Celtic may go down as the winners of the Scottish Premiership in 2019/20, but they shouldn’t be awarded with the trophy.
This is the view of former Rangers man Ronald de Boer as the SPL prepares to call an end to the season.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to the Scottish Championship, League One and League Two 2019/20 seasons being brought to an end and the top tier is expected to follow suit.
Neil Lennon’s side are 13 points clear of second-placed Rangers with most sides having eight league matches to play.
De Boer accepts that Celtic would probably go on to win the league but believes they should not be regarded as Scottish champions this term.
He told talkSPORT: “You don’t give them a trophy, you just call them winners.
“There is no champion…but you of course have to announce someone to be in a position for the Champions League and I think it’s fair to say Celtic is the winner because they are [13] points ahead.
“It’s also likely that Celtic normally had one of the strongest teams [along] with Rangers…if you have to announce a team then I’d say Celtic of course.”
Liverpool are in a similar predicament to Celtic south of the border – Jurgen Klopp’s men are 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
The Reds need a maximum of two more wins to secure a first league title in 30 years and a first ever Premier League crown.
Gerard Houllier is desperate for the 2019/20 season to continue and see Liverpool win the Premier League title
De Boer was more sympathetic to Liverpool than he was to Celtic but believes it would ‘leave a strange taste in the mouth’ of Reds fans if they were given the title.
He added: “Of course, if they have to say goodbye to the season [in the Premier League] then it would be crazy not to say that Liverpool only had to win two games.
“It doesn’t bring what you thought they’d have when they were really winning a title because after 30 years it would be something unbelievable, something all the Liverpool fans would look forward to.
“Now it has a strange taste in the mouth, it doesn’t feel right. They should get the No.1 spot, that’s for sure.”
Listen to the full Ronald de Boer interview above!
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