CELTIC fans show about as much appreciation of the current custodians of the Parkhead club as Cristiano Ronaldo exhibited towards the Portugal supporters after the final whistle at Hampden on Tuesday night.
The Scottish champions’ board of directors have, despite the years of domestic dominance they have presided over and rude good financial health they continue to enjoy, been subjected to abuse in the stands and faced baying mobs outside the front door of their stadium in recent seasons.
Barry Ferguson received a warmer welcome than they have been afforded at times in the past when he rocked up in the East End of Glasgow to watch Rangers play at the start of last month.
The Celtic high heid yins were, though, positively love bombed by their notoriously hard-to-please punters last week when it emerged they had opted out of the deal which the SPFL had struck with Irish broadcasters Premier Sports to show 20 William Hill Premiership matches a season.
They were keen not to inconvenience their fans any more than they already are – and the new agreement with Sky Sports means that 60 games, not 48 as was previously the case, will be screened every season - by moving more kick-off times from their traditional slot at 3pm on a Saturday.
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They were, with their annual accounts showing they have £77.2m sitting in the bank gathering interest when they were published last month, quite prepared to miss out on the £75,000 a match they would receive even if all 11 of their top flight rivals were happy to accept the extra cash.
Their decision met with almost universal approval. Supporters are sick and tired of traipsing across the country to see their team in action at noon on a Sunday just so the television cameras can be accommodated. The prospect of more early rises was not an appealing one.
Yet, the fact that Celtic’s meeting with Aberdeen at Parkhead this afternoon will not be beamed live across the United Kingdom does not reflect well on the Premiership or on Scottish football. Put bluntly, it looks a little tinpot.
It is a double yoker and then some. Brendan Rodgers’ men have won all seven of their league games in the 2024/25 campaign to date, scoring 22 goals and conceding just once in the process. They sit in top spot in the table thanks to their superior goal difference.
What is more, the Pittodrie club have prevailed in all 13 of the competitive outings they have had since Swedish coach Thelin took charge in the summer. That is a remarkable run which is without equal across Europe.
But will anyone without a ticket be able to see what transpires in real time when the immovable object meets the irresistible force? No, they can tune in to Sportscene on BBC Scotland HD at 7.15pm to watch highlights.
Would such a bizarre situation occur in the Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy or the Bundesliga in Germany? Would mouthwatering showdowns between Manchester City and Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan or Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund not be transmitted to homes and bars as they happened? It is inconceivable.
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A gilt-edged opportunity to showcase all that is good about the game in this country to a wider audience, to give blue chip sponsors and major advertisers welcome exposure and to ultimately increase the money which is invested in the game amid a challenging economic climate is being missed. Could nothing really be worked out?
Perhaps it is time to seriously consider ending the blackout of matches at 3pm on a Saturday.
The archaic rule dates way back to the 1960s, a sepia-tinted era during which gate receipts were the main source of income. The then Burnley chairman Bob Lord convinced the Football League in England that televising games at that time would adversely affect attendances at lower league matches.
But only three countries in Europe still adhere to it – Scotland, England and, er, Montenegro.
Briefs for the Celtic v Aberdeen fixture today are like gold dust. The visitors sold out their 1,150 allocation quicker than a Topi Keskinen break down the right wing. If the encounter was being shown live on television it would still attract a full house.
Senior executives at the SFA have looked at doing away with the blackout in the past. It is something they should reexamine going forward. Fans can watch any game they like whenever they like on illegal streaming services now anyway. So why not monetise what is an untapped market? They would ensure the Scottish game is not regarded as a football backwater by doing so.
