Profile: Celtic F.C. (CFC)

Real Madrid logo. [Source: SoccerFiesta (.net)]Deloitte publishes its Football Money League rankings for the 2004-2005 season. The rankings of the top 20 European clubs and their football earnings are:
(1) Real Madrid (€275.7m)
(2) Manchester United (€246.4m)
(3) Milan (€234.0m)
(4) Juventus (€229.4m)
(5) Chelsea (€220.8m)
(6) Barcelona (€207.9m)
(7) Bayern Munich (€189.5m)
(8) Liverpool (€181.2m)
(9) Internazionale (€177.2m)
(10) Arsenal (€171.3m)
(11) Roma (€131.8m)
(12) Newcastle United (€128.9m)
(13) Tottenham Hotspur (€104.5m)
(14) Schalke (€97.4m)
(15) Lyon (€92.9m)
(16) Celtic (€92.7m)
(17) Manchester City (€90.1m)
(18) Everton (€88.8m)
(19) Valencia (€84.6m)
(20) Lazio (€83.1m) [Deloitte, 2/2006 ]

Deloitte publishes its Football Money League rankings for the 2006-2007 season. The rankings of the top 20 European clubs and their football earnings are:
(1) Real Madrid (€351.0m)
(2) Manchester United (€315.2m)
(3) FC Barcelona (€290.1m)
(4) Chelsea (€283.0m)
(5) Arsenal (€263.9m)
(6) AC Milan (€227.2m)
(7) Bayern Munich (€223.3m)
(8) Liverpool (€198.9m)
(9) Internazionale (€195.0m)
(10) AS Roma (€157.6m)
(11) Tottenham Hotspur (€153.1m)
(12) Juventus (€145.2m)
(13) Olympique Lyonnais (€140.6m)
(14) Newcastle United (€129.4m)
(15) Hamburg SV (€120.4m)
(16) Schalke 04 (€114.3m)
(17) Celtic (€111.8m)
(18) Valencia (€107.6m)
(19) Olympique de Marseille (€99.0m)
(20) Werder Bremen (€97.3m) [Deloitte, 2/14/2008 ]

The Swiss club FC Sion defeats the Scottish team Celtic to win a place in the group stages of the Europa League. The first game of the two-legged playoff tie finished 0-0 in Glasgow, but the Swiss win the return leg 3-1. [Press Association (London), 8/26/2011] UEFA will overturn the result as Sion fielded a number of ineligible players (see September 2, 2011), leading to a drawn-out legal dispute.

UEFA throws the Swiss Club FC Sion out of the Europa League for fielding ineligble players. The players were ineligible because they were signed during a transfer ban imposed on the club (see Summer 2011) as punishment for rule-breaking (see April 16, 2009). The players played in a two-legged playoff tie with Celtic, and UEFA now awards each leg to the Scottish club 3-0. [UEFA, 9/2/2011] Sion will appeal the ruling, but the decision will stand (see September 13, 2011).

UEFA rejects an appeal from FC Sion over the club’s expulsion from the Europa League (see September 2, 2011). The ruling means that Celtic, which Sion defeated in a playoff, goes forward to the group stage of the competition. Sion can file an appeal against the decision with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. [UEFA, 9/13/2011] Earlier in the day, a Swiss court had ruled that FC Sion should be readmitted to the competition (see Morning, September 13, 2011), although UEFA’s emergency panel soon decides to ignore the court order and keep Sion out of the competition (see Afternoon, September 13, 2011).