UEFA Rule Hits Manchester United: Banned From Europa League Despite Qualifying
Manchester United risks missing out on playing in the lucrative Europa League next season in spite of earning a spot on the pitch all for a little UEFA rule which is providing a big headache to the Red Devils according to @telefootball. The rule which is causing the fuss is a little known UEFA rule on multi-club ownership which comes into play in situations like that of Manchester United and OGC Nice being owned by the same company INEOS.
The UEFA Regulation
For a long time now, UEFA the governing body of football in Europe has put in place rules which govern participation in its competitions in order to ensure fairness and integrity in football. One of the rules of UEFA puts a ban on multi-club ownership with the view to eliminating conflicts of interest and potential distortions of competition which could arise if the same owner or group of owners owned more than one club taking part in UEFA competitions. The rule says that a club cannot play alongside its sister club in any UEFA competitions.
INEOS, The Shared Owner
The company at the heart of this controversy is INEOS a British multinational chemicals company which has interests in Sports. INEOS owns 30% of Manchester United but also owns French Ligue 1 club OGC Nice. This has activated the UEFA rule and the European football governing body has given Manchester United until Monday to sort out the mess.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Response
The INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe has come out to address issues concerning the shared ownership by assuring that the required changes will be made to satisfy UEFA. Sir Jim said that the INEOS shareholding in Manchester United will not go above the threshold set by UEFA and the conglomerate is ready to sort out the ownership immediately.
Precedent and Possible Consequences
To make things worse, OGC Nice was given precedent as they achieved a higher finish in the league than Manchester United. UEFA’s rules state that in situations of overlapping participation the club that achieves the best sporting merit is given the right to participate. In the event the dispute over ownership is not settled, Manchester United will be relegated to UEFA Conference League which will dealt a big blow both to its ego and bank balance.
How Can The Issue Be Solved?
The options look limited but not impossible to solve as the Red Devils need to quickly get the required changes to its ownership structure to comply with UEFA’s rules. All that is required is for the management of the club to be open and work hand in hand with UEFA officials to find a lasting solution to this complicated legal issue.
The Deadline Is Near
The deadline given by UEFA is already knocking and it is imperative for the Red Devils to act fast. A satisfactory explanation must be given by Monday or else a chain reaction will take effect which could see the club banned from all European competitions and this will be a big blow to the club’s plans both present and future.
