Scottish football "is on the brink of its greatest shake-up in decades," but Scottish Premier League Celtic CEO Peter Lawwell "is hardly getting overexcited," according to Mure Dickie of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Lawwell said that "plans to reorganise the current four leagues into three, with the top two breaking midseason into three separate play-off groups, will offer only a partial solution to the problems of the national game." He said, "We think it’s a positive and that it will help the game, but it will not transform the game." The main benefit "will be to help boost excitement and attendances by creating more meaningful games, as teams at the top battle for the championship and places in European competition, while those lower down fight over relegation and promotion." Though past talk of joining the EPL "has led nowhere," Lawwell "sees hints of willingness among European football regulators toward leagues that cross national borders." He said, "There is polarization within the game, and that will lead to change" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 2/24).
