Fri 23 February 2024 6:55, UK

Former Everton chief Keith Wyness has insisted Uefa must stick to their guns and deny Man City owners City Football Group multi-club admission into the Champions League.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old - who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs - suggested City could miss out on Champions League football if La Liga outfit Girona also qualify for the competition.

Girona currently sit second in the Spanish top tier and could become the first City Football Group club outside of England to qualify for Europe's premier competition.

The multi-club organisation have recently become affiliated with Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir - but the agreement for is a 'football collaboration' rather than a takeover.

Girona development could block Man City entering Champions League, says expert CFG own 12 clubs and have partnerships with four more - with treble-winning Man City still the jewel in the crown of the Abu Dhabi-backed outfit.

Wyness told Football Insider's Insider Track podcast: "I've got no real problem with multi-club ownership.

"It can help grow the game in certain ways, I'm not negative towards it.

"But I think the rules have got to be strengthened. There's a case that if Girona won La Liga, which is still a possibility, then Man City could be denied Champions League participation.

"Provided those rules about clubs playing against each other from the same group stay in place, then I've got no real problem with it.

"The idea of having clubs from Australia, South America - the global aspect of that will certainly help grow the game.

"I've been reading up on the rules and coefficients and it is a real possibility that Girona could be the club to play Champions League football from the City Football Group.

"Red Bull obviously got around the ownership situation to get two sides in, but I don't think Man City could do the same.

"It's now up to UEFA to take a stand and deny CFG. Multi-club groups have got to be careful about who they buy.

"It's an unintended consequence of success, but we've got to guard against clubs of the same ownership playing each other."

In other news, Guardiola privately names the only Man United star good enough to play for Man City.