Manchester United and Man City allowed to compete in Europe after landmark UEFA ruling

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·5. Juli 2024

Manchester United and Man City allowed to compete in Europe after landmark UEFA ruling

Green light for multi-club ownership after fears Nice and Girona links would see teams miss out

Manchester United and Manchester City will be allowed to compete in European football next season alongside clubs owned by their shareholders following a landmark UEFA ruling.

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It was initially feared by the two Manchester clubs that they may have to pick whether they or their sister clubs would be allowed to play after qualifying for Europe.

Manchester City are owned by City Football Group (CFG) along with Girona, the Spanish side which finished third in the 2023-24 season to qualify for the Champions League for the first time.

United, meanwhile, reached the Europa League having won the FA Cup and will now be allowed to play alongside Nice, who finished fifth in Ligue 1 to also qualify. INEOS, owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, have a minority stake in the Red Devils and also own Nice.

To allow both teams to compete, UEFA announced on Friday that the French side had undergone “significant changes by the concerned investors” to prove that no individual has “control or decisive influence” over both clubs.

Both INEOS and CFG have also agreed not to transfer players between their respective clubs until September 2025, with the exception of pre-existing deals.