Uefa has confirmed that Ineos-owned Manchester United and Nice will be able to participate in the Europa League next season.
The European football governing body said Ineos had implemented “significant changes” to comply with the multi-club ownership rule.
United and Uefa were confident throughout the process that the club would not be denied entry into the Europa League. United qualified for the competition by winning the FA Cup.
Uefa said Ineos had proved that “no one is simultaneously involved, directly or indirectly, in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition; and no one has control or decisive influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition.
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“More specifically, the significant changes made to the ownership, governance, and financial support of the concerned clubs, substantially restrict the investors’ influence and decision-making power over more than one club, ensuring compliance with the multi-club ownership rule during the 2024/25 season.
“In particular, the concerned investors have transferred their shares in OGC Nice to independent trustees through a blind trust structure established under the supervision of the CFCB First Chamber.
“Such blind trust was accepted by the CFCB First Chamber on an exceptional basis for the 2024/25 UEFA competitions. The trustees will regularly exchange information with the CFCB First Chamber during the 2024/25 season.”
Ineos pledged not to transfer players between Nice and United on loan or permanently and the clubs would not engage in any level of cooperation, technical or commercial agreements. The clubs are prohibited from sharing a joint scouting or player database.
Ineos chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe agreed a 27.7% stakeholding in United on Christmas Eve and is now listed as one of the club’s co-owners.
Ratcliffe last month lamented the inability to trade players between Nice and United. Ratcliffe was specifically referring to the France Under-21 defender Jean-Clair Todibo.
“They’ve said we can sell him to another Premier League club. But we can’t sell to Manchester United,” Ratcliffe said. “But that’s not fair on the player and I don’t see what that achieves.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
