UEFA’s head of women’s football, Nadine Kessler, has said clubs operating under the same ownership structure will not be permitted to compete in the Women’s Champions League, with UEFA determined to preserve “sporting integrity.”
The ruling could present a significant challenge for Michele Kang, whose club OL Lyonnes, eight-time winners of the competition, face Barcelona in Saturday’s final.
Kang’s broader ambitions also include establishing London City Lionesses among the top sides in England after acquiring the club in 2024 and guiding them to promotion to the Women’s Super League (WSL) in 2025.
A top-three WSL finish would bring Champions League qualification into play. London City finished sixth this season — 22 points off Chelsea in third.
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However, Kessler has made it clear that UEFA would not bend its regulations to accommodate the growing trend of multi-club ownership in women’s football.
“Why would we want to preserve the sporting integrity of men’s football, but not of women’s football? It’s out of the question. In any sport you want to preserve sporting integrity, that’s the most important thing,” Kessler told media on Wednesday.
UEFA recently reinforced the same principle in the men’s game, demoting Crystal Palace to the Conference League after co-owner John Textor held stakes in two qualifying clubs, Palace and Lyon.
Multi-club ownership has become increasingly common in women’s football. In addition to Lyonnes and London City, Kang also owns Washington Spirit in the NWSL.
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Crux Sports owns both Swedish side FC Rosengard and French team Montpellier, while Mercury13 controls Como Women from Serie A, Spanish team Badalona Women and WSL 2 side Bristol City.
Meanwhile, Bay Collective, owners of Bay FC, have agreed to purchase an 80% stake in Sunderland Women, pending approval.
“We are aware, we are monitoring the situation,” Kessler added.
“There is the evolution of multi-club owners and women’s football and they obviously invest a lot into the game, which is also important, but at the same time, when it comes to playing in one football competition there will be no different approach or no exceptions.”
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Article 5 of UEFA Women’s Champions League regulations states that no individual or entity can “be involved in any capacity whatsoever,” or have “any power whatsoever” over the “management, administration and/or sporting performance” of more than one participating club.
The rules also prohibit anyone from “being able to exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making” of multiple clubs, including through majority ownership or the power to appoint or remove key decision-makers.
Sources previously told ESPN that London City had been exploring potential solutions that would allow the club to compete in the Champions League should they qualify while Lyonnes — who have won every domestic league title since 2007 apart from 2021 — also remain in the competition.
Still, Kessler reiterated that UEFA would not compromise on regulations designed to ensure the competition remains “100% fair.”
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“It is being closely monitored and will be also implemented going forward. We all want more investment into the game,” she said.
“Clearly, we’re all thinking of smart ways of doing this. We all think of smart ways of sharing resources and other things. And I’m sure these owners do a lot too, but in the end, when it comes to what’s happening on the pitch and our job as the competition organisers, of course.
“We have to make sure that everything is 100% fair and that there is not even a perceived breach of integrity when it comes to our competitions.”
