Aston Villa will likely be stunned after hearing about the latest developments from the world of multi-club ownership.
The multi-club model is very much in vogue, with clubs looking to mimic the success of Man City’s City Football Group and the Red Bull network.
But Villa owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris have been ahead of the curve in this department for some time.
Villa were their first acquisition in 2018 but they have since invested in Portuguese side Vitoria, as well as establishing links with Egpyt’s ZED FC, Japanese side Vissel Kobe and Spanish second-tier club Real Union.
However, they would have had even more of a footing in Vitoria had it not been for a UEFA edict which forced them to reduce their stake from 46 to 29 per cent.
With that in mind, the latest news regarding Man United and Man City’s multi-club networks will sting.
Man United and Man City decision makes mockery of UEFA rules
As reported by The Times, UEFA will allow Man United to compete in the Europa League alongside Nice, while Man City will be able to play in the Champions League as well as Girona.
That is despite the two pairs of clubs falling within the same ownership umbrella.
Significantly, in showing leniency, both multi-club structures will benefit to the tune of – at the very least – £30m in 2024-5.
It is believed that this will be a one-season measure with both United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and City Football Group expected to find more permanent solutions going forward.
But regardless, Villa’s owners will be furious that UEFA effectively forced them to sell a sizable stake in Vitoria, who qualified for the Europa Conference League at the same time as Villa ahead of 2023-24.
Edens and Sawiris have now reduced their input in Vitoria and have had to convince UEFA that there is sufficient corporate separation between the Portuguese club to satisfy their rules on dual ownership.
In doing so, their multi-club masterplan has been forced to change course while United and City have a year to find a workaround.
Football finance analysis: What next for Sawiris’ and Edens’ multi-club empire?
The latest developments from UEFA may go some way to explaining Edens and Sawiris’ seemingly disdainful attitude to European’s football’s orthodoxy.
Last year, the pair enrolled Villa into the Union of European Clubs, which is a direct rival for the European Club Association, the representative body for clubs at continental level.
The new group wants to get a fairer deal for clubs outside the established elite.
Among their aims is the addressing UEFA’s 10-year coefficient payment system, which greatly favours the already mega-rich.
Villa are trying to smash the glass ceiling that has been built by structures like the coefficient system, and one way they were hoping to do that was through multi-club ownership.
Given that it appears that this model now looks unworkable in Europe as UEFA will – eventually – clamp down on it for all clubs, Edens and Sawiris may be forced to set their sights elsewhere.
They already have outposts beyond Europe’s borders in Vissel Kobe and ZED FC, and they have been linked with an MLS franchise in the past.
But it looks like V Sports’ immediate next takeover could come in Brazil, with Edens and Sawiris actively exploring the acquisition of historic side Vasco da Gama.