Sir Jim Ratcliffe calls UEFA multi-club rules ‘unfair’ as transfer to Manchester United blocked

June 20, 2024

Sir Jim Ratcliffe believes UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership are unfair because they prevented Manchester United from signing a player from Nice.

The athlete reported on Wednesday that 24-year-old Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo was being considered as a possible transfer target for United, but a move was unlikely due to UEFA rules.

Ligue 1 club Nice is owned by Ratcliffe’s company INEOS, while Nice and United are currently awaiting a decision on whether they can both play in the Europa League next season.

Article 5 of the UEFA regulations states that no individual or legal entity may have “control or influence” over more than one club participating in a UEFA competition. European football’s governing body must be satisfied that United and Nice are separate entities in order to preserve the integrity of their competition.

In May, Sunil Gulati, the first chamber of UEFA’s club financial control body, explained that clubs subject to a multi-club ownership test cannot transfer new players between themselves during the season in which they play in the same competition or during the first transfer window immediately thereafter.

Although 71-year-old Ratcliffe is only a minority shareholder in United – his stake is expected to eventually rise to 29 percent – his £1.3 billion investment gave INEOS control of football operations at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe did not name the player but confirmed that United cannot currently buy directly from Nice due to the ownership situation.

GO DEEPER

UEFA rules could prevent Man United from signing Todibo

“They said we can sell him to another Premiership club, but not to Manchester United,” Ratcliffe said in an interview with Bloomberg. “But that’s not fair to the player and I don’t see what it achieves.”

In a detailed interview, Ratcliffe also confirmed that the coaching position was “not a central issue” at the club. Erik ten Hag would remain in this role, while the billionaire promised to “improve everything” at United. He aims to have the team “where Real Madrid is today”.

Ratcliffe was also highly critical of proposed financial regulations for the Premier League, saying government regulation would be “not good” for the league and adding that the proposal for “anchoring” – a spending cap based on the revenue of the lowest-earning club in the league – would “hinder” England’s top teams.