Man City, Man Utd cleared to play in Europe alongside sister clubs

Logos of Man City(T-L) and Man Utd(T-R) with logos of their sister clubs Girona FC(B-L) and OGC Nice(B-R).

Credit: X/@ManCity, @ManUtd, @GironaFC, @OGCNice

Manchester City and Manchester United will be allowed to play in the Champions League and Europa League along with their sister clubs Girona and Nice, UEFA's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) First Chamber said on Friday.

The European soccer body said the sister clubs' investors had implemented changes to avoid any conflict with UEFA's multi-club ownership rules, including transferring their shares of Girona and Nice to an independent trustee under the CFCB First Chamber's supervision until July 1, 2025.

City Football Group, which owns City and Girona, and INEOS Sport, which controls the football operations of United and Nice, demonstrated to the CFCB that no one was simultaneously involved with administering more than one club, or had control or decisive influence over more than one club, UEFA said.

The clubs would also not transfer players to each other until September 2025.

"The significant changes made to the ownership, governance, and financial support of the concerned clubs, substantially restrict the investors’ influence and decision-making power over more than one club," UEFA said in the statement.

"The CFCB First Chamber will continue to monitor the above-mentioned situations to ensure that the multi-club ownership rule continues to be complied with during the 2024/25 season."

City won the Premier League and Girona finished third in LaLiga to qualify for the Champions League, while United won the FA Cup and Nice finished fifth in Ligue 1 to reach the Europa League.