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Qatar hit Man Utd takeover issue with Champions League rules and PSG ownership

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Qatar have continued to invest huge sums in football (Image: Christopher Pike/Getty Images for Supreme Committee 2022)
Qatar have continued to invest huge sums in football (Image: Christopher Pike/Getty Images for Supreme Committee 2022)

Manchester United are open to offers and a Qatari group are lining up a bid to blow all rivals out of the water.

The Red Devils have been under American ownership for near enough two decades and there is a great desire from fans to see them leave. The Glazers' running of the club has been heavily criticised with the Red Devils declining on the pitch whilst their infrastructure has become second rate.

United remain a massive asset and it will take a huge offer to see them change hands - but countries like Qatar possess such wealth and a major shift could be on the cards. The Middle East nation have already displayed their financial power having owned PSG since 2011.

The French side were purchased by the Qatari Sports Investment (QSI) and have seen their profile - on and off the pitch - soar since then with the Parisians now a major power in Europe. They've met United on several occasions, but if they both operated under Qatari ownership it could have major repercussions.

Could PSG and Man Utd play in the Champions League?

The short answer would appear to be no, they almost certainly could not. This is because of a rule, introduced in the late 1990s, known as the 'Integrity of the UEFA Club competitions: Independence of clubs'. It states that no two clubs, operating in the same competition, can be directly or indirectly controlled by the same ownership group.

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This is defined by several aspects, the main one being who the club's majority shareholders are. The rules mean, if Qatar had both United and PSG under their control, they may well have to choose who goes into the competition, should they both qualify.

Qatar hit Man Utd takeover issue with Champions League rules and PSG ownershipMan Utd and PSG have faced each other numerous times in Europe (GETTY)

PSG are very much chasing their first ever Champions League victory. Over one billion has been spent by their Qatari owners but several managers have tried and failed to deliver Europe's top prize. Thomas Tuchel has come closest after losing in the 2020 final to Bayern Munich.

United meanwhile have slid down the European pecking order of late, failing to make it out of the group stages or simply playing in the Europa League over the past decade. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led them to the last eight on one occasion, but they've failed to make it to the latter stages since the Sir Alex Ferguson-era.

Investment in the Premier League from the Middle East has been met with pushback in the past, albeit they've still purchased their desired clubs. The Abu Dhabi owners at Manchester City currently find themselves embroiled in controversy regarding financial breaches whilst Newcastle's Middle East-backers bought the club last season.

There are no restrictions on an owner acquiring multiple clubs at the same time in different countries.

Samuel Meade

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