Girona’s impressive form has been one of the main talking points at the start of the 2023/24 La Liga season.
The team from north-east Catalonia stormed Spain’s top flight in the opening weeks of the campaign, holding on for the early title alongside Real Madrid and neighbors Barcelona.
Despite only playing in his fourth campaign in La Liga, Michel’s side look set to at least push for a place in European qualification in the coming months, which would be a club first at the Estadi Montilivi.
Who owns Girona FC?
Girona is part-owned by City Football Group (CFG), which is part of the “global football interests” investment portfolio of Manchester City owners Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG).
ADUG created the CFG in 2014 to manage and oversee investment and development projects in a list of clubs under their control worldwide.
In the example of Girona, CFG bought a 44.3% stake – which has since increased to 47% – in the club in 2017, with other key stakeholders led by Pep Guardiola’s brother Pero, as part of the Girona Football Group.
The arrangement between the two clubs, under joint ownership by CFG, covers a number of “shared assets”, including player loans and financial support.
Can Girona play in the Champions League?
A big question surrounding Girona’s continued rise centers on a potential conflict of interest in relation to UEFA’s rules on club ownership and specifically the restrictions on participation in the same tournaments.
There are currently no domestic crossovers between CFG clubs, with 13 different leagues featuring a club owned or partnered with the group.
However, the details of ownership are a crucial factor, with CFG retaining a non-majority (less than 50%) stake in Girona, which is not a point of contention for UEFA.
Girona applied for a UEFA license to take part in European club competitions at the end of last season – as they narrowly missed out on a UEFA Europa Conference League qualification spot – and the governing body granted them the go-ahead.
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