Ineos-owned Nice survive relegation, securing £18.2m and sparing Ratcliffe a costly blow

OGC Nice secured their Ligue 1 survival on Thursday, beating St. Etienne 4-1 on aggregate in a relegation playoff to spare Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos group a damaging financial and reputational blow. The result earns the French club £18.2m in prize money that would have been lost had they dropped to Ligue 2.

The tie had been delicately balanced after a goalless first leg in St. Etienne. In the second leg, Jonathan Clauss broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute, only for Zuriko Davitashvili to equalise from the penalty spot in the 79th minute, setting up a nervy finale. Kail Boudache restored Nice’s lead just two minutes later, and Elye Wahi then scored twice late on to seal a comfortable aggregate victory.

Nice had finished 16th in the regular Ligue 1 season — their lowest placing since 2014/15 — and the campaign has done little to ease tensions between supporters and Ineos. The ownership group has faced sustained protests throughout the season, including pitch invasions, supporter boycotts, and an incident in 2025 in which ultras stormed the club’s training ground.

The contrast with events at Old Trafford is stark. Manchester United finished the Premier League season in a position that secured Champions League football under manager Michael Carrick, who took charge following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal. Carrick acknowledged after the final game of the season that significant work remains ahead. “As a football club, you want to keep moving forward,” he said. “There’s obviously work to do. It’s quite obvious, with certain players leaving, there’s a bit of work to do.”

United are reportedly closing in on their first summer signing, with Brazilian midfielder Ederson set to join from Serie A club Atalanta — a move Carrick has framed as the beginning of a push to strengthen the squad ahead of their return to European football’s top tier.