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5 months ago
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It does really feel that these days the strict rules in football are only there for the have nots, whilst those with power and influence, such as Manchester United, Manchester City and others, can have the rules ‘stretched’ to allow them to carry on regardless.
As you may well know, the ‘City Football Group’ have stakes in 13 different clubs in various countries around the world.
Quite why this is allowed at all is a mystery to me.
How in any way can this be good for football overall? What if we ended up with a small number of people / groups having stakes in most of the major clubs?
The City Football Group ran into a problem earlier in the month. UEFA rules prevent two teams from the same owners participating in the same competition.
Manchester City and Girona both qualified for the Champions League next season. So surely then only one of the two can compete in it? Wrong!
UEFA saying that so long as the City Football Group reduce their stake in Girona to 30%, selling off any shareholding over the 30% to an ‘independent third party’, both Manchester City and Girona can play in the Champions League next season.
This is a total joke, the 13 clubs within the City Football Group move numerous players around internally, giving their other ‘family’ clubs a distinct advantage over other clubs, so why then allow this further step to happen, bending the rules so that both Girona and Manchester City can still play in the Champions League?
At the very least, rules should be in place that once a season kicks off, then all clubs are bound by rules that not more than one under that same ownership can qualify that season for the same European competition. Rather than being allowed to just move part of your shareholding on at the end of the season to bend the rules. Plus, who would be at all surprised if this shareholding that has been reduced, then suddenly goes back to the original level, once that European competing season is over?
Talksport report – 16 May 2024:
‘Girona have been one of the stories of the season, having battled for the title until a slip in results saw them fall below Real Madrid and Barcelona, but their success has caused a few headaches for their owners – the City Football Group.
City Football Group are, of course, the owners of Man City and UEFA rules prevent two teams from the same owners participating in the same competition.
The Abu Dhabi-based operation have stakes in 13 clubs, and that includes 47 per cent of Girona. Pep Guardiola’s brother, Pere, also owns a stake in the club.
City Football Group have been offered divestment options to enable both teams to compete in the Champions League next season.
Failing to comply could mean that one of the teams, most likely Girona, be relegated to the Europa League.
The problem could be solved by City Football Group selling a stake to an independent third party to reduce their overall ownership to 30 per cent.
The UEFA rules are in place to guard against collusion in the game.
It is believed they have until June 3 to submit a proposal.
UEFA is believed to have scrutinised the City Football Group links with Girona over their transfer business this season.
The criteria covers clubs under the same ownership who have ‘transferred, permanently or temporarily, three or more players with the other club, directly or indirectly via related parties, during the season’.
Girona have three players from City Football Group clubs this season, including star man Savio – who is on loan from Troyes.’
Now we have Manchester United in the same position, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe has seen two of the clubs he has ownership in, Man U and Nice, both qualify for the Europa League next season.
Never mind though, apparently everything will be sorted so that Ratcliffe can be supporting both teams next season in the competition…
BBC Sport report – 28 May 2024
‘Ineos is “confident” of finding a solution that allows Manchester United and Nice to compete in next season’s Europa League.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos company owns a 27.7% stake in United and are in control of the club’s football operations, while they completed a takeover of French club Nice in 2019.
Uefa rules restrict the influence any organisation can have over more than one club in the same competition.
An independent panel will rule on the matter before next season’s competition starts in the middle of July with the qualifying rounds.
Uefa’s regulations meant Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise had to alter its ownership structure last season to allow it to compete in the Europa League alongside Brighton, whose owner Tony Bloom had been a pivotal figure for both clubs.
Aston Villa and Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes faced the same scenario in the Europa Conference League.
It is also a situation Manchester City and Spanish side Girona will have to address this summer given they are both part of the City Football Group and have qualified for next season’s Champions League.
If a solution is not found United would have to drop into the Conference League as they finished lower in the Premier League last season than fifth-placed Nice did in Ligue 1.
However Ineos is confident that scenario will be avoided.
“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.”
Ineos also owns Swiss Super League club FC Lausanne-Sport, but they have not qualified for European competition.’
Now just say for example, 12 months from now, this happens.
Manchester United AND Nice reach the Europa League final, at place a trophy BUT potentially something far far bigger, deciding which of the two clubs will be playing in the Champions League the following season by winning that final.
How on earth can this be allowed?
Just how bad would it look and scratching my head as to why can football let it happen?
Why do they allow anybody to have ownership in more than one football club?

 
