We Could Be Biggest Club - Lawwell

Chief executive Peter Lawwell claims Celtic are potentially the biggest club in the world. Lawwell made his assertion after contextualising the Hoops' earning potential at the club's packed annual general meeting at Celtic Park on Friday. He claimed that the 40,000 season tickets sold for this campaign was only bettered in Britain by Manchester United and Arsenal, then told shareholders that winning the Scottish Premiership title brings in £1.8million while claiming that clubs relegated from the English top flight rake in £65million. At a press conference in the Celtic Park boardroom afterwards he expanded on the theme, claiming that, if the Scottish champions had access to the sort of broadcast monies available to the top clubs in England, Celtic would be peerless. "I believe that," he said. "If you go back 25-30 years and compare us to Manchester United before the media and TV boom, there probably wasn't much in it. "I think our story is unique, it is rich - it is the best. We have a potential fan-base of Scots/Irish diaspora around the world to support that and we have fantastic, strong fan-base in Scotland. "I don't see any barrier if you compare Celtic to Manchester United or Arsenal, the top clubs down there. "I don't see any barriers if we were getting the same media values as they are getting regularly." Asked about comparisons with Real Madrid and Barcelona, Lawwell replied: "Similarly. The media values in England will outweigh the media values or be similar to the top in Spain or Germany. "Therefore if it is a level playing field with our strong fundamentals. I don't see any reason why we couldn't be." In a more cryptic way, Lawwell suggested that moves were afoot all across Europe for clubs in a similar situation to Celtic - essentially big fish in small ponds - to increase revenue potential, having earlier mentioned regional leagues or supranational leagues. "We are not alone," he said. "Other leagues and nations are suffering the same problems and there needs to be a solution, and I think more than ever UEFA are open to a solution. "There are no concrete plans, but it is getting to become more of a discussion item." Lawwell, who hopes to convince striker John Guidetti to make his loan move from Manchester City permanent, reiterated a previous assertion that the absence of traditional rivals Rangers from the top flight costs the Parkhead club £10million per season. However, he was unimpressed when reminded that former Hoops boss Gordon Strachan, currently the Scotland national team coach, had recently spoken about the need to get Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian - all battling to get out of the Championship - back into the top flight. Strachan said: "People say you can't manipulate it, but I think you have to get them back in." However, Lawwell said: "I love Gordon dearly. He is a pal, but he is way off the mark there. We would never support that. "It is sporting integrity. It is a football competition and above all else you have to apply the rules, and to manipulate those rules would be wrong and there would be clubs who would suffer, as well as clubs who would benefit." There were relatively few nods to Ibrox during the AGM, which lasted just over two hours, but Lawwell was later asked, in his capacity as member of the main board of the Scottish Football Association, whether there was a possible conflict of interest in the shape of Rangers shareholder Mike Ashley, who appears to be increasing his power-base at the Ibrox club while still the owner of Newcastle United. Lawwell said: "I think potentially there is, but I am sure the SFA and the other authorities will scrutinise, analyse and do the right thing."