Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly struck a deal with UEFA so that the Red Devils can play alongside OGC Nice in next season’s Europa League if both INEOS-owned clubs qualify, despite the European governing body’s rules concerning multi-club ownership.
UEFA’s regulations stipulate that if two clubs from the same ownership group qualify for one of their competitions, only one of them will be permitted to enter. Whichever team finishes lower in their respective division would consequently be forced to drop from the Champions League to the Europa League, or from the Europa League to the Europa Conference League.
Sir Jim owns a majority stake in Nice and a minority shareholding in United, with his 25-per-cent buy-in at Old Trafford going through earlier this year. Both clubs are on course to qualify for next campaign’s Europa League as things stand.
According to The Daily Mail, United have been engaged in talks with UEFA for ‘some time’ over the possibility of multi-club ownership complications, even inviting the governing body’s general secretary, Theodore Theodoridis, to Old Trafford as a guest last month.
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