The Friedkin Group face fresh questions over their long-term plans for Everton after it emerged that the “structural solution” they believed would address UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules does not resolve the problem.
Paul Joyce of The Times reports that TFG, who own both Everton and Roma, had maintained they possessed a solution which would deal with the potential complications should both clubs qualify for European competition.
That, according to Joyce, is no longer the case.
It leaves an issue which has hovered in the background since TFG completed their Everton takeover in December 2024 firmly back on the agenda, particularly given the ambitions of both clubs to compete regularly in Europe.
UEFA’s regulations are designed to prevent one individual or legal entity having control or decisive influence over more than one club participating in the same European competition. The precise consequences depend on how each club qualifies and for which competition, with the regulations containing exceptions in certain circumstances.
Big decision for TFG
So this does not mean Everton or Roma will automatically be barred from Europe, nor does it mean TFG will have to sell one of the clubs. But it does mean a problem they believed they had an answer to remains unresolved.
That becomes particularly interesting against the backdrop of recent reports that TFG have been exploring the possibility of bringing outside investment into Everton. There has been no confirmation that they intend to sell the club, and the two issues should not simply be presented as the same.
For now, there is no decision for TFG to make.
If Everton and Roma continue to push towards the European places, however, the question Joyce has raised will become increasingly difficult to leave unanswered: how does TFG intend to make ownership of both clubs work within UEFA’s rules?
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