Manchester United and Manchester City have been cleared by UEFA to play in Europe next season alongside their sister clubs.
United will be competing in the Europa League next season, with Ligue 1 outfit Nice also qualifying for Europe’s second-tier competition.
But there was a fear of conflict of interest with United’s new shareholder – Sir Jim Ratcliffe – also the owner of the French side.
It’s the same case for neighbours City – owned by the City Football Group – who also oversee the fortunes of Spanish club Girona.
Following a stunning 2023/24 season, Girona qualified for the Champions League, where they could face City following their Premier League success.
After it was feared that the multi-club ownership rule could restrict one of the clubs from competing in Europe, UEFA have now allowed them to do so.
In a statement, UEFA revealed that the concerned investors of clubs implemented ‘significant changes’, which have been approved by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body.
They also stressed: “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.”
Before adding: “No one has control or decisive influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition.”
The statement continued: “More specifically, the significant changes made to the ownership, governance, and financial support of the concerned clubs, substantially restrict the investors’ influence and decision-making power over more than one club, ensuring compliance with the multi-club ownership rule during the 2024/25 season.
2
“In particular, the concerned investors have transferred their shares in Girona FC and OGC Nice to independent trustees through a blind trust structure established under the supervision of the CFCB First Chamber.”
And in a bid to show the clubs are independent from one another, they are not allowed to be directly involved in any type of transfer – loan or permanent – from July 2024 to September.
This will effectively rule out Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo from joining Manchester United this summer.
While the clubs have also been banned from concluding ‘any kind of cooperation, joint technical or commercial agreements between each other’.
UEFA have also made it clear that the control and decision-making of Nice and Girona rests ‘solely under control of the trustee’.
It has also been stated that investors ‘have no ability to influence sporting related decisions’, and ‘have no ability to influence the club through veto rights or contractual arrangements’.
Most read in Champions League
And importantly, following the conclusion of the 2024/25 season, commencing from July 2025, the shares in Nice and Girona will be transferred back to their respective investor from the independent trustees.
United and City have also been told by UEFA that they will be monitored throughout the upcoming campaign to ensure they are sticking to all the rules.