Why UEFA Might Ban Man United

Manchester United may find themselves barred from participating in European competitions from the next season onwards.

Last December, Sir Jim Ratcliffe – the billionaire CEO of the INEOS chemicals group – struck a £1.02-billion deal to buy a 27.7% stake in the English club.

This purchase enabled INEOS to take complete control over football operations at United, who are hoping to qualify for both the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and Europa League next season.

However, according to reports, UEFA could ban the Red Devils from playing in the UCL, the Europa League, the Super Cup, and other European tournaments in the future.

That is because, per UEFA’s new regulations regarding multi-club ownership, football clubs that are owned by the same party/entity cannot compete in the same European competition.

In addition to United, INEOS owns French-based club, OGC Nice, who are also looking to gain spots in the UCL and the Europa League.

UEFA’s rules dictate that precedence is given to the team that finishes the highest in their domestic league: as of writing, United are sitting in sixth place on the English Premier League rankings, while Nice occupy fifth place on the Ligue 1 table.

Could this be Man United’s last dance with UEFA, or will UEFA relax their rules one day? Only time will tell!

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