Celtic’s plans to compete in the Sydney Super Cup in November need to be given the green light by both the SFA and FIFA, the Daily Mail reports.
Celtic initially confirmed their intentions to compete in the 4-team competition yesterday afternoon. And as Scotland slept, it was reported in Australia that Rangers, Sydney FC, and Western Sydney Wanderers would be involved in the competition too [Sydney Morning Herald].
However, despite the reports from Oz, the Mail states that the SFA and SPFL were left unaware of the plans as recently as last night.
It’s claimed by the newspaper that both the SFA and FIFA need to give the competition the go-ahead in order for it to be staged. It’s unclear as of yet whether FIFA have already given their own thumbs up.
The competition has attracted a backlash from supporters who have been left disappointed with the club’s decision to over-commercialise the Glasgow derby.
The event will begin on November 16th and will run for 5 nights. It will also take place during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Would anything block Celtic Sydney Super Cup participation?
You can’t see FIFA halting the event if we’re talking about fairness. There will be a host of clubs getting involved in friendly encounters and friendly tournaments during the World Cup. So unless there’s a block on all of them, it’s difficult to see what barriers would be in place here.
The same goes for the SFA. There’s no real reason for them to block the plans. It’s good exposure for Scottish football and, in truth, there are no negatives for them.
Interesting however that they weren’t yet aware of the details of the plans last night. Whether that proves to be a concern remains to be seen. But Celtic have already confirmed their participation and they surely wouldn’t have done so if they didn’t think this was getting the go-ahead.
Celtic, you have to imagine, will have covered all bases. They’ve been in many friendly tournament competitions abroad over the years, so they’ll understand the protocols that are in place.
It’s certainly all come as a real surprise over the last 24 hours. Nobody could’ve foreseen this yesterday morning, and it’s clear the idea is going to take some getting used to.
For now, it still remains some time away. But at face value, it doesn’t seem likely that the major footballing bodies will halt it.
In other news, Motherwell boss makes van Bronckhorst look foolish as he defends Celtic loanee Liam Shaw
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