(Credit: Manh Tung, Football Insider)

Ciaran Morrison

Sun 10 May 2026 8:00, UK

Follow us on Google Discover

Brighton and Hearts could both face a problem with UEFA’s multi-club rules in Europe next season.

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking to Football Insider, as Bloom has significant investments in both clubs, as well as Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise.

UEFA rules prohibit an individual holding decisive influence or control of two clubs in the same European competition.

Hearts and Union Saint-Gilloise are currently both set to compete in Champions League qualifiers, which means they could drop down into either the Europa League or Europa Conference League.

Brighton are fighting to earn a place in the Europa League or Conference League through the Premier League table, where they sit just a point behind the final European spot with three games to go.

Tony Bloom faces ‘difficult’ situation at Brighton and Hearts

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – states that Bloom is “heavily involved” in football at both Brighton and Hearts, and could run into issues.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks Bloom will have to be “very clever” to manoeuvre around UEFA’s rules.

He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I haven’t heard what they’re going to try and put in place or what they have put in place, but certainly it could be an issue.

“This is where the Jamestown connection, while it works very well, does give us the multi-club ownership issues as we go forward, because they’re very heavily involved in football. Whereas other owners who don’t have that link on the analytics side and the data side can put things into a trust, or they can change owners, structures or at least not be involved in the football side.

“But with this extra link and layer of involvement it’s difficult because that’s the attraction of Tony Bloom in many ways as an investor, and they’re very selective, and quite rightly so, as to which clubs they go with.

“They’re going to have to think cleverly around how they get through the whole UEFA multi-club situation, and I do think there are some question marks there.”

Brighton line up move for Hearts star

Bloom could have a pivotal part to play in the future of Hearts forward Claudio Braga, who will be of interest to many clubs this summer.

Wyness told Football Insider that Bloom could bring Braga to Brighton, and in doing so ensure the 26-year-old does not join either Celtic or Rangers.

It is believed Hearts would want in the region of £5million to let Braga leave Tynecastle after only one season.

Braga has scored 14 goals in 35 Scottish Premiership appearances this season, and Brighton could give him his chance to step up to the Premier League.