Why Manchester United Could Be Relegated to the Europa Conference League Despite Winning the FA Cup

• Manchester United could be barred from participating in the Europa League
• The Red Devils booked a spot in the tournament after they won the FA Cup
• Ten Hag's men finished eighth in the Premier League table with 60 points

Manchester United are facing the prospect of being relegated to the Europa Conference League despite winning the FA Cup.

The Red Devils endured an underwhelming campaign during the just concluded 2023/24 Premier League season.

Erik ten Hag led his charges to an eighth-place finish after winning just 18 games of the 38 games they played.

The poor finish meant they were in danger of missing out on European football, with Chelsea and Newcastle United qualifying ahead of them.

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However, United eventually secured their spot on Saturday, May 25, sneaking through after winning the FA Cup.

Goals from Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho earned the Old Trafford dwellers a vital win against rivals Manchester City.

According to Sky Sports, the victory secured the Manchester club a spot in the Europa League at the expense of Chelsea.

Man United could be relegated to Conference League

However, it has now emerged that the Red Devils could yet again be relegated to the Europa Conference League.

According to GiveMeSport, this scenario could be occasioned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe's links with French side Nice.

The British billionaire completed the purchase of Nice back in 2019.

Like United, the club qualified for the Europa League after finishing fifth in the French top flight.

UEFA's multi-club ownership guidelines dictate that two clubs with the same owners cannot participate in the same competition unless certain conditions are adhered to.

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But as it stands, Ratcliffe would need not to increase his stake in United's ownership to more than 30 per cent.

Such a scenario would compel the INEOS boss to prove he does not share any joint management of both clubs.

However, if this condition is not met, one of the two clubs could be forced to drop to the third-tier European competition.

Atalanta ace wins Europa Goal of the Season

Earlier, Sports Brief also reported on Nigeria forward, Ademola Lookman, winning the Europa League Goal of the Season after leading Atalanta to success in the competition.

The 26-year-old scored a hat-trick in the final against Bayer Leverkusen as the Italians won their first European silverware and ended Bayer Leverkusen's 51-game unbeaten run.