Even though Sir Jim Ratcliffe is still the owner of Nice, UEFA will still permit Manchester United to participate in the Europa League if they qualify.
Teams owned by the same owners will not be permitted to participate in the same competitions, per UEFA’s new regulations.
Since Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United’s new co-owner, owns a majority stake in Nice in Ligue 1, United would have been ineligible to compete in the Europa League the following season under these rules.
Currently ranked sixth in the Premier League, Erik ten Hag’s team will join Nice in the Europa League if they maintain that ranking.
Given that Nice is ranked higher in their league than the Red Devils, they would have been eligible to participate in the competition in this scenario.
However, according to the Daily Mail, Theodore Theodoridis, the general secretary of UEFA, attended United’s league match against West Ham on February 4 at Old Trafford.
Theodoridis reportedly assured the English club that the problem would be resolved when he discussed it with them after the game.