For the first time in its history, Girona managed to qualify for the Champions League. However, its presence in the competition in September is not yet assured. The Catalan club, owned by the City Football Group (just like Manchester City, ES Troyes AC or Palermo FC), cannot participate in the same competition as another member of the group according to UEFA rules. However, Manchester City is also qualified for the C1, which poses a problem. According to A.S.the Girona team must absolutely separate from the shares of the City Group so that they represent less than 30%.
A second legal possibility consists of carrying out a blind trust, that is to say transferring the shares into a trust fund without review, under the control of UEFA. This is the method used this season by RedBird Capital (owner of Toulouse and AC Milan). Girona and Manchester City will not have to exchange players (loan or purchase) until September 2025. The Catalan club will also have to separate from the managers it has in common with the English club. If the City Football Group does not obtain approval from UEFA on compliance with the rules, one of its two teams, Girona or Manchester City, could be excluded from the Champions League and be transferred to the Europa League.
