At present, two clubs owned by the same person cannot both compete in the Champions League.
However, UEFA is considering allowing clubs with the same owner to play in the Champions League simultaneously — a move that could have significant ramifications for the takeover of Manchester United.
Aleksander Ceferin, the president of European football’s governing body, said a rethink of the existing rules was needed and that two options — to keep the ban and prohibit clubs with the same owner playing in the same competition, or to allow them to take part — would be explored.
This could have a big impact on who buys Manchester United. Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, the chairman of one of Qatar’s biggest banks, has submitted a bid for Manchester United, raising concerns about links to the Qatar-owned PSG.
It is easy to see why this may raise some eyebrows as if PSG and Manchester United meet in the knockout rounds of the competition, it could lead to speculation that one of the sides has been told by their owners to let the other team win. Though this is all hyperathletic of course.
When asked about the potential conflict with owning two clubs in the same competition, Ceferin said: “We are not thinking about Manchester United only. We’ve had five or six owners of clubs who want to buy another club. We have to see what to do.
“We have to speak about these regulations and see what to do about it. There is more and more interest in this multi-club ownership. We shouldn’t just say no for the investments for multi-club ownership, but we have to see what kind of rules we set in that case, because the rules have to be strict.”
