Article 5 Integrity of the competition/multi-club ownership - Champions League

Regulations of the UEFA Champions League

Content Type
Competition Regulations
Category
Clubs
Subject
UCL
Edition
2024/25
Language
English
Enforcement Date
2 September 2024
5.01

To ensure the integrity of the UEFA club competitions (i.e. UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League), the club must be able to prove that as at 3 June 2024 the below criteria are met and the club must continue to comply with the below criteria until the end of the competition:

  1. No club participating in a UEFA club competition may, either directly or indirectly:

    1. hold or deal in the securities or shares of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition;

    2. be a member of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition;

    3. be involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition; or

    4. have any power whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition.

  2. No one may simultaneously be involved, either directly or indirectly, in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition.

  3. No individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition, such control or influence being defined in this context as:

    1. holding a majority of the shareholders’ voting rights;

    2. having the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of the club;

    3. being a shareholder and alone controlling a majority of the shareholders’ voting rights pursuant to an agreement entered into with other shareholders of the club; or

    4. being able to exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making of the club.

5.02

If two or more clubs fail to meet the criteria aimed at ensuring the integrity of the competition, only one of them may be admitted to a UEFA club competition, in accordance with the following criteria (applicable in descending order) with the exception of the scenarios set out in Paragraph 5.04 and Paragraph 5.05:

  1. the club which qualifies on sporting merit for the most prestigious UEFA club competition (i.e., in descending order: UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League or UEFA Conference League);

  2. the club which was ranked highest in the domestic championship giving access to the relevant UEFA club competition;

  3. the club whose association is ranked highest in the access list (see Annex A).

5.03

Clubs that are not admitted are replaced in accordance with Paragraph 4.10.

5.04

Exceptionally, provided that the relevant principles of Paragraph 5.01 are respected throughout, a club that was not admitted in application of Paragraph 5.02, and which is replaced in the competition in application of Paragraph 4.10, may still be admitted to another UEFA club competition (i.e. in descending order: UEFA Europa League or UEFA Conference League) to which the relevant national association has access, respecting the scenarios foreseen by Paragraph 5.05. The access of the respective association is adjusted accordingly.

5.05

This article is not applicable if any of the cases listed under Paragraph 5.01 happens between:

  1. a club qualifying (in accordance with Article 3) for the UEFA Champions League and entering the league phase directly and a club qualifying for the UEFA Europa League or UEFA Conference League (see Annex A);

  2. a club qualifying (in accordance with Article 3) for the UEFA Champions League and entering the playoffs (champions path or league path) or the third qualifying round of the league path directly or for the UEFA Europa League and entering the league phase directly and a club qualifying for the UEFA Conference League (see Annex A).