Manchester City and Manchester United have been cleared to take part in the 2024–25 European champions season despite having sister clubs that enjoy shared ownership. This decision came as UEFA adopted transitional rules on the eligibility of multi-club ownership in the league. Clubs have up to June 3, 2024, to submit their entries.
Under the current rules at UEFA, no legal entity may have decisive influence or control over more than one club that takes part in the European competitions. However, a while back, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the rule on multi-club ownership required some deep thought. This might be the thought that brought about the acceptance of these two teams by the club.
Multi-structure Ownership
Manchester City, which qualified for the Champions League, joined fellow City Football Group side Girona. Girona plays in the Spanish La Liga. On the other hand, Manchester United reached the Europa League after winning the FA Cup. They joined the French club Nice, which is also a part of the Ineos Group. Therefore, each of these football bigwigs will be competing against teams that have shared ownership.
After taking their fourth Premier League title, City remains the favourite for the Champions League next season. Its sister club Girona finished an impressive third in the La Liga to qualify for the premier club battle in the next season. This is their first entry in history. On the other hand, United will land in the Europa League despite finishing eighth in the Premier League.
A similar scenario was witnessed last season, when UEFA allowed Toulouse and AC Milan to take part in the same competition despite shared ownership. Both teams are owned by Bird Capital, an American investment fund.
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How the Decision was Reached
According to a document that UEFA sent to clubs, this is a temporary alternative to any club that risks being kicked out of the European championships due to failing the current regulations. The temporary rules would allow assignment in a club or transfer to an independent third party, as in the case of a blind trust.
UEFA believes entrusting decisions to independent third parties will be in the best interest of clubs and the European championships, as the parties will act on behalf of the relevant clubs and prevent collusion between different sides with shared ownership.
UEFA Set of Bizarre Rules
This is not the first time that seemingly bizarre rules have affected the beautiful game in Europe. Fortunately, UEFA has been changing its stance as new developments come into place. For example, fans are banned if they boo during the Champions League. An incident like this happened a while back when City was playing against Sevilla. While City was not sanctioned, its fans were warned that any repeat of the same would see their team play behind closed doors.
Additionally, no club mascot is to be more than slightly taller than an average human being. This means that the stuffed, taller-than-normal mascots seen on most fields are never available for UEFA European matches. Second, the covered substitute’s bench should hold at least 14 people. UEFA strictly follows this rule in matches.
This is not all; goalkeepers with branded gloves should not have gloves that exceed 20 square centimetres. Therefore, overactive sponsors would not be lucky if the ball did not get to the keeper’s court often. Another bizarre rule is that Champion League clubs must allow 30 members of the world’s media, 12 more than the compulsory 18 allowed in the Premier League. They must also recommend the best local hotels for their opponents.
While UEFA does not state the kind of punishments meted out to teams that flout these rules, many of them have a superficial impact on the outcome and enjoyment of the match at hand. We expect some rules to be changed when they have a significant impact on the quality and ability to participate in one of the European championships under UEFA.
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