The Daily Mail revealed that Manchester United faces the specter of exclusion from European competitions next season due to its new part-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
UEFA rules prohibit one person from owning two clubs in one league, but they allowed the two clubs to participate in the same European competitions.
According to recent reports, the European Football Association is working to change these rules, to prevent two teams owned by the same owner from participating in a single continental championship.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe owns more than 50% of United’s shares, and at the same time he has been the owner of French club Nice since 2019.
If the UEFA decision that is being studied is implemented, it is possible that Manchester United will be excluded from European participation if it qualifies for the same tournament that Nice will qualify for, or vice versa.
The new regulations stipulate that if two clubs with the same owner qualify for a European championship, one of them will be relegated to a lower championship, or completely excluded based on the advantage of position in the local league.
Thus, if United qualifies for the Champions League with Nice, preference will be determined based on its position in the Premier League and the other’s position in the French League, and then one of them will be relegated to the Europa League.
The only case in which United may not participate in Europe is if it qualifies for the Conference League with a league position lower than that of Nice, and then the Red Devils will be excluded from the competition.
It remains to be noted that United currently occupies sixth place in the English Premier League and qualifies for the Europa League.
