Celtic earn seven Premiership rivals £1.6m cash injection with Champions League exploits
Celtic's Champions League adventures will earn seven other Premiership sides a serious cash boost.
Dundee, Hibs, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Ross County, St Johnstone and St Mirren are set to rake in £1.6million each in UEFA solidarity payments after a change to the payment schedule. Those seven plus Hearts and Livingston were already set to be handed £650,000 as a result of not playing group stage football during 2023/24.
But UEFA are bringing forward payments for 2024/25 to March and June and that means the seven mentioned will bank a total of £1.6m, reports the Daily Mail. Aberdeen and Dundee United stand to rake in close to £1m while the Jam Tarts and Livi will get their £650,000.
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Scottish Championship sides are set to fail in their pleas to get some of the solidarity cash trickled down. UEFA pay the money to governing bodies who then decide which clubs are to receive the money.
In Germany, for example, the cash is handed to second tier clubs to help their finances. SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell has been lobbied for a repeat of that in this country but it is set to fall on deaf ears.
A new UEFA directive could see the money pledged to lower league clubs but only if 75 per cent of top flight sides agree. But it's expected Premiership chairmen would NOT vote to give up their own windfalls.
Solidarity payments to Scottish clubs are set to go down next season with the guaranteed spot to our champions being lost.