Latest Manchester United news with a big update coming to light on what could stop them playing Champions League football
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have just seen a Manchester United Champions League problem emerge
Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have just seen a Manchester United Champions League problem emerge
(Image: (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images))
Despite losing their eighteenth Premier League game of the season on Friday evening courtesy of a defeat to Chelsea, Manchester United could still end up playing in the Champions League next season.
Ruben Amorim has overseen just six league wins out of a possible 26 since arriving at the club in November last year, but United have also won eight Europa League matches in that time which has earnt them a spot in the final against Tottenham.
Not only would winning that match seal a third successive campaign with a trophy, but it would also put United back into the Champions League.
There is a potential problem on that front, though, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe's involvement in Man United and French club Nice could prevent them from being in Europe's top competition. A 6-0 victory against Brest for the latter on the final day of the Ligue 1 season has seen them finish fourth which is a Champions League qualification spot.
UEFA rules had stated that no two clubs under the same control could compete in any European competitions together. Those regulations have since been updated to only apply to the same tournament and thus that would mean United could miss out if they win the Europa League.
However, to accommodate more multi-club ownership models, matters are now handled on a case-by-case basis with that proven this season as Manchester City and Girona, under the City Group, competed in the Champions League together.
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To further prove how unlikely a ban would actually be, Man United and Nice have both partaken in this season's Europa League. MEN Sport has also reported that United were confident that neither team would not be allowed to compete despite Ineos being involved in both clubs.
As Ratcliffe was forced to transfer his Nice shares into a 'blind trust', any big decisions have been placed in the hands of a trustee. However, those shares are due to be transferred back on July 1 meaning a problem could await.
In line with exactly that, a UEFA statement has also provided clarity on the differences required which would allow for both teams to feature.
It was stated that "no one is simultaneously involved, directly or indirectly, in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition; and no one has control or decisive influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition."
Ratcliffe is also exploring a sale of the Ligue 1 outfit and therefore if that is sanctioned, there should be no problems. Even prior to that, he explained why there was never any major concerns that United would be prohibited from playing Champions League football if Nice also qualified.
"No, there are no circumstances upon which an ownership of Nice would prevent Manchester United from playing in the Champions League. I’ll be crystal clear on that," Ratcliffe said.
"It says you have to change the ownership structure, you know. So it’s all about influence and positions on the board and that sort of thing. A: the rules are changing, and B: there are shades of grey not black and white. Manchester City will probably have the problem before we have the problem because they’ve obviously got Girona.
"We have spoken to UEFA and I have to say the conversation wasn’t directed at, 'you have to solve this problem and you know we don’t like it'. We have an issue and we might have to change some things. But what they do recognise is that the multi-club model in many circumstances benefits the smaller club quite a lot.
"They do have a concern that if they stop the multi-club model then you take away quite a lot from the smaller club. Because the smaller club benefits a lot from the bigger club. So that’s a good thing. But what they’re worried about is if there’s ever an accusation that somebody influences the result of a game - lack of integrity. That’s the most concerning thing.
"We’ve never spent time really understanding the benefits of a multi-club. But we’ve got Omar obviously, who’s been intimately involved in a really successful multi-club, which is Manchester City. So we need to spend a bit of time with Omar trying to understand it a bit better before we finish up with a view.
"I think my inclination is positive towards multi-clubs, not negative towards multi-clubs. We haven’t spent enough time understanding all the details of it yet. Also, the UEFA thing is changing so you have to do it in the light of where you think UEFA is going to finish up, what the handicaps are. There are obviously handicaps involved."
Following such a bold admission, it certainly looks as though there will be absolutely zero problems even though Nice's spot in the Champions League has already been confirmed.
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Nevertheless, Nice's Champions League qualification presents a problem that Sir Jim Ratcliffe will need to find a solution for should United join them in the competition by beating Tottenham in the Europa League final.
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