Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has seen his investment in Manchester United confirmed
Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) has seen his 28.9 per cent acquisition of Manchester United confirmed(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester United's new owners are reportedly ready to give up their day-to-day involvement at Nice and prioritise in order to comply with UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe finally saw his purchase of a 28.9 per cent stake in the Red Devils rubber-stamped on Tuesday evening, but the move raises the prospect of a potential conflict of interest, given that he is the majority shareholder at Nice.
UEFA rules state owners cannot have a ‘decisive influence’ in the decision-making across two or more clubs, with both Nice, who sit third in Ligue 1 and Manchester United, who are sixth in the Premier League, chasing European football next term.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe shares a joke with Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of Manchester United's Premier League match against Tottenham at Old Trafford in January 2024. (Image credit: Getty Images)
According to the Telegraph, Radcliffe and Ineos are willing to restructure Nice so that the French side is a ‘stand-alone’ entity, with Ratcliffe staying at the club in a background role.
Already, Sir Dave Brailsford has reduced his role at Nice in favour of Old Trafford, helping recruit new chief executive Omar Berrada and looking to hire Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth.
The other avenue that Ineos may go down is to hold talks with UEFA in order to gain greater clarity on the current rules, with the body’s president Aleksander Ceferin admitting that he wants the rules to more clearly define what a ‘decisive interest’ constitutes.
Aston Villa and Brighton are among a number of teams that made changes to their ties with other clubs this season in order to have clearance to play in Europe.
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Should Manchester United and Nice both qualify for the Champions League under the current set-up, the team who finished highest in their respective division would be permitted to play in Europe and the other side would be prohibited from the competition.
For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include tomes on Leeds United and the England national team.
