The little-known UEFA rule which decides if Nicolas Jackson can play against Chelsea in Champions League
Chelsea and Bayern Munich supporters across the globe will all be wondering whether Nicolas Jackson is eligible to face his parent club when the two sides face off in the Champions League next week.
Nicolas Jackson always looked set to leave Chelsea this summer after the likes of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro joined the club to bolster Enzo Maresca’s attacking options.
Former scout Mick Brown told Football Insider during the window that Chelsea were ready to accept offers for Jackson ahead of the new season, and Football Insider revealed before the transfer deadline that Bayern Munich had opened talks to sign Jackson on loan following previous interest from Aston Villa.
Chelsea tried to cancel Jackson’s move to Bayern late on following Liam Delap’s hamstring injury against Fulham, but he did eventually seal the switch to the German giants on an initial season-long loan with an obligation-to-buy for £70million [Sky Sports].
His new teammates will face off against his old ones next Wednesday (17 September) as Bayern welcome the Blues in the Champions League, but questions have been raised over whether he will be able to play as well.
UEFA rule permits Nicolas Jackson to play against Chelsea in Europe
Jackson can play against Chelsea for Bayern, as according to UEFA‘s ‘Statement on Integrity of Competitions’, clubs playing in their three competitions cannot insert clauses that prevent their own players from facing them in European games.
They particularly state that no club can “be involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition” or “have any power whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition.”
The Senegal international could, then, join a list of players who have netted against their parent clubs in the Champions League in years gone by, with notable examples such as Philippe Coutinho scoring against Barcelona for Bayern in 2020, as well as Kingsley Coman against Juventus for the German giants in 2016.
Jackson hoping to make Champions League debut
If Jackson does score it would be his first ever goal in the Champions League, as he has not actually played in the competition yet during his time at Stamford Bridge or Villarreal before that.
His only experience in European games has been UEFA’s third-tier competition, with 10 Conference League appearances for Villarreal in 2022/23 and another three last season under Maresca as Chelsea won the tournament.
| Appearances | 14 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 0 |
Bayern chief Uli Hoeness recently revealed that Jackson has to start 40 games this season to sign permanently for the club next summer, but that figure seems unlikely to be worked towards against Chelsea given his lack of time in training with his new teammates due to the international break.
He is also competing for places in attack with the prolific Harry Kane, who has scored 40 goals and notched 11 assists in 57 Champions League games, and so the Englishman will surely be picked to start next week against some of his compatriots at the Allianz Arena.