LONDON, Dec 22: Celtic and Rangers will not be joining the English premier league, Chelsea chairman Ken Bates said Saturday.

“There is no way Scottish clubs will ever come into the Premiership,” Bates was quoted as saying in the Daily Mail newspaper.

“There are one or two chairmen who would welcome the Old Firm (Celtic and Rangers) via a back door route, but it won’t happen.

Celtic and Rangers, who dominate soccer in Scotland, have declared an interest in playing in England in the hope of increasing their revenue, especially from television rights.

—Reuters

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