Man Utd given hope of avoiding Champions League ban after takeover following UEFA decision

Manchester United have hope they can avoid being banned from the Champions League, despite running the risk of breaking UEFA rules.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set buy a 25 percent stake in the club and assume responsibility for all football-related matters at Old Trafford. Ratcliffe already owns Ligue 1 Nice and Swiss side FC Lausanne-Sport through his INEOS chemical company.

Those other interests put United at risk of breaching UEFA's rules around multi-club ownership, which could result in a ban from the Champions League. United have hopes of finishing in the top four, with Nice also flying high in the French top-flight.

But UEFA rules forbid two clubs under the same ownership group from competing in the same European competition. The rules mean the only way two clubs could both play in Europe is if one qualifies directly to the group stages of the Champions League and the other only for the Conference League.

Otherwise, the club qualifying for the Champions League would take precedence, or, if they qualified for the same competition, the team with the higher league finish would keep their place.

Nice are currently second in Ligue 1, just a point behind leaders PSG, while United are sixth in the Premier League. If both teams finished in the same position, it would come down to the coefficient between the two domestic leagues.

In the summer, UEFA investigated three cases in regard to multi-club ownership, with Aston Villa and Vitoria de Guimareas, Brighton and Union Sant-Gilloise and AC Milan and Toulouse all coming in for scruntiny.

But in a sign of a relaxed stance, UEFA ultimately gave all six teams the green light to play in Europe. As part of the conditions for that go-ahead, each team had to make significant internal changes.

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