{"id":8814,"date":"2026-06-08T09:09:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/?p=8814"},"modified":"2026-06-08T09:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T13:12:11","slug":"billionaires-investing-big-into-scottish-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/articles\/billionaires-investing-big-into-scottish-football\/","title":{"rendered":"Billionaires Investing Big into Scottish Football"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n \n

\n Why Celtic plc<\/span> Could Be the Next Major Takeover Target in Scottish Football\n <\/h2>\n\n \n

\n Back in 2012, President Trump<\/strong> took a serious look at acquiring<\/span> Celtic plc (LSE: CCP)’s<\/strong> long-time rival Rangers F.C.<\/strong> and had plans to rebrand<\/strong><\/span> Ibrox Stadium<\/strong> as Trump Ibrox<\/strong> to help promote his Trump International Golf Links Scotland<\/strong>. President Trump’s mother, Mary Anne MacLeod<\/strong>, was born and raised in Scotland, so he was naturally excited about the possibility of owning<\/strong><\/span> Rangers. Unfortunately, Trump was forced to back out<\/strong><\/span> after full due diligence revealed that in 2012 Rangers carried total outstanding liabilities and claims exceeding £134 million<\/strong><\/span>.\n <\/p>\n\n \n

\n

\n In 2025, after years of mismanagement<\/strong><\/span> and financial distress<\/strong><\/span>, billionaire<\/span> U.S. healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh<\/strong> teamed up with 49ers Enterprises<\/strong>, the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers<\/strong>, to acquire a 50%+ majority stake<\/strong><\/span> in Rangers.\n <\/p>\n

\n Also in 2025, Tony Bloom<\/strong>, the billionaire owner<\/strong><\/span> of sports-data analytics firm Starlizard<\/strong>, acquired a 29% stake<\/strong><\/span> in Heart of Midlothian F.C.<\/strong><\/span>, the club Celtic plc (LSE: CCP)<\/strong> defeated in the final match of the season to become the 2025\/2026 Scottish Premiership Champions<\/strong>. Interestingly, his newly issued<\/span> shares<\/strong> came with no<\/span> voting rights<\/strong>.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n

\n The Foundation of Hearts (FoH)<\/strong>, a private group of Hearts FC<\/strong><\/span> supporters, holds a 75.5% voting majority<\/strong> and a 53.6% economic interest<\/strong> in the club, giving them total control<\/span><\/strong> and making it impossible<\/strong><\/span> for Hearts<\/strong><\/span> to be acquired<\/strong><\/span> by wealthy<\/span> U.S. sports investors<\/strong> or private equity money<\/strong>.\n <\/p>\n\n \n

\n Tony Bloom<\/strong> also owns 100%<\/strong><\/span> of Brighton<\/strong> in the Premier League<\/strong>, which paid a record-breaking fee<\/strong><\/span> of €29.50 million<\/strong> to Celtic plc (LSE: CCP)<\/strong> in August 2024 for Matt O’Riley<\/strong>. Brighton was recently valued at $910 million<\/strong><\/span>, yet remains largely unknown<\/strong><\/span> outside of Britain.\n <\/p>\n\n \n

\n

\ud83d\udcc8 The Investment Case<\/p>\n

\n With billionaire investors<\/strong><\/span> backed by NFL<\/strong> and Premier League<\/strong> money acquiring stakes<\/strong><\/span> in Celtic’s two top competitors<\/span><\/strong>, the odds are high of Celtic<\/strong> becoming a takeover target<\/strong><\/span> in the near future. Celtic is tightly held<\/strong><\/span>, with few shares available on the public market, whether in London under the symbol CCP<\/strong> or in the U.S. under the symbol CLTFF<\/strong>.\n <\/p>\n \n \n \n \n \n
Scenario<\/th>\n Enterprise Value \/ Revenue<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n
Suggested Buy Zone<\/strong><\/td>\n < 2x<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Near-Term Target<\/strong><\/td>\n 3 to 4x<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Buyout Range<\/strong><\/td>\n 5 to 10x<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/table>\n <\/div>\n\n \n

\n Unlike last year’s Rangers transaction<\/strong>, where Andrew Cavenagh \/ 49ers Enterprises<\/strong> acquired<\/strong><\/span> their stakes directly from private investors without<\/strong><\/span> bidding for smaller investors’ shares, for Celtic’s largest<\/span> shareholder, billionaire<\/span> Dermot Desmond<\/strong>, to sell his stake, the buyer would be required by law<\/strong><\/span> to bid for all<\/strong><\/span> of Celtic.\n <\/p>\n\n

\n

\n Under the UK City Code on Takeovers and Mergers<\/strong>, crossing the 30%<\/span> voting-rights threshold<\/strong> in a UK public company (PLC) triggers a mandatory<\/span> requirement<\/span><\/strong> to launch an all-cash offer<\/strong><\/span> for all remaining shares.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n

\n One of the many reasons we initially became excited about Celtic plc (LSE: CCP)<\/strong> \/ CLTFF<\/strong>, and first suggested it exactly two years ago at £1.40 per share<\/strong>, is that it was managed<\/strong><\/span> by Brendan Rodgers<\/strong>, who previously managed<\/span> Liverpool<\/strong>, the Premier League<\/strong> club partially owned by Highlander Silver (TSX: HSLV) Chairman Richard Warke<\/strong>.\n <\/p>\n\n

\n In December 2025, Brendan Rodgers<\/strong> sold out<\/strong><\/span> to Saudi Arabia<\/strong>, abandoning<\/span> Celtic<\/strong> for a 5x larger<\/span> salary<\/strong> to manage Al-Qadsiah<\/strong>. To his credit, since moving to Saudi Arabia for a $15 million<\/span> salary<\/strong>, Rodgers has achieved 18 wins<\/strong><\/span>, 6 draws<\/strong>, and only 1 loss<\/strong><\/span> in his first 25 matches. No other Saudi Pro League<\/strong> club earned more<\/span> points<\/strong> or scored more<\/span> goals<\/strong> than Al-Qadsiah during this period. In January 2026, Al-Qadsiah defeated<\/span> Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr<\/strong> 2 to 1.\n <\/p>\n\n \n

\n Celtic’s largest<\/span> shareholder, billionaire<\/span> Dermot Desmond<\/strong>, made the mistake<\/strong><\/span> of believing he could replace<\/span> Brendan Rodgers<\/strong> with a manager from the MLS<\/strong>. Although he hired<\/strong><\/span> the very best<\/span> manager<\/strong> the MLS has to offer in Wilfried Nancy<\/strong>, who won the 2023 MLS Cup<\/strong>, reached the CONCACAF Champions Cup<\/strong> final, and won the 2024 MLS Coach of the Year<\/strong> award, Celtic plc (LSE: CCP)<\/strong> \/ CLTFF<\/strong> operates at a totally different level of quality<\/strong><\/span> above all<\/span> MLS clubs<\/strong>, and no<\/span> MLS coach<\/strong> is qualified<\/strong><\/span> to manage Celtic!\n <\/p>\n\n \n

\n After losing<\/span> 6 of 8 matches<\/strong>, including a 3 to 1 loss<\/span><\/strong> to Rangers, Wilfried Nancy<\/strong> was sacked<\/strong><\/span> on January 5, 2026. Celtic then brought its legendary former manager Martin O’Neill<\/strong> out of retirement as interim manager<\/strong>, having not managed the club since 2000 to 2005. O’Neill won 87.5%<\/span> of his Celtic matches<\/strong> this season and led the club to its most epic comeback<\/strong><\/span> in club history, securing a record<\/span> 56th league championship<\/strong>, the most<\/span> league championships<\/strong> any sports organization<\/strong> has won<\/strong><\/span> in world history!\n <\/p>\n\n \n

\n

\n Martin O’Neill<\/strong> being hired as permanent manager<\/strong> for next season is the most bullish<\/strong><\/span> news possible for Celtic. Not only do they have their most successful<\/span> manager<\/strong> in club history back in charge, but because he has signed for only one season with an option for a second, Dermot Desmond<\/strong> is likely to feel tremendous pressure<\/strong><\/span> to sell Celtic for $1 to $2 billion<\/strong><\/span> within the next 12 to 24 months.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n \n

\n Past performance is not an indicator of future returns. NIA is not an investment advisor and does not provide investment advice. Always do your own research and make your own investment decisions. NIA’s President has purchased 75,000 shares of CCP and intends to buy more shares. NIA’s President has purchased 125,000 shares of HSLV and can buy or sell shares at any time. This message is meant for informational and educational purposes only and does not provide investment advice.<\/em>\n <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why Celtic plc Could Be the Next Major Takeover Target in Scottish Football Back in 2012, President Trump took a serious look at acquiring Celtic plc (LSE: CCP)’s long-time rival Rangers F.C. and had plans to rebrand Ibrox Stadium as Trump Ibrox to help promote his Trump International Golf Links Scotland. President Trump’s mother, Mary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8817,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[30,9,16,17,46],"class_list":["post-8814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-ccp","tag-gold","tag-hslv","tag-silver","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8814"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8816,"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8814\/revisions\/8816"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inflation.us\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}