Manchester City and Girona appear set to take their positions in next season’s UEFA Champions League. Both clubs have earned their places in next season’s competition. Pep Guardiola’s side earned their place off the back of winning their fourth consecutive Premier League title this season. Girona earned their place in the competition with a third-place finish in La Liga this season.
A new report from Martyn Ziegler for the Times indicates that UEFA are set to issue a ruling on multi-club ownership which affects Manchester City and Girona later today. Ziegler reports that UEFA’s Club Financial Control Board is set to approve Manchester City and Girona places in the next season’s Champions League. Furthermore, Ziegler reports that UEFA’s approval will be subject to certain conditions. Lastly, Ziegler reports that UEFA is expected to determine that Girona be operated via a “blind trust” model with a panel approved by UEFA. That model was used this season with AC Milan and Toulouse who share an American investor in Red Bird Capital.
Uefa set to allow Manchester clubs to play alongside sister teams in Europehttps://t.co/8FBrModMO6
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) June 2, 2024
UEFA’s reported ruling is good news for Manchester City, Girona and the City Football Group. Girona’s rise this season has been a pleasant surprise and shows they the CFG model is beginning to expand their success. They have led Manchester City to an era of dominance. Girona have begun to establish themselves in La Liga. If Girona continue its rise in Spain it could potentially position itself as one of the stronger clubs in La Liga outside of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. With sound ownership, the potential is there for Girona to continue their rise as a club.
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While the CFG model has its detractors it is beginning to become a pathway to the Manchester City first-team. Brazilian winger Savio is potentially the first player to graduate through the CFG ranks to the world champions. Fabrizio Romano has previously reported that Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign Savio this summer. Savio has progressed from Troyes to Girona and his strong form this season has seemingly earned him a move to Manchester City. With the La Liga club set to play in the Champions League a similar pathway to the one walked by Savio could become commonplace going forward.
Having two clubs participating in the Champions League is a feather in the cap for the CFG. It shows that their model is on the right track as it continues to grow their name in world football. Going forward it will be interesting to see if Girona can become a regular participant in the Champions League as they continue to grow as a club under the ownership of the City Football Group. UEFA’s impending ruling appears to be good news for the CFG, Manchester City and Girona heading into next season.
