park on August 23, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

We want more of that, as a support. So too does Brendan as a manager.

To enter the Europa league however would mean exiting the play offs, and that is something we are keen to avoid. No true Celtic supporter ever wants to see the side lose. NEVER in a million years.

But no one would blame you if you ever contemplated playing in a lesser, but more chance of advancing arena like the Europa league. Your expectations, you see have been lowered by Dermot, Peter, Michael and Christopher. And there’s a nagging thought now at the back of your minds that the £40m doesn’t really matter because the four responsible for managing it certainly have no ambition to strengthen our hand for the next attempt.

Some of that £40m will be from the pockets of season ticket holders. Tickets won’t be cheap but our chances – after this summer of disinterest in improving Celtic from Dermot, Peter, Michael and Christopher – are slim to say the least.

Celtic 0-0 Kairat Almaty. Celtic’s Champions League hopes hang very much in the balance after they were held to a goalless draw in Glasgow by Kazakh side Kairat. Photo Kenny Ramsay IMAGO / News Licensing

No-one wants to see Celtic humiliated but for some it’s all about the money. That’s why the £40m at stake importance is lessening in many Celtic supporters’ thoughts as they now know it is never going to be spent on the team.

But on Tuesday we want Celtic to win regardless because it’s our club.

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