UEFA have already allowed two clubs from one owner to enter Champions League amid Man United takeover
Following news that Qatari investors were interested in buying Manchester United, attention immediately turned to their relationship with Paris Saint Germain and the Champions League.
Qatar's bid for United is led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, an investment banker who has so far made two official bids for the Old Trafford club.
The potential takeover complications have been raised due to Sheikh Jassim's relationship with the Qatari Investment Authority (QIA), which owns PSG.
Sheikh Jassim's father, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, nicknamed "HBJ", is a former president of the QIA.
But Cheikh Jassim himself has assured that he is independent of the QIA and therefore has no connection to PSG. The problem at United is that UEFA currently does not allow two clubs belonging to the same individual/group to compete in the Champions League.
UEFA regulations state that no "individual or organization" can have a "decisive influence" over the performance of more than one club in its competitions.
This means there could be a potential problem for PSG and United if Sheikh Jassim buys the club.
However, according to the New York Times, UEFA has in fact allowed two clubs under the same owner to participate in the Champions League.
In 2017, RB Leipzig surprised everyone by finishing second in the Bundesliga, qualifying them for Europe's most prestigious tournament. While Red Bull Salzburg once again won the Austrian top flight and also secured a place in the Champions League.
The link between the two clubs casts doubt on Leipzig's involvement.
Image credits:
PA images
Energy drink giant Red Bull has a majority in Leipzig despite being a longtime sponsor of Salzburg. Both teams have the same frame and their respective badges are highlighted by the Red Bull logo.
When submitting their applications for the Champions League, both clubs changed their structures to comply with UEFA rules. Red Bull owns Leipzig, but they are only nominally the official sponsor of Salzburg.
Following an investigation, UEFA concluded that there was no reason to believe that competition integrity regulations would be breached even if both teams were in the Champions League.
Leipzig and Salzburg now regularly attend the biggest European tournaments.
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