SIR JIM RATCLIFFE’S ownership of Nice could see Manchester United BANNED from Europe next season.
Ratcliffe’s £1.3billion deal for a 25 per cent stake in the Old Trafford club is due to be formally confirmed within days.
But the British billionaire and his Ineos group already own Nice, who are second in Ligue 1 – just a point behind Paris Saint-Germain.
Ahead of next season’s expanded Champions League, French top-flight teams are set to be awarded three automatic spots and one play-off place with Prem sides getting five direct berths.
But under Uefa’s “multi-club ownership” rules, the only way United and Nice can both play in Europe in the next campaign is if one seals an automatic Champions League spot and the other qualifies directly for the Conference League.
If both finish in the Champions League spots in their respective divisions, the team that finishes higher of the two gets the place with the other banned from Europe.
And if both finish in the same position, England’s ranking at the top of Uefa’s “access list” means Erik ten Hag’s sixth-placed Reds will get the nod for Europe’s premiere competition – worth up to £140million in TV and prize money – and Nice will only play domestic football.
However, if Nice finish fourth – Ligue 1’s Champions League play-off spot – the potential of them losing the play-off and dropping into the Europa League means United would be also be barred from playing in Uefa’s secondary tournament even if they directly qualify for it by finishing sixth or winning the FA Cup.
In that instance, United’s only chance of playing in Europe would be to win the Carabao Cup or finish seventh and hope the Carabao winners qualify for Europe which would see the Conference League spot prize revert to the Reds.
A Uefa source confirmed: “As the rules stand, it’s a clear situation. Ineos own Nice and are set to have a significant role in running United.
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“Unless the regulations are changed, or Ineos sell one of their stakes, they cannot both play in European competitions, unless one is in the Champions league and the other in the Conference League.”
The Uefa rules could also impact on United’s neighbours Manchester City, although more likely on their Spanish sister club Girona who are part of the City Football Group and surprise pacesetters in La Liga ahead of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
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