The Celtic-Ibrox finance gap grew again this week in spite of their European away win.

Tonight, I was amused to read about the Ibrox club and its fans celebrating the financial boost from last night’s win in Nice. Now, for a club that’s struggling, an extra £375,000 is certainly nothing to sneeze at. But let me put that in some context for them – and for everyone else who’s been saying today that they wonder what we would do if we had a shot at the Europa League instead of competing in the top-tier Champions League.

As I’ve said before, even if you don’t want to be competing at the highest level, you need to consider that the financial rewards are simply too great to wish for anything else. If we finish in the top 15 of the Champions League, we’re guaranteed £5 million, plus whatever else we earn from additional revenues. If we finish outside the top 15, we’re still guaranteed multiple millions, depending on our position in the new group stage format.

And if we can somehow make it to the last 16 – whether by finishing in the top 8 of our group or through the qualifiers – that’s worth a staggering £11 million more, just for playing that game. This is where the numbers really start to add up. This is why competing in the Champions League is now not just worthwhile, but necessary. It’s a competition where the financial rewards are immense.

During the AGM, Chris Mackay, our finance director, spoke about how our financial surplus allows us to cope even in seasons when we don’t have Champions League football. That surplus is critical, and the cushion it provides allows us to go about our business without fear. The drop-off in revenue, though, is quite stark when you look at the respective earnings of the two clubs this week.

The Ibrox club’s £375,000 bonus for their three points in Nice is worth less than what we earned for drawing against Brugge. Yes, you read that right – it’s not a mistake. Our take from our one point against Brugge was £580,000.

So, while it’s nice for them to get something in the door, let’s put it in perspective: that £375,000 will barely cover two months of James Tavernier’s salary while he’s sitting on the bench. No knock to the Ibrox club – every little bit helps. But the comparison shows just how far ahead we are financially now. Our earnings from Europe this season are going to be vastly higher than theirs, and that’s not even considering the broader financial landscape.

There has always been a gap between what clubs in the Champions League earn compared to those in the Europa League, but this disparity has been multiplied dramatically with the reforms to the competitions. The addition of two more group-stage games only highlights the difference. Everything has changed, and this makes it all the more imperative that we get there as often as possible.

Here’s the thing: even if we didn’t have a great run in the Champions League, we still make a profit. Can the Ibrox club make a profit if they somehow reached the Champions League next season? It depends on how much they spend to get there. But I know this for sure – every season we finish ahead of them and every time we qualify for the Champions League, the gap between the two clubs only widens. In a couple of years, it will become structurally impossible for them to catch up, no matter what they do.

Now, the earnings differential for this season is going to be off the charts. That translates directly into spending power – it affects not just what’s in the bank, but also what UEFA will allow us to spend based on our revenue.

So, here’s the bottom line: next season, under UEFA’s Financial Sustainability rules, we’ll be able to outspend them by £25.6 million.

That’s the hard figure. It’s written in stone. No matter what external investors or cash injections they get, they won’t be able to match our financial flexibility. Based on the figures from this season, that gap is only going to increase the year after that.

How can they even begin to compete with a club that can outspend them by around £25 million a year? That’s the dilemma they now face. And, as we all know, within the confines of Scottish football, it’s going to be incredibly hard for them to solve it.

A couple more years of this, and it will be structurally beyond them.

So yes, I had a little chuckle when I read those reports about the financial boost they got from last night’s win. Because the harsh reality they’re facing is that the gap is growing, and it’s only going to get wider. It’s becoming a chasm, and with no way to bridge it.