The ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) against UEFA may have been largely ignored by some Rangers fans but, there was one decision that could be a game changer.
For years, Auchenhowie has produced players capable of adding quality to the first-team, however, they have often been courted by Premier League clubs for their own academies before they were seen at Ibrox.
The decision by the ECJ though, means that a UEFA rule which has affected Rangers in recent years could soon be extinct, as reported by The Independent.
How UEFA ruling could affect Rangers youngsters
The issue in question is the one that defines what players are, and what players aren’t, homegrown.
Just now, if a player spends three years at a club between the ages of 15-21 then they tick that box, regardless of nationality.
What this has meant recently, and especially post-Brexit, is that English clubs have been hoovering up Scotland’s finest youngsters. Knowing that for UEFA purposes they can be classed as club trained even former Rangers kid Billy Gilmour who spent years at the Auchenhowie academy.
Celtic have been affected by this too, losing players to the Bundesliga and Premier League.
In the middle of a striker crisis, Rory Wilson, who is now at Aston Villa, would probably be getting game time.
The same goes for Dire Mebude, now at Westerlo in Belgium after leaving Man City.
English clubs would be a lot less likely to look north to poach young talent if they would be classed as “just” another foreigner.
The knock-on effect for the Scottish game as a whole could be massive too.
If UEFA have to change their rules, as expected, Rangers wouldn’t have to cherry pick from other Scottish clubs to replace their own players.
This in turn means that some would probably get first-team football quicker at a smaller club instead of, potentially, being lost in the system.
It’s not often this sort of case throws a bone to the smaller guy in European football but, on this occasion, UEFA might have to adapt their rules to suit teams like Rangers instead of those at the top of the financial tree.
Now wouldn’t that be a refreshing change.
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