Manchester United risk relegation to Conference League despite FA Cup victory

Manchester United’s recent FA Cup win may not guarantee their place in the Europa League next season due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.

Their 2-1 win over Manchester City secured a Europa League spot and pushed Chelsea down to the Conference League, with Newcastle losing out on European competition.

However, concerns have emerged over Ineos and new Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s involvement with both Manchester United and French club Nice.

Ratcliffe, who purchased Nice in 2019, saw the club finish 5th in Ligue 1, earning a Europa League spot.

With Ineos acquiring a 27.7% stake in Manchester United and planning to increase investment, UEFA’s regulations on multi-club ownership come into play.

These rules prevent individuals from being involved in multiple clubs in UEFA competitions.

L’Equipe reports that increasing Ineos’s stake to over 30% would violate these regulations.

Normally, Nice would retain their Europa League spot over United due to their higher league finish, as United ended the Premier League season in 8th place.

However, United’s FA Cup win could give them an edge over the French side.

Article 5.01 b. of UEFA’s regulations states that no individual can be involved in more than one club participating in UEFA competitions.

This could have excluded United from European football entirely, but UEFA has recently relaxed these rules.

Now, a club replaced in one competition can still be admitted to another, such as the Europa Conference League, in United’s case.

Previously, Brighton and Aston Villa faced similar issues but resolved them by reducing their owners’ stakes in other clubs below 30%.

United may need to consider similar measures to secure their place in European competitions next season.