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SAYS PROMOTER BARRY HEARN

ANTHONY HAGGERTY

BARRY HEARN insists Celtic must qualify for the Champions League group stage if they want to survive in the big boys’ playground.

And the sports promoter reckons the arrival of Steven Gerrard at Ibrox will give the Hoops the extra edge they need to negotiate four tricky qualifying rounds.

Few people know more about sporting finances than Hearn, the man who transformed snooker and darts into multi-million-pound businesses and who was once chairman of Leyton Orient.

But even he was blown away when UEFA announced a 50 per cent hike in the prize money for European club competitions to a staggering £2.3billion for next season.

Celtic scooped a whopping £27m from last term’s Champions League campaign but could conceivably bank £10m more with a repeat performance next season.

So Hearn insists Brendan Rodgers and his men simply can’t afford to miss out.

He said: “UEFA’s announcement is happy days for the big boys of European football. It puts everything a.haggerty@dailyrecord.co.uk into perspective for a club like Celtic. Never mind the pressure – Celtic have to get there.

“They now have four rounds of qualifiers to tackle and some people say that is unfair. There are no rules that say life should be easy.

“We live in a meritocracy and if Celtic are good enough they will deserve the rewards that come with it. So don’t make excuses.

“The potential prize money on offer now is great news for Celtic.

“Brendan Rodgers’s side have done very well in the Champions League in recent years and a lot of that comes from the spirit of their support which is fabulous.

“I’m pleased for Celtic but at the same time they must remember that responsibilities come in life as well as benefits and you don’t get nothing for nothing.

“If Celtic want to continue to be a big noise in Europe they have to roll their sleeves up and carry on.”

The Hoops took heavy beatings from PSG and Bayern Munich in last season’s group stage with some claiming a lack of competition at home hurt their chances in Europe.

But Hearn believes the boost Rangers will get from Gerrard’s arrival will keep Celtic on their toes.

He said: “Him becoming Rangers manager will be a massively good appointment. He’s a terrific guy with a great work ethic and he’s passionate.

“That’s exactly what Scottish football is all about and it will keep Celtic on their toes and introduce an element of increased competition in Scotland which everybody wants.

“What makes football more exciting and memorable is fantastic and classic matches. Every football