Chelsea might have Manchester United owners INEOS to thank if they qualify for the Champions League next season, with the possibility of a ban hanging over the Stamford Bridge club.
The Blues are in line to return to European football’s top table for the first time since 2022/23 but their presence is under threat because of a UEFA ruling.
Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg are also fighting to play in the competition, and they risk performing so well that the marquee club in the BlueCo stable could miss out. UEFA legislation is likely to prevent both from competing in the same European competition.
The Blues’ best bet of qualifying for the competition is, therefore, for Strasbourg to miss out entirely.
The chances of this increased significantly on Friday night as INEOS-owned Nice picked up a shock 3-1 win over PSG at Parc des Princes. Against the run of play, two goals from former Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson plus another from Youssouf Ndayishimiye secured the points for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s side.
Nice have climbed to fourth in Ligue 1, three points ahead of Strasbourg who are seventh but in excellent form.
Loopholes possible
Should both Chelsea and Strasbourg qualify for the Champions League next season, BlueCo will have to look for loopholes to allow both clubs to play in the competition.
This would likely involve the restricting of Racing to prove they are a separate entity, although it could also see BlueCo sell all or some of the French side – something that appears a distant prospect.
INEOS, who own both Manchester United and Nice, saw both their clubs play in the Europa League this season as they proved no strong link between the clubs, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s firm successfully pleading their case based around being a minority partner at Old Trafford.
Chelsea and BlueCo do not yet have the luxury of such a defence.
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