In a statement, Man United’s owners INEOS discuss a possible Europa League ban and disclose that the team is in discussions with UEFA regarding a “solution.”
Man United has earned a spot in the Europa League thanks to their FA Cup victory.
They were worried that since Nice is owned by the NEOS Group, they might not be allowed.
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The owners of Man United, INEOS, declare that they are “convinced” that their team will be permitted to participate in the Europa League in the upcoming season.
In December, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group paid over £1 billion for a 27.7% ownership share in the club. After an additional £238 million investment, that percentage will rise to almost 30%.
Here’s where things get tricky: Nice is a French band that is also owned by the INEOS group.
Following United’s FA Cup final victory over Man City on Saturday, Chelsea was relegated to the Conference League and the Red Devils qualified for the Europa League.
UEFA rules have previously stated that while multiple teams under the same ownership umbrella can play in Europe going forward, a ban on said teams playing in the same competition remains in place. Nice has also secured their spot in the tournament after finishing fifth in Ligue 1.
Because Nice finished higher in their respective league, there are now concerns that United may be demoted to the Conference League.
INEOS, however, is optimistic that a solution will be found. In a statement, they said, “We are in direct dialogue with UEFA and are aware of the position of the two clubs.”
“We are confident that we have a plan for the upcoming European season.”
Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ownership stake is below the 30% threshold required for multi-club ownership rules to apply, it looks as though United will be granted a reprieve.
The INEOS group also own Nice and UEFA have rules over multi-club ownership
With additional funding, Ratcliffe’s stake is expected to surpass that, but fortunately for the Premier League team, the regulations have been loosened for the upcoming campaign.
Furthermore, as per Article 5.04 of the UEFA regulations, a club that loses a competition’may still be admitted to another UEFA club competition (i.e. in descending order: UEFA Conference League or UEFA Europa League) to which the relevant national association has access’.
