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UEFA are reportedly being lobbied to change their rules regarding multi-club ownership which currently would see Manchester United banned from next season’s Champions League. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is close to announcing a £1.3billion deal to purchase a 25 per cent stake in the club but his ownership of French giants Nice has proved to be an issue.
Current regulations state that no individual or entity “may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA competition”. While no individual is allowed to be “involved in any capacity” or have any “power whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club” participating in a UEFA competition.
Should United qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League next season and have a worse league finish than surprise Ligue 1 title hopefuls Nice, they would be barred from competing in that European competition. However, they may be set for a reprieve.
The Sun have claimed that UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and several of the body’s top chiefs are coming under pressure to change the current rules surrounding multi-party ownership. The sport is rife with groups that own multiple football teams around the world and with the Champions League set to expand to 36 clubs, more sides are at risk of falling foul of the regulations.
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A number of United’s rivals have lobbied for such changes to take place that would allow teams owned by the same entity to compete in the Champions League together. However, UEFA chiefs are still concerned about the integrity of the competition and instead, a different option has been considered.
An alternative to ripping up the rules completely could be to see multi-club teams prevented from meeting each other in the new group stage of the competition. However, they would then be permitted to face one another in the knock-out stage in an attempt to curb collusion.
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United are not the only team that the rules could potentially impact as Manchester City’s ownership group City Football Group are also in charge of current La Liga leaders Girona. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s BlueCo also have a majority stake in Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.
A vote to override the current multi-club rules is not expected at the next UEFA executive committee meeting in December, but a relaxation of the regulations could take place early in January.
UEFA supremo Ceferin has already hinted at changes. “We are not thinking about Manchester United only,” he told The Overlap. “We’ve had five or six owners of clubs who want to buy another club. We have to see what to do. The options are that it stays like that or that we allow them to play in the same competition. I’m not sure yet.”
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