Allegations that Scotland's largest local authority broke the law in historic land deals involving Celtic Football Club have been officially dismissed.

Glasgow City Council, Celtic and the Scottish Government have been told in the past 24 hours by the European Commission that it would not be proceeding any further with complaints that the club had benefitted from "state aid".

It comes almost a year after the original complaints were made. The commission did not take the complaint as far as opening a formal investigation, even though council officers were summoned to its Brussels headquarters on at least one occasion to answer questions on the claims.

Detailed detailed information was also demanded of the Scottish Premiership club.

In a letter to the complainants, officials from the commission state: "You allege that the Celtic Glasgow Football Club (sic) has benefitted from unlawful State Aid, mainly in the form of advantageous land transfers.

"The commission has raised the issue with UK authorities. Based on the observations received from them, the services of the commission have not been able to identify any issue regarding unlawful State Aid.

"In light of that assessment the commission services do not envisage to pursue the matter any further."

The complaints focused on a series of land purchases around the east end of Glasgow by Celtic from the city council, primarily during the last decade, with the accusation the Scottish champions secured the plots at a knock-down rate.

Last year, the council agreed to sell land valued at more than £750,000 to Celtic.

The claim was that this had put Celtic at a competitive advantage over other clubs.

The club's Lennoxtown training centre, built on the grounds of the former Lennox Castle Hospital in East Dunbartonshire and formally owned by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, was not part of the complaint to the Commission.

Celtic had always claimed the allegations were "baseless", adding that suggestions it had been the beneficiary of state aid were "preposterous". It had also insisted the land deals were negotiated with the council on commercial terms at market rates.

It is understood the complaint was brought to Europe by individual supporters of Celtic's city rivals Rangers.

Although never a political issue in Scotland, one prominent Northern Ireland MP, the DUP's Gregory Campbell, said he had requested that party colleagues bring it up in Europe "on a number of occasions".

Glasgow City Council said, "We are pleased the Commission has found in our favour following its consideration of the claims of State Aid."