The winner of next Wednesday’s Europa League final in Bilbao will qualify automatically for the league phase of next season’s Champions League but Manchester United might need to make some changes first.
According to the esteemed Manchester publication Liverpool.com, Manchester United may face a ban from the Champions League due to the partial ownership of the club by Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos.
Ratcliffe holds approximately 29% of Manchester United and has taken charge of the club’s football operations.
Additionally, he owns the French Ligue 1 team Nice, which is currently in fourth place and vying for a spot in the Champions League third qualifying round.
UEFA has established regulations regarding multi-club ownership and the participation of these teams in the same competition under its jurisdiction.
However, recent changes to these rules have reduced the likelihood of either United or Nice, both of which competed in the Europa League this season, facing a ban.
“Under previous UEFA regulations, two clubs under the same ownership were barred from participating in different European competitions,” reads the Liverpool.com report.
“Given that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has stakes in both Man United and Ligue 1 side Nice, it would have been impossible for both teams to compete in European football.”
Currently, there is no overarching regulation regarding this matter. UEFA has implemented a more tailored approach, particularly in cases of shared ownership, such as Chelsea and Strasbourg or the Red Bull teams, which frequently raise this issue.
Each multi-club ownership arrangement is unique, and UEFA aims to maintain sufficient flexibility in its regulations to accommodate these differences.
“Currently, UEFA evaluates potential conflicts of interest on a case-by-case basis, which is evident from the acceptance of United and Nice in the Europa League, as well as Manchester City and Girona competing in the same season’s tournament,” continues the report.
Discussions between Ratcliffe and UEFA have in fact already taken place and the chances of a ban are vanishingly small.
Liverpool.com quotes Ratcliffe himself: “No, there are no circumstances upon which an ownership of Nice would prevent Manchester United from playing in the Champions League. I’ll be crystal clear on that. We have spoken to UEFA and I have to say the conversation wasn’t directed at, ‘you have to solve this problem and you know we don’t like it’. We have an issue and we might have to change some things.”
As long as key football personnel are not shared between the two clubs, that issue should prove inconsequential.
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