The acquisition of the team by 71-year-old billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe was officially announced in December through a club statement, ending months of speculation.
Ratcliffe, along with his INEOS Group, injected nearly £1 billion to secure a 27.7% stake in the team, with the potential for that percentage to increase to nearly 30% with an additional £238 million investment.
Notably, Nice, a French football club currently sitting in fifth place in Ligue 1 and poised for European football, is also owned by the INEOS company.
In light of these ownership connections, UEFA has formally acknowledged that teams owned by the same group are prohibited from participating in the same competition.
A UEFA insider, when approached for comment, confirmed this stipulation to SunSport, clarifying that while both Manchester United and Nice could potentially compete in different competitions, they cannot participate in the same one due to the regulation changes.
As things stand, Manchester United, under the leadership of Erik ten Hag, trail behind Tottenham by six points and Aston Villa by nine points in the European qualification race.
Despite this, there remains a glimmer of hope for Manchester United, particularly in the FA Cup, which could serve as a gateway to European tournaments.
In the event that Manchester City secures the league title, their opponents would earn an additional league spot, potentially opening up a European qualification avenue for Manchester United.
However, complications arise due to the ownership overlap with Nice. If both Manchester United and Nice secure Europa League positions through their domestic league standings, priority would be given to Nice.
Consequently, Manchester United would be relegated to the Conference League, assuming they secure a Europa League berth via a fifth-place finish.
Conversely, if Manchester United were to clinch the FA Cup title, they would secure a spot in the Conference League, while Nice would be relegated to the same competition.
In the scenario where both teams qualify for the Champions League, the team with the superior domestic league standing would be awarded the spot.
Despite this, Manchester United would still be given precedence due to England’s high ranking in UEFA’s coefficient, even if both teams finish at the same position domestically.
