Ineos handed deadline to convince UEFA of multi-club model or risk Manchester United ban

Manchester United’s Europa League status has not been fully confirmed just yet and there is still a chance the Reds could be playing in the Europa Conference League due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.

According to The Telegraph, Ineos have until Monday to satisfy Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules that Manchester United and OGC Nice should both be allowed to compete in the Europa League next season.

Ratcliffe owns a 27.7% stake in United, where he has obtained full control of football operations, but the problem stems from the fact he is already the majority shareholder at Nice.

The British billionaire bought into Nice following his takeover in 2019. Ratcliffe wasn’t to know that 5 years later, he would be co-owner at Manchester United.

An independent panel is due to rule on the matter before the Europa League qualifying rounds take place in July.

United will be forced to drop out of the Europa League and into the Europa Conference League unless a solution is found. Ineos released a statement on the matter earlier this week, stressing that they were “confident” that such a scenario would be avoided.

It is understood that the principal issues for Ineos come from the extent of their sporting control at the two clubs. Everything should be fine after a few structural tweaks.

“We are aware of the position of both clubs and are in direct dialogue with Uefa,” it said. “We are confident we have a route forward for next season in Europe.”

Only time will tell if it can be solved but I reckon Ineos know what they need to do to avoid any upset for the fans of their clubs.

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