Crystal Palace’s appeal against UEFA’s decision to demote them from the Europa League to the Conference League has been turned down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The Eagles had secured their first season of European football by defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final back in May, but complications arose after Lyon managed to qualify late for the Europa League. Both clubs share ownership interests, with American businessman John Textor initially holding a 43% stake in the club before selling it to Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets.
UEFA concluded that having both teams compete in the same tournament would violate their multi-club ownership regulations, prioritizing Lyon as they qualified through their league position. Palace contested this conclusion, arguing that Textor’s involvement was not significant since he had sold his stake and claimed that the timing of the communication regarding the matter was inappropriate, particularly as they were engaged in the FA Cup at that time. They also pointed out the inaccuracy of notifications sent to a wrong email, asserting there was an additional deadline of May 31 for establishing a blind trust.
Nevertheless, CAS upheld UEFA’s decision, confirming that Palace did not receive unfair treatment compared to others involved in the matter. They stated that the UEFA regulations were unequivocal regarding non-compliance at the assessment date, and Textor’s influence over both clubs was acknowledged.
Palace now faces a playoff against the losers of the Europa League qualifier between Norway’s Fredrikstad and Danish team Midtjylland to secure a spot in the Conference League group stage. If Nottingham Forest’s qualification is confirmed by UEFA, it would mean Forest stepping into Palace’s position in the Europa League group phase.
After his team’s victory in the Community Shield against Liverpool, Palace chairman Steve Parish expressed optimism that the appeal would succeed, noting that further steps would be considered if the appeal was unsuccessful.
