As Manchester United deals with a number of off-field problems, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has chastised Premier League officials. The enormous challenge facing United, who will begin their first full season under Ratcliffe’s co-ownership, will be balancing the pay slip given the limitations placed on them by the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). He claims that because of Premier League rules, Manchester United has hired more individuals for non-football-related jobs than for on-field duties.
Ratcliffe remarked in an interview, “At Manchester United, we’ve got more accountants than athletes.” “If you don’t exercise caution, the Premier League will ultimately find itself spending more time in court than considering what’s best for the league.”
All parties’ members of parliament have demanded the creation of a football regulator, and clubs who violate Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations face sanctions. Champions Manchester City began an offensive against the legitimacy of the Premier League’s Associated Party Transactions rules, which are meant to stop teams from entering into overpriced sponsorship agreements with businesses connected to their owners.
If United and City spend more during the summer transfer window than they are currently losing, they risk being subject to PSR and FFP sanctions. Due to an unidentified law, the club is also prohibited from registering players by UEFA, the organization that oversees European football.
According to UEFA regulations, “No individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition,” which is defined as: “Being able to exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making of the club.”
This clause prevents Manchester United from signing Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo because the two teams share the same ownership group and are therefore ineligible to sign players. There will be additional limitations on the club’s purchases in the European market as United and Nice will both be participating in the Europa League.
