Celtic coffers boosted by Rangers’ European shortcomings

CELTIC were able to make a healthy profit from this season’s Champions League - because Rangers were not in it and they only won one game.

The club has released interim results for the six months up to December 31, 2004, and were influenced by their participation in the Champions League, where they took on Barcelona, AC Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stage.

An £8.15m (€11.8m) operating profit was recorded, while an overall profit before taxation of £2m (€2.9m) compared favourably with a £2.86m (€4.1m) loss in the same period in 2003. The club were also able to reduce their debt from £18.17m (€26.4m) to £17.38m (€25.3m).

Chairman Brian Quinn revealed that Rangers’ failure to get past the qualifying round had boosted the Hoops’ coffers as it meant they would not have to share broadcast revenue.

And because Martin O’Neill’s players finished bottom of the group, the club saved on bonus payments.

He said: “Ticket sales and multi-media revenues rose by 14% and 30% respectively, largely as a result of participation in the Champions League and the increase in season ticket pricing implemented earlier in the year. Multi-media income benefited by approximately £2.4m from Celtic being Scotland’s only representative in the Champions League group stage.”

Former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has been named Coca-Cola Championship manager of the month for March.

Sunderland won all four of their games last month, with the highlight being a 5-1 thrashing of Plymouth, to move two points ahead of Wigan at the top of the table.

Barnsley caretaker boss Andy Ritchie collected the League One award and in League Two, Southend manager Steve Tilson was the winner.