UEFA make brutal decision on banning Man Utd from Europe next season as new rules updated and could affect Manchester United’s future
Manchester United is now sixth in the Premier League standings, nine points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa with one game in hand.
This puts them in the running for qualification to the UEFA Champions League.
However, Manchester United and Nice face a substantial issue as a result of UEFA regulations that prohibit clubs under the same ownership from competing in the same European competition in a particular season.
As it stands, Nice and Manchester United would qualify for the UEFA Europa League based on their current league positions.
However, recent changes to UEFA’s integrity standards state that only one club from the same ownership group can compete in a given competition if both qualify.
According to these laws, clubs who finish lower in their individual league standings are required to drop down to the lower-tier tournament.
In this scenario, if both Nice and Manchester United qualify for the Europa League, Manchester United, now in sixth position, would be relegated to the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Nonetheless, the Daily Mail says that Manchester United has got assurances from UEFA on their participation in Europe’s secondary league in such circumstances.
The team has apparently been in discussions with UEFA for some time about this prospective scenario.
In February, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the owner of both Nice and Manchester United, expressed confidence that his ownership of Nice would not inhibit Manchester United’s European involvement.
He emphasised the changing nature of UEFA regulations and the complexities involved, implying that Manchester City, as owners of Girona through the City Football Group, may face similar issues sooner.
Ratcliffe emphasised that the regulations governing ownership arrangements are susceptible to change, and that the problem is about degrees of power and board posts.
He claimed that there are shades of grey rather than clear-cut black-and-white standards, implying some flexibility in addressing ownership-related concerns within the UEFA framework.
While UEFA regulations initially created a potential impediment to Manchester United’s European ambitions, continuous conversations and promises from UEFA have offered certainty that the club will participate in European championships despite its shared ownership with Nice.
