Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes a drastic decision to avoid Manchester United being kicked out of the Europa League

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has taken a drastic decision to avoid Manchester United being kicked out of the Europa League.

United qualified for the UEFA Europa League by beating neighbors Manchester City in the FA Cup final last month, but their place in the competition is still not guaranteed.

This is because United’s minority owner INEOS – which acquired a 27.7% stake in the club earlier this year – also owns OGC Nice.

The French club also qualified for the Europa League, but UEFA rules prevent clubs with the same owners from playing in the same competitions.

According to the Independent, INEOS boss Ratcliffe decided to solve the problem by selling Nice.

United and Nice are expected to be granted a one-season transition by UEFA, allowing them both to compete in the Europa League.

After that, however, under current ownership conditions, they would not be allowed to compete in the same competition.

Another factor is that Ratcliffe wants to focus on his role at Old Trafford after achieving his lifelong ambition to manage his boyhood club.

This is breaking news from the SPORTbible team and will be updated in due course. In the meantime, please follow us on our various social channels for the latest information on this story. You can find the latest SPORT news on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Stay up to date and follow the latest developments below.

Featured image credit: Getty

Subjects: Manchester United, Europa League, UEFA, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Football, Nice