SCOTLAND: WALTER SMITH has admitted Scottish clubs will find it "well-nigh impossible" to compete in the Champions League after the country lost one of its places in the competition to Belgium yesterday.

Positive results for Belgian clubs in Thursday night’s Europa League ties have edged that country above Scotland and into 15th place in Uefa’s co-efficient table. As a result, the Scottish Premier League will lose its second Champions League place from 2011, and the SPL champions will also be forced to go through three qualifying rounds before entering the competition proper.

As things stand, the SPL winners gain direct entry with the runners-up handed a qualifying berth. The SPL runners-up will even have to navigate Europa League qualifying ties from next year.

“It is even difficult for us now, when we get Champions League money, to spend that so that we can guarantee we get back in,” said Rangers manager Smith. “It is going to be a well-nigh impossible task to get in without the benefit of that money.”

Smith’s stance is endorsed by interim financial figures released by Rangers and Celtic in the past week, which illustrated the necessity of Champions League football to return a meaningful profit.

“It is a huge problem. You can say it is our own fault, how the co-efficient has dropped, but it will be a very difficult job in a financial sense for our teams to even make the best attempt to get into the Champions League. This is going to be a big, big thing.”

One consolation for Rangers and Celtic is restructuring of the Champions League’s qualifying phase means they should be drawn against champions of smaller European countries rather than second-, third- or fourth-placed teams from large nations. The current system, for example, handed Celtic a tie against Arsenal earlier this season.

Smith has insisted in the past that clubs from the likes of Scotland, Portugal, the Netherlands and Scandinavia should compete in a weekly league with each other to bridge a financial gap to Europe’s bigger clubs.

“I think this brings things into sharp focus for the Scottish teams,” added Smith. “As I have said before, this will impact on bigger clubs in small countries throughout Europe. Other teams will be badly affected by that circumstance. I have advocated the need for change and I will continue to do so.”

Guardian Service