MU Is Threatened Not To Appear In The Europa League Despite Winning The FA Cup, This Is The Reason
JAKARTA - Manchester United may be banned from participating in next season's Europa League competition despite winning the FA Cup. Because UEFA remains firm in enforcing its regulations regarding multi-club ownership.
After finishing eighth in the final standings of the 2023-24 Premier League, United are initially predicted to miss European competition next season. However, things changed when Erik ten Hag's side won 2-1 against Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, May 24.
Despite winning, it is possible that United could be banned from participating in Europe's second-largest club competition next season due to technical regulations.
The UEFA has strict rules regarding multi-club ownership, designed to prevent two clubs owned by the same organization from competing in the same tournament.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who owns part of United's stake, also owns Ligue 1 Nice club, who qualified for the Europa League 2024-25 by finishing fifth in the French league competition this season.
Ratcliffe and INEOS currently own 27% of United's shares but plan to invest another 235 million, which will increase their holdings to more than 30%.
According to the Mirror, UEFA will not allow teams with owners that control more than 30% of each club to compete in the same tournament.
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If Ratcliffe can find a solution to comply with UEFA guidelines, then it is likely that United or Nice will be sent to the European Conference League, UEFA's third-tier club competition.
Usually, Nice can be given a place in the Europa League because it manages to reach a higher position in their domestic competition. However, the report added that United's victory in the FA Cup could be a priority and resulted in Nice coming down to the Conference League.
A possible solution is for Ratcliffe and INEOS to delay increasing their investment and share ownership in United until after next season, which will allow the two clubs to compete in the Europa League.
However, the scenario seems unlikely given INEOS' clear priorities for United's project in recent months, as evidenced by a reduction in investment in Nice.