UEFA clears Manchester United and Nice for Europa League football

UEFA has confirmed that Ineos-owned Manchester United and Nice will participate in the Europa League next season. The European football governing body acknowledged that Ineos had implemented “significant changes” to comply with the multi-club ownership rule.

Man 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 stated that Ineos had demonstrated compliance with the rule stipulating that “no one is simultaneously involved, directly or indirectly, in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration 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.”

The significant changes involved modifications to the ownership, governance, and financial support of the concerned clubs. These changes 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. Specifically, Ineos transferred their shares in OGC Nice to independent trustees through a blind trust structure established under the supervision of the CFCB First Chamber.

This 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 has pledged not to transfer players between Nice and United on loan or permanently, and the clubs will not engage in any level of cooperation, technical, or commercial agreements. They are also prohibited from sharing a joint scouting or player database.

Ineos chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe agreed to a 27.7% stockholding in Man United on Christmas Eve and is now listed as one of the club’s co-owners. Last month, Ratcliffe expressed frustration over the inability to trade players between Nice and United, 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.”