Glasgow Celtic secured their place in the group stages of the UEFA Champions’ league last night with a 2-0 home win over Helsingborgs that was shown live on RTE television.
The win was especially important for the club in the first year of arch rivals Rangers’ exclusion from the top tier of Scottish football.  In terms of a focus for fans in Scotland, Ireland and around the world, last night guarantees at least six nights of European action against the best club sides in the world and is vital from a financial perspective.
When Celtic qualified for this stage for three years in  a row between 2007 and 2009, the total revenue generated through Europe was £34.6 million (€43.6 million). The following year, revenue from participating in the Europa League dropped to only £1.6 million (€2 million).
The draw for the group stages takes place in Switzerland today and if Celtic were to be drawn against the Italian Champions Juventus, it could assist in the reports of an audacious bid to sign the former legend of that club and Italian soccer Allesandro Del Piero.
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