Hammers would not face UEFA sanctions

Suggestions by Essex Radio that West Ham could be banned from UEFA competitions or face sanctions if Daniel Kretinsky invested in the club are unfounded.

UEFA integrity rules ban common ownership of two clubs where a shareholder has overall control.

While the Premier League set the bar for significant control at 30% UEFA set the bar higher at 50.1% of available shares or voting rights.

The 46-year-old entrepreneur billionaire owns 40% of Sparta Prague and that has not changed since 2004 so unlikely to change anytime soon.

He is rumoured to be looking at buying a 27% stake in West Ham for around £150m but that would not trigger the Premier League fit and proper threshold or the UEFA majority ownership test.

Unless he eventually increased his ownership of both clubs to 50.1% or above he would break no UFEA regulations.

In 2017 UEFA considered whether RB Leipzig and FC Red Bull Salzburg would both be permitted to participate in the UEFA Champions League 2017/2018 season.

Both clubs qualified from their respective leagues on merit but, given that both clubs are in one way or another funded by Red Bull, questions had arisen as to whether UEFA’s rule against common-ownership would mean that both clubs would be prevented from competing in the UEFA Champions League at the same time.

After a month-long investigation by UEFA and changes made by both clubs, UEFA is satisfied that both clubs can compete in European competitions.