0:00
UEFA are looking at the relationship
0:01
between Brighton and Hearts with both
0:03
clubs on course to qualify for Europe.
0:05
Tony Bloom is the owner of Brighton and
0:07
he has turned the small seaside town
0:08
club into one of the most well-run teams
0:10
in the country. He also now owns a 29%
0:13
stake in Scottish Premiership side
0:14
Hearts. Hearts have qualified for the
0:16
Champions League playoffs while Brighton
0:18
are on course to qualify for the Europa
0:20
League. UEFA doesn't allow anyone to own
0:22
two clubs in their competitions. Bloom's
0:24
stake in Hearts falls below UEFA's
0:26
permitted ownership threshold of 30% but
0:29
a key UEFA rule states no individual
0:32
can, quote, "exercise by any means a
0:34
decisive influence in the
0:35
decision-making, end quote, of more than
0:37
one club. Brighton are confident they
0:39
will face no issues. Indeed, Bloom
0:41
structured the Hearts investment so that
0:42
he had no voting rights whatsoever.
0:44
UEFA's Club Financial Control Board will
0:46
probe his influence over the Scottish
0:48
side. So, Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos held
0:50
only a 27.7% stake in Manchester United
0:53
when they qualified for Europe alongside
0:54
sister club Nice in 2024 but UEFA still
0:57
imposed special measures to restrict
0:59
influence. In other stories this week,
1:01
tiebreakers puts Liv Golf to shame,
1:03
Titan security at Fulham's Craven
1:05
Cottage, the celebrity who once
1:06
outperformed Maradona at Soccer Aid, and
1:08
the PFA's opposition to wage
1:10
restrictions in League One.
