While the OGC Nice dreams of living a Historical Champions League campaign, a danger hangs over the Allianz Riviera. As the drawing club is approaching, the Riviera club is found in the turmoil of a regulatory imbroglio: rule 5 bis of the UEFA regulation, rarely mentioned but formidable, prohibited for two clubs under the control of the same entity to participate in the same European competition, and imposes the absence of “decisive influence” even if they evolve in different competitions on July 1. The cleaver could fall from the first week of July and Nice knows it: nothing has yet guaranteed.
The stake is all the more acute since, for the second consecutive year, Nice and Manchester United – two clubs now linked by the industrial mastodon Ineos – are qualified in Europe, this time in two separate competitions: Nice in the Champions League, United in the Europa League. In 2024, the UEFA had accepted a temporary assembly of “Blind Trust”: Jim Ratcliffe, boss of Ineos, had formally withdrawn from Nice governance and any transaction between the two clubs had been frozen. But in 2025, the file returned to the carpet: the European body announced the revision of licenses, and Nice could lose its place in the most prestigious of competitions if the capital and operational separation has not been demonstrated.
UEFA puts Nice under pressure, the Champions League in a stay
“Two clubs controlled by the same entity cannot compete in the same competition; If they evolve in different competitions, the body may require the absence of “decisive influence” on July 1. »»
Behind the scenes, several scenarios are emerging for ineos. First option: renew the Trust blind by completely withdrawing from the Nice direction, which would satisfy UEFA. Second track, mentioned by The Guardiana partial sale (≤30%) to an Azerbaijani investment fund, the Baku Fund. But if no concrete measure is taken, the sanction would be radical: Nice demoted to the Europa League, United sent to a league conference. A precedent has already struck Manchester City and Girona last year.
This blur weighs heavily on the gym transfer window. Nice must choose between € 22 million fixed from the C1 and barely € 4 million in the C3. Worse, the club risks losing Todibo (income from a loan from West Ham), its star defender, who has a release clause in the event of absence in the Champions League. The wait -and -see also blocks discussions with potential recruits, waiting to see more clearly before committing to the French Riviera.
