SPL should have gone with Sky Sports

by David Allen



The boss of Celtic FC, Peter Lawwell, has said that the Scottish Premier League (SPL) should have chosen Sky Sports last year, instead of choosing the troubled satellite broadcaster Setanta, when the rights to the organisation’s live football matches were sold off.

There are twelve teams in the SPL, all of whom voted for the deal that suited the SPL’s requirements.
Nine voted for extending the Setanta contract over a rival offer from Sky Sports.

It was Celtic, Aberdeen and Rangers who wanted the deal with Sky Sports, and now they are only too keen to tell everyone that fact.
The benefit of hindsight is a fantastic thing, but when the contract was agreed there was no indication that Setanta would be in the trouble that the sports broadcaster is experiencing at the moment.