Europa League in Jeopardy: Manchester United Faces UEFA Ownership Hurdle
Manchester United’s FA Cup victory might be overshadowed by a potential ban from the Europa League next season, raising questions about UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
Despite securing a spot in the Europa League through their 2-1 win over Manchester City, United’s participation could be suspended due to their ownership structure. UEFA’s regulations forbid two clubs under the same ownership from competing in the same European tournament.
The crux of the issue lies with INEOS, the company owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. While INEOS fully owns Ligue 1 club OGC Nice, it also holds a significant stake in Manchester United. This creates a conflict, as Nice secured a fifth-place finish in Ligue 1, qualifying them for the Europa League.
Ratcliffe’s plans to increase his stake in United beyond 30% would exacerbate the issue. The current 27% ownership, announced on Christmas Eve 2023, already puts INEOS at risk of violating UEFA’s rules.
Failure to resolve this ownership conflict could lead to one of their clubs being relegated to the lower-tier UEFA Conference League. Given Nice’s higher league position, Manchester United (who finished 8th in the Premier League) would likely face the harsher penalty.
This situation isn’t unique. Manchester City’s parent company, City Football Group, encountered a similar issue with their ownership of Spanish club Girona. City’s 47% stake in Girona threatened the latter’s participation in the Champions League after a strong showing secured a top-four finish. UEFA recently mandated that City Football Group reduce its ownership to allow Girona to compete.
The recent update to UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations aims to prevent situations where a single entity exerts “decisive influence” over multiple clubs within the same European competition. This forces clubs with overlapping ownership structures to navigate these regulations carefully to guarantee their European participation.
Both Manchester United and INEOS have yet to disclose their official course of action regarding this issue. The coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether United can overcome this hurdle and compete in the Europa League.
