Crystal Palace slam UEFA over Europa League demotion
Crystal Palace have blasted UEFA’s decision to demote them from the Europa League to the Conference League, claiming it proves that “sporting merit is rendered meaningless” after losing their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The Eagles had earned a Europa League spot by winning last season’s FA Cup but were sanctioned by UEFA for breaching multi-club ownership regulations.
CAS upheld the ruling on Monday, siding with European football’s governing body.
In a strongly worded statement, Palace said it was “almost impossible to receive a fair hearing,” adding, “The decision by Uefa and followed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport shows that sporting merit is rendered meaningless. It appears that certain clubs, organisations and individuals have a unique privilege and power.
“This growing and unhealthy influence has shattered the hopes and dreams of Crystal Palace supporters, and does not bode well for aspirational teams all over Europe competing to progress when rules and sanctions are unevenly applied in the most flagrant way.”
The club confirmed they will “continue to take legal advice on the next steps” while preparing for the Conference League campaign.
Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in last season’s Premier League, have been promoted to the Europa League in Palace’s place.
“Multi-club structures hide behind the charade of a ‘blind trust’ while clubs such as ours, who have no connection to another club whatsoever, are prevented from playing in the same competition,” Palace continued. “To compound the injustice, clubs that appear to have huge informal arrangements with each other are also allowed to participate and even possibly play against each other.”
Palace were given until 1 March 2025 to prove they had restructured ownership to comply with UEFA rules but missed the deadline.
At the time of UEFA’s assessment, American businessman John Textor had sold his 43% stake in the club but was still found to have “decisive influence” over both Palace and Lyon, the latter also qualifying for the Europa League.
The CAS panel also rejected Palace’s claims that they were treated unfairly compared to Nottingham Forest and Lyon.
UEFA’s strict approach to multi-club ownership has precedent, with Irish side Drogheda also expelled from the 2025-26 Conference League after US-based Trivela Group’s ownership of both Drogheda and Danish side Silkeborg, who also qualified for the tournament.
“Uefa’s decision has wider implications for the governance of the sport,” Palace warned. “This should be a turning point for football. Uefa must fulfil its mandate to pass coherent rules which are properly communicated and applied, with reasonable cure periods to resolve uncertainty and consistent sanctions, treating all clubs equally with a proper appeal process.
“The European Court of Justice has made it clear that rulings similar to this will be under greater scrutiny from national courts in future. Only then will fairness and due process be granted to every team.”
Palace will now face either Fredrikstad of Norway or Denmark’s Midtjylland in the Conference League play-off round later in August.
