RANGERS' television and sponsorship income from their run to the Uefa Cup final only just exceeded Celtic's earnings from reaching the last 16 of the Champions League.
Figures released by Uefa yesterday showed Celtic benefited from their second successive qualification for the knock-out phase to the tune of £10.3million.
Rangers earned £7.7m from their involvement in the Champions League group stages, tho
ugh they also brought in £4.1m from their run to the Uefa Cup final, taking their overall sum to £11.8m.
Gate receipts brought both clubs significant additional income, however the difference in earnings potential between the Uefa Cup and Champions League is shown clearly in the financial showings of the finalists in both competitions.
European champions Manchester United, unsurprisingly, were by far the biggest earners with £33.9m, while beaten finalists Chelsea were next with £28.7m, Liverpool took £21.1m and Arsenal £18.3m.
The difference compared to the sums earned from the Uefa Cup is stark. Apart from Rangers, Everton's income from the competition was £400,000, Tottenham and Bolton each earned £352,000 and Aberdeen received just £265,000 despite getting through the group stage.
With the four English clubs earning a total of £102m and Celtic and Rangers picking up a further £18m, 26 per cent of the £462m total Champions League television and sponsorship revenue ended up in British hands.
The full article contains 242 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
