Will Girona not qualify for the Champions League because of City? This is not true and here’s why
Polina Kuimova December 26, 2023, 14:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Yes, clubs with the same owner cannot play in the same tournament. But there is a nuance.
Girona has swept the La Liga table and is now tied for first place with Real Madrid. Despite the fact that the supercomputer estimates the probability of winning the championship at only 4% (the Club of Madrid is given 91.1%), the team has every chance to occupy the league championship position at the end of the season.
There are now active discussions that Girona may not yet qualify for the Champions League because the club is part-owned by the City Football Group (CFG), whose extensive football portfolio also includes Manchester City. The group first acquired 44.3% of Girona’s shares, and in 2017 increased the stake to 47%. Under the multi-club model, teams have “a variety of shared assets”, including player loan agreements and financial backing. And here we turn to the UEFA club competition regulations, specifically article 5. The rule was introduced in 1998 to prevent the same owners from controlling or influencing several clubs competing in the same competition.
“No one may participate at the same time, directly or indirectly and in any capacity, in the direction, administration and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition.”
The main precedent that occurred due to this clause was UEFA’s investigation into Red Bull, owner of Leipzig and Salzburg. The teams qualified for the Champions League in 2017, prompting the football body to examine the close sporting and commercial relationship between the two clubs. As a result, Red Bull changed its ownership structure and did it quite cleverly: the company continued to own Leipzig and in Salzburg it began to be listed as the main sponsor. UEFA ultimately concluded that the club’s respective “operational structures demonstrated sufficient separation” and allowed both teams to compete in European competitions.
The main thing about the model that is now taking over football:
Owning multiple clubs is the norm. But UEFA believes this kills the integrity of football
This summer, UEFA also admitted Milan and Toulouse (co-owner of RedBird Capital), Aston Villa and Vitoria Guimarães (owners of Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris), Brighton and Union (owner: Tony Bloom). But for this something also had to change in the structures of the clubs: Jerry Cardinale (director of RedBird) left the board of directors of Toulouse, businessmen Edens and Sawiris had to reduce their participation in the Portuguese club to 29%. and leave the board of directors, Bloom, do the same with Union. In addition, UEFA proposed to the owners a series of rules that they must comply with: they cannot transfer players to each other, enter into any type of cooperation and also use common databases, including scouting ones.
Read more about UEFA’s decisions:
UEFA allowed clubs of the same owner to participate in European competitions. They were given strict conditions.
As for Girona, CFG has a minority stake; The remaining shares are divided between Guatemalan businessman Marcelo Claure, who owns 35%, and other investors. This is no longer subject to UEFA restrictions, but there is still a connection between the clubs: the president of the board is Pere Guardiola, Josep’s brother. To obtain a UEFA license to play in European competitions for City, he will probably have to step down.
For the rest, there are no restrictions for Girona, well, except compliance with the basic rules that UEFA has proposed for other clubs: not to enter into any type of cooperation, joint technical or commercial agreements, and not to use any common database of scouts or players. The most important restriction is that there will be no loans or transfers until September of next season (in the case of Girona and City, until September 2025).
So, if the Spanish club does not slow down, we may see them in the Champions League next season.
Proof that Girona is advancing at a good pace:
Stories
Girona has a championship calendar. Teams with such indicators have already won the title.
