Man Utd could be relegated from the Europa League next year, just days after their triumphant 2-1 victory over Man City to win the FA Cup!
Just days after shocking the 2023/2024 Premier League winners in the FA Cup Final, Erik ten Hag and his men could be dealt a devastating blow regarding European competitions.
The Red Devils could see themselves relegated from the Europa League, despite managing to achieve a spot in the competition at the very last with their win over City on Saturday.
And the reason for their potential relegation comes as a result of their new ownership setup under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The INEOS owner already has full ownership of French Ligue 1 side Nice, who are also destined for the Europa League next year after finishing 5th in Ligue 1 this season.
As things stand, INEOS have a 27% share in Man Utd, which actually puts them under the specified threshold when it comes to the rule set to stop two teams playing each other who share the same owner.
However, reports suggest that Ratcliffe and INEOS are set to invest a further £245 million in the club, which would take their shares in excess of the 30% cutoff.
This leaves Man Utd in a sticky position. On one hand, fans would no doubt love to see more investment in their team stadium, and infrastructure, which has been severely neglected under the ownership of the Glazer family.
On the other hand, that very same investment could threaten their only chance of European football going in to next season, forcing a difficult decision on the club’s ownership.
Despite the sticky wicket they have found themselves on so early in their ownership, INEOS are confident that they will find a way to serve the club in all areas.
A spokesperson said “We are aware of the position of the two clubs and we are in direct dialogue with UEFA. We are convinced that we have a solution for next season in Europe”.
Among the options available to INEOS is the choice of lowering their involvement in Nice below the 30% threshold by selling off shares of the club to other investment companies.
This would allow Ratcliffe to invest significant spend back at Old Trafford, without causing issues with UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules. This would, however, be a big operation, and not one taken lightly by INEOS.
No word has been made on the direction that the organisation are thinking of taking to overcome this issue, though action will need to be taken quickly if they are serious about their furthered investment in Man Utd before next year’s Europa League comes around!
