Champions League: RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg both allowed to compete

RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg can both play in the Champions League next season, Uefa has confirmed.

Both clubs are associated with the energy-drink maker Red Bull and Uefa prohibits clubs with strong links from playing in Europe in the same season.

But Uefa ruled "no individual or legal entity had a decisive influence over more than one club".

Bundesliga runners-up RB Leipzig and Austrian champions Salzburg both qualified for the 2017-18 competition.

Leipzig were founded in 2009 with backing from the company and won four promotions in seven seasons, before finishing second in their first ever top-flight season.

Red Bull bought Austria Salzburg in 2005, renaming it, but following a restructuring it no longer has a controlling stake and merely sponsors the club.

Uefa does not allow any two clubs competing in European competition to share the same owner.

In cases where that happens, priority is given to a team who are champions of their country, meaning that Leipzig would have missed out.

But Uefa's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) found there was no breach of Article 5 concerning the integrity of the competition.

The decision may be appealed against to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 10 days.

What do the Uefa rules say?

Uefa Article 5 - Integrity of the competition

5.01 To ensure the integrity of the Uefa club competitions, the following criteria apply:

a. no club participating in a Uefa club competition may, either directly or indirectly:

i. hold or deal in the securities or shares of any other club participating in a Uefa club competition,

ii. be a member of any other club participating in a Uefa club competition,

iii. 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

iv. have any power whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club participating in a Uefa club competition;

b. no-one may simultaneously be involved, either directly or indirectly, in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition;

c. no individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition, such control or influence being defined in this context as:

i. holding a majority of the shareholders' voting rights;

ii. having the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of the club;

iii. being a shareholder and alone controlling a majority of the shareholders' voting rights pursuant to an agreement entered into with other shareholders of the club; or

iv. being able to exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making of the club.