Nottingham Forest join Manchester City in exploiting UEFA Champions League loophole | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest play at home to Brentford this Thursday night (tonight), as they look to take another massive step towards playing Champions League football next season.

If getting a home win at the City Ground, Forest will move into third place in the Premier League with four games to go.

Nottingham Forest would be in a very powerful position and big favourites to finish top five and get Champions League football, as they would be five points clear of sixth.

There was though one ‘small’ issue for the club when it came to Champions League if finishing top five.

Nottingham Forest making headlines yesterday as they ‘tweaked’ things at the club…

‘Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has diluted his control of the club in preparation for Champions League qualification.

Uefa, European football’s governing body, has strict rules regarding multi-club ownership models such as the one Marinakis heads up.

In addition to owning Forest, the Greek businessman also controls Greek team Olympiakos, as well as Portuguese side Rio Ave.

Forest and Olympiakos are both on course to qualify for next season’s Champions League, a prospect that would contravene Uefa’s rules that state clubs under the same ownership cannot compete in the same European competition.

Documents filed at Companies House show that Marinakis has ceased to become a “person with significant control” of NF Football Investments Limited, the vehicle that owns the City Ground club.

While Marinakis has placed his shares in a blind trust, a Forest source confirmed to the BBC that he remains the club’s owner and is still committed to the club.

The development is among a number of changes filed with Companies House in light of Uefa’s rules.

Sources have confirmed the move is designed to ensure the ownership model is positioned to ensure Forest comply with Uefa’s rules.

The alterations in ownership structure had to be completed by the end of April, a rule Forest have complied with.

With Marinakis stepping back, Forest’s co-owner Sokratis Kominakis returns to the club’s board.

Forest are sixth in the Premier League, level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea, who occupy the final Champions League qualification spot. Forest have a game in hand over Chelsea.

Olympiakos are top of the Greek top flight and are set to qualify for the Champions League.

Manchester City and Girona, who are both owned by City Football Group, were cleared to compete in this season’s Champions League after changes to its control arrangements at the Spanish club.’

Now I have nothing against Nottingham Forest and indeed plenty of sympathy for them with how PSR has impacted them as they’ve tried to grow and compete.

However, what exactly are rules?

This to me is very much on the same level as how Chelsea sell the hotels they own to themselves, how Chelsea sell their own women’s team to themselves, all seemingly allowed and above board when it comes to Profit and Sustainability ‘Rules’…and staying on the right side of them.

I find it hilarious that in their report above, BBC Sport say that with regard to which clubs are allowed to play in the same European competition UEFA ‘…has strict rules regarding multi-club ownership models.’

Only to then later state in this same report that; ‘While Marinakis has placed his shares in a blind trust, a Forest source confirmed to the BBC that he remains the club’s owner and is still committed to the club.’

How can both things be possible at the same time?

BBC Sport saying there are ‘strict rules’ stopping clubs under the same ownership competing in the same UEFA competition, yet Marinakis WILL be allowed to do so with Olympiakos and Nottingham Forest. With the report stating that whilst the paperwork has been tweaked and the use of a ‘blind trust’, Marinakis will still be the owner of both clubs.

As I say, this isn’t an anti-Forest thing, more a case of whether it is UEFA or the Premier League, there are so many ways that clubs can ‘bend’ the rules, it makes things a shambles.

How on earth Manchester City and Girona were allowed to both compete in this season’s Champions League, simply laughable.

For me, the whole multi-club ownership model shouldn’t be allowed. It brings clear conflicts of interest and the number of clubs the City Group (owners of Man City) have major interests in is beyond the pale, I think 13 clubs at the last count.

I have no idea if any major clubs have ever not been allowed to compete in the same UEFA competition due to ownership issues involving two clubs.

Certainly these days it appears those who own Premier League clubs have no issues it appears.

Last season, despite Tony Bloom having ownership/major stakes in Brighton and Belgian club Union St Gilloise, both were allowed to compete in the Europa League. The Belgian club stated that they had made certain changes to their ownership structure once Brighton qualified as well, so that the ‘strict UEFA rules’ weren’t broken…