Alex Rae insists there is no way Celtic can be handed the Scottish Premiership crown without playing out the remaining games of the season.

The former Rangers ace reckons a lawsuit could follow if league bosses opted to call time on the Premiership as it stands due to the coronavirus outbreak - despite the Hoops being 13 points clear at the top.

The 50-year-old can understand why Celts are calling for the title to be handed over to them but insists if it was the Light Blues on the verge of winning the title Neil Lennon’s side would be raging.

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Speaking to The Scottish Sun, Rae said: “For me the problem is, how can you give someone a title that they haven't won yet? It questions the integrity of the competition. If you gave Celtic it, does that open up a possible lawsuit?

“If Rangers were in Celtic's position, would they be saying this? Probably unlikely. However, what I can say is Celtic would most certainly be saying, 'you can't hand it over'.

“Hearts will say, 'we signed up to a 38-game league, how does that pan out?' Ann Budge has already put her cards on the table. How you can relegate a team when that event hasn't happened, is beyond me.

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“So to give it over, I can't see how that can possibly happen. People say 'it's unprecedented times', but in what point in history did anybody in football actually get handed a title without mathematically winning it?”

If Celtic were to blow the 13-point gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership, it wouldn’t be the first time as history proves.

And Rae insists previous title collapses by either side of the Glasgow divide cannot be ignored as the SPFL and SFA mull over the correct decision to make.

He added: “I'd like to hit you with stats. In 2007/08, Rangers dropped 15 points in their last nine games to lose the league. In 2008/09, Celtic dropped 11 points in their last ten games, and they once had a lead at seven points.

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“In 2004/05, Celtic dropped nine points in their last ten games to drop the title despite beating Rangers to go five points clear with four games to play. That was Helicopter Sunday season.

“There are examples of teams blowing a considerable lead over the last 15 years. The problem you have with this whole thing, in Spain there's two points of a difference between Barcelona and Real Madrid. How do you hand over a title with eight games to go?

“So it doesn't matter if it's a point or two, whether it's Liverpool with 25 or Celtic with 13. None of them have actually won the title.

“Everyone is looking out for self-interest, why would teams not be looking out for their own interest. You can understand all those points of view. There is no right or wrong here.”