For football’s new generation of ultra-wealthy investors – risk-friendly billionaires, US hedge funds, wealthy Gulf states – the attraction of the new model for team ownership lies in its simple strategy.
Including not just one team but multiple squads and hundreds of players Extensive multiclub networkThese wealthy new owners believed they could achieve success on the field by leveraging efficiency, best practices, and volume.
Energy drink maker Red Bull pioneered this model. English champions Manchester City, funded by UAE money, have perfected it on their own. City Football GroupJim Ratcliffe, the chairman of chemicals giant INEOS, brought him to Manchester United after acquiring a majority stake in the club last year.
But one of the biggest attractions of multiclub ownership now faces a significant challenge: European football's governing body is changing the rules.
The problem, European soccer leaders said, is that matches between teams controlled by the same ownership group could compromise the fairness of continental competitions, and open the door to self-dealing in soccer's $7 billion-a-year player trading market.
European football's top administrator, Alexander Ceferin, has tried to bridge this divide. In a podcast interview last year, he suggested that the multiclub model represents Threat to the gameHe even attracted investors by saying that there are rules on such ownership maybe it can be eased under new format of champions league,
The subject of the current controversy concerns one of the most talked about stories of the recently concluded European football season: Spanish club Girona and its talented 20-year-old Brazilian forward Savio.
Girona finished third in the Spanish league last season, its fourth year in the country's top division. That performance earned the team a spot in next season's Champions League, Europe's richest club competition, and drew the attention of some of the continent's biggest clubs to Girona's top talent.
When it came to signing Savio, Manchester City had the advantage. Its owner, the brother of the ruler of the UAE, is also the holder of the largest ownership stake in Girona. So the next stop for Girona's breakout star was never in doubt. The news was almost confirmed in February, when social media influencer Fabrizio Romano, who specializes in player trading news, announced the deal had been done.
“Manchester City have signed all the documents to sign Savio from July 1,” He made the announcement in a message to his more than 20 million followers on X Which started with the red-siren emoji.
However, Girona did not actually own Savio's rights. The player was loaned to French club Troyes, which Girona also owns. City Football Group,
Such multiple holdings have become commonplace in world football over the past half decade: according to figures from UEFA, European football's governing body, there are more than 180 teams worldwide, employing over 6,500 players, that are now part of multiclub networks.
This has caused problems for UEFA. In the past, it had focused mainly on how team ownership affected its competitions, and ruled that a single owner Could not control multiple teams In the same incident.
But with multiclub control on the rise and critics complaining about the integrity of Europe's biggest tournaments – without concern that famous, proud clubs are being turned into mere feeder teams – UEFA has introduced a new policy. Temporary rule changes,
Under revised rules, if an owner reduces his stake in one of his clubs to below 30 percent, both teams will be allowed to play in UEFA tournaments, provided the teams also ensure they are governed separately, do not share board members and have no other direct commercial or sporting ties.
These rules will apply only to the following: One season, giving owners more time Selling a stake in a competing club below the limit required by UEFA.
A similar arrangement was reached for the American owners of AC Milan and French team Toulouse last season, leading to reports in November that Red Bird, the company which controls both teams, was seeking a buyer for Toulouse.
However, revised rules on player movement will be stricter. Clubs involved in multiclub ownership arrangements will be prohibited from lending or trading any players between their teams if they are participating in the same competition. (This rule, too, was in effect for 2014. Milan and many other teams last season.)
This would mean that Savio's much-hyped arrival at Premier League champions Manchester City would have to be put on hold if both City and Girona are to play in the Champions League next season. He would still be clear to take part, but it would be impossible for him to do so in a sky blue City uniform.
(The same issue could affect defender Jean-Clair Todibo's potential move to French club Nice – which is owned by Mr Ratcliffe – to Manchester UnitedBoth United and Nice have qualified for a separate UEFA competition, the Europa League, next season. Mr. Ratcliffe's company, INEOS, said in a statement: “We understand UEFA's rules,” adding: “Our aim is for both clubs to play in the Europa League. We now await UEFA's decision.”)
City Football Group said it had been in contact with UEFA officials for months to allow both Manchester City and Girona to play in the Champions League. All clubs had until last Monday to file final documents.
UEFA declined to comment on the proposed deal, but a final decision on the team's eligibility is expected to be announced next month.