Rangers fans display No Thanks posters during the Rangers versus Inverness Caledonian Thistle soccer match in Glasgow, Scotland, September 16, 2014. The referendum on Scottish independence will take place on September 18, when Scotland will vote whether or not to end the 307-year-old union with the rest of the United Kingdom. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne (BRITAIN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS BUSINESS SPORT SOCCER)

In a soccer city with such a tense history of division and difference, it was inevitable that the current debate over Scottish independence would spill into the stands at Celtic Park and Ibrox. Banners have been displayed at both grounds in recent weeks, with unsurprisingly contrasting messages.

For the outsider looking in, things would appear relatively straightforward. Glasgow Rangers supporters, with the Union Jack as the club’s unofficial flag and Rule Brittania as a go-to crowd favourite at games, are long-held critics of the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) and refuse to entertain the notion of an independent Scotland. Meanwhile, Glasgow Celtic, a club founded by an Irish priest and indelibly linked to nationalistic ‘Irishness’, is fervently behind the fight for the country to finally stand on its own two feet, away from the apparent disinterest of those in Westminster. But soccer, much like politics, is never simple and despite the culture, history and tradition, the independence referendum has thrown up some surprises.

For instance, Celtic has held long-time ambitions of playing in the English Premier League, owing to the energy-sapping, financially-tepid and competition-less wasteland of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). It’s a complicated mass of what-ifs but has always been entertained (certainly domestically) as a genuine possibility. Until now. Should Scotland vote to become independent, Celtic can forget about those aspirations. And the club’s top brass are acutely aware of that.

Earlier this year, UEFA spoke tentatively of the long-term potential for cross-border partnerships though the association’s long-held suspicion of such a development ensures it’s still a far-off concept, regardless of the expectedly-vague official line. But, Celtic’s hope is that with CEO Peter Lawwell elected to the executive board of the European Club Association back in March, the club is closer to UEFA’s top table and are in a better position to influence a possible switch to the English league.

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In many ways, some involved with the club will feel that, despite culturally going against the tide, a No vote will keep a dream, however optimistic, alive for longer. In some ways, as the polls have shown a relentless sway in advantage from one side to the other over the last few days and weeks, Celtic’s predicament is a mirror image of the Scotland’s genuine confusion as election day looms large.

There is a greater point to be made here and that’s the self-serving interest. As others have pointed out recently, nationalism isn’t the rollicking force it once was. From a soccer perspective, the prestige involved with international success rarely means much anymore. Sure, there remains the feel-good stories like Spain’s Euro 2008 victory or when Greece emerged victorious at the same tournament four years before but overall, the concentration of money and power at a club level means emphasis is placed on the parochial and local. As England limped to another poor showing at a major international competition in the summer, many stakeholders spoke up about the players’ not caring enough about playing for their country. Earlier this month, a crowd of 40,181 turned up at Wembley for England’s friendly against Norway – the smallest attendance at the venue since its reopening in 2007. The message was clear: even the fans don’t care about the national team anymore.

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