Manchester City and Manchester United have received the green light to participate in European competitions next season, as confirmed by UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB).
Concerns had surfaced regarding Manchester City’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League, alongside LaLiga’s Girona, both of which are owned by the City Football Group.
Concurrently, Manchester United secured a spot in the Europa League by winning the FA Cup, while Nice, a Ligue 1 team owned by Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group, also qualified.
The involvement of two clubs under the same ownership in one European competition posed a potential conflict with UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations. Consequently, adjustments had to be implemented at the board level of all four clubs to ensure their eligibility.
UEFA confirmed on Friday that there had been “significant changes made to the ownership, governance, and financial support of the concerned clubs” which would “substantially restrict the investors’ influence and decision-making power.”
The shares held in Girona and Nice have been transferred to independent trustees “through a blind trust structure established under the supervision of the CFCB.”
The arrangement is limited to the current 2024-25 season, after which ownership shares will revert to City Football Group and INEOS.
Ratcliffe obtained a 27.7% stake in United in February, while INEOS, the chemical company he established and currently leads as CEO, acquired Nice in 2019.
According to a source familiar with the matter, UEFA has already intervened to prevent United from pursuing the signing of Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo.
“They’ve said we can sell him to another Premiership club,” Ratcliffe said in an interview last month.
“But we can’t sell to Manchester United. But that’s not fair on the player and I don’t see what that achieves.”
UEFA announced on Friday that Manchester United and Manchester City have mutually agreed to a transfer embargo with their affiliated clubs, Nice and Girona, respectively, until September 2025.
This agreement effectively prevents any player transfers between these clubs during the upcoming summer transfer window in 2025.
Despite this restriction, sources informed ESPN that Manchester City are likely to finalize the signing of Sávio during this summer. The winger, previously on loan at Girona, will join City from Troyes, his parent club, which did not qualify for the Champions League.