Manchester United could be barred from competing in the Europa League despite winning the FA Cup.
United were set to go without European football next season after finishing eighth in the 2023-24 Premier League table.
That all changed when Erik ten Hag’s side pulled off a surprise 2-1 win against Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday and with it secure a place in the 2024-25 Europa League.
However, a technicality could prevent the Red Devils from playing in European football’s secondary competition.
UEFA has strict rules regarding multi-club ownership, something that could be a problem for United.
The Old Trafford side are backed by INEOS – owned by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe – which also owns French club OGC Nice.
The French club qualified for the 2024-25 Europa League by finishing fifth in the Ligue 1 table.
INEOS currently owns 27 per cent of United, but plans to invest a further £235 million would take their ownership stake to greater than 30 per cent.
According to L’Equipe, UEFA will not allow clubs that share owners who control more than 30 per cent of each club to compete in the same competition.
If INEOS cannot find a solution and meet the UEFA guidelines the one of United or Nice will likely be relegated to the Europa Conference League, UEFA’s third club competition.
Ten Hag has become the first United manager since Ferguson to win silverware in successive seasons (Getty)
Ordinarily, Nice could be granted the spot in the Europa League due to achieving a higher league finish.
However, according to L’Equipe, United’s FA Cup win could take precedence and see Nice drop into the Europa Conference League.
An obvious resolution would be for INEOS to hold off on increasing their investment – and stake in United – until after next season, meaning that both clubs could compete in the Europa League.
That seems unlikely though, with INEOS clearly prioritising their United project in recent months, evidenced by decreased investment in Nice in recent months.
This season Nice supporters have stages several protests about the ownership of their club.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics:Â Manchester United, Europa League, FA Cup, UEFA, Europa Conference League, Nice, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Football