The scramble for European qualification this season has played out as much in legal teams and boardrooms as on the pitch. UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership (MCO) are designed to stop two clubs with overlapping control from competing in the same continental competition, and with the governing body insisting on stricter compliance deadlines this year, several English clubs have been rushing to rework structures and governance.
How the rules work
UEFA tests for conflicts in two ways: quantitative thresholds (commonly a 30% shareholding or voting stake) and a broader “decisive influence” assessment — whether the same people (directors, staff or others) can materially affect decisions at more than one club. If the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) finds a breach, it can block or reassign a place in European competitions. If two linked clubs would otherwise qualify, priority for any retained spot is given first to the club in the higher-ranked competition, then by domestic league finish, then by UEFA coefficient.
A key procedural change this season was moving the compliance cut-off to 1 March. After allowing late technical fixes in earlier years, UEFA has tightened the schedule; a
