English clubs are reconsidering their multi-club ownership models amid concerns over UEFA’s strict laws, according to The Telegraph.
Chelsea, Manchester United, and Nottingham Forest could face expulsion from next season’s Champions League or Europa League unless their owners restructure their affiliations with European clubs.
Under UEFA’s ownership rules, clubs under the same control cannot compete in the same European tournament, which has already led to complications for several English sides, including Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Nottingham Forest’s owner Evangelos Marinakis also controls Olympiacos, Chelsea’s BlueCo consortium owns Strasbourg, and Manchester United’s Ineos Group holds Nice. These teams are now under scrutiny as they bid to qualify for Europe.
With Nice currently third in Ligue 1, Olympiacos leading the Greek Super League, and Strasbourg fighting for European qualification, UEFA’s rules could force difficult decisions on Chelsea, United, and Forest.
To comply with UEFA regulations, clubs have previously resorted to temporary ownership adjustments.
Ineos placed their stake in Nice into a blind trust last summer when United qualified for the Europa League to comply.
Chelsea and Nottingham Fores may take a similar approach if they qualify for the same European competition as Strasbourg and Olympiacos.
Forest have already removed directors linked to Olympiacos from their board to distance the two clubs administratively.
However, the complexity of UEFA’s rules is deterring other teams from investing in the multi-club model. Sources indicate that owners are now reconsidering acquiring additional European clubs due to the risk of ineligibility for top competitions.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta suggested the club explore the multi-club model to sign the best young talents in the world.
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The Kroenke family (owners of Arsenal) already have many sports teams and would no doubt have considered buying another football club, but UEFA is deterring such moves.
Rightly so, the multi-club network is one of the more annoying abnormalities of modern football, where a foreign club is used as a breeding ground for a much bigger team.
For example, Chelsea sent Andrey Santos and Dorde Petrovic to Strasbourg, where they have excelled, but they will be uprooted and back in West London this summer, leaving the French club short in key areas.
Similarly, RB Salzburg has played second fiddle to RB Leipzig for years, despite being the much bigger force in their domestic league.
UEFA needs to discourage the multi-club model. Clubs should function as individual entities to avoid this annoying cluster in European competitions.