UEFA has cleared Manchester United and Man City, who may eventually assist Everton. It’s safe to say that many fans are pleased with what they’ve seen from potential Everton owner Dan Friedkin thus far. Supporters are hoping for stability following several years of reckless spending and bizarre decisions made by majority owner Farhad Moshiri, as well as the story of 777 Partners, who were unable to convince the Premier League to sanction their ownership of the team.
There are early indications that Friedkin will supply that. The American is a multibillionaire and a well-known businessman. He has already repaid £158 million in debts to MSP Sports Capital and given Everton additional working capital. The fact that Friedkin already owns AS Roma may have been the lone factor in his selection to receive exclusivity rights over a number other parties.
That is in no way a criticism of the work his company, the Friedkin Group, has done at the Italian corporation since taking over in August 2020. With a considerably improved financial status at Stadio Olimpico and a first-ever European title in the Europa Conference League after the 2021–22 season, Roma supporters appear to be very happy. From an Everton standpoint, the only worry was that anything might go wrong in the future. Every Evertonian hopes and actually believes that European football will happen frequently. Only Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City have won more league titles than the Blues, making them one of the most illustrious teams in England.
Everton was a consistent participant in the UEFA Cup and Europa League under David Moyes. However, supporters haven’t had the opportunity to cross the continent to cheer on their side since 2017–2018. Friedkin’s goal will be to get the Toffees back into the top division of the Premier League. The concern has been that a choice would need to be made if Everton and Roma were competing in the same European competition. Roma is a frequent participant in European competitions; they advanced to the Europa League semifinals the previous year and will return in 2024–25.
With regard to multi-club ownership, UEFA has rigorous rules. “No club participating in a UEFA club competition may, either directly or indirectly: hold or deal in the securities or shares of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition,” according to Article Five of the UEFA rules. Still, it appears that the problem has been fixed. There had been concerns over Girona, owned by City Football Group, and Manchester City’s ability to participate in the 2024–24 Champions League simultaneously. In the meantime, questions were raised regarding INEOS-owned Manchester United and Nice’s eligibility to compete in the Europa League.
However, all four can claim their respective berths, according to confirmation from the Club Financial Control authority (CFCB), the authority that oversees European football. “The CFCB First Chamber accepted the admission of Manchester United FC (ENG) and OGC Nice (FRA) to the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League as well as Girona FC (ESP) and Manchester City FC (ENG) to the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League,” the statement read. The CFCB expressed satisfaction with the “significant changes” implemented at Girona and Nice, which “substantially restrict investors’ influence and decision-making power.” Furthermore, “a blind trust structure established under the supervision of the CFCB First Chamber” has been used to allocate shares to “independent trustees,” and “the trustee is the only entity with effective control and decision-making over these clubs.”
It indicates that UEFA has established a standard for any future cases. Thus, if Friedkin’s Goodison takeover proceeds, there is a workaround in case Everton and Roma encounter difficulties in the future.
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