Crystal Palace will compete in the UEFA Conference League this season after losing their appeal against demotion from the Europa League.
The reigning FA Cup champions have hit out at the decision, and UEFA, and said the “rules and sanctions are unevenly applied in the most flagrant way” and the decision means “sporting merit is rendered meaningless.”
Palace took their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after UEFA had demoted them from the Europa League to the Conference League due to not following rules regarding multi-club ownership.
After winning the FA Cup last season Palace secured a Europa League spot, the first time they have qualified for the competition, but due to breaking laws regarding multi-club ownership they were demoted to the Conference League.
What has happened?
Palace appealed UEFA’s decision to CAS but after the hearing in Switzerland, UEFA’s decision stands.
This whole matter hinged on a UEFA deadline of March 1, 2025 for any club to show UEFA that they had restructured multi-club ownership.
Palace, who were co-owned by American John Textor who also owns Lyon who had also qualified for the Europa League for this season, missed that deadline of March 1. Textor has since sold his shares in Crystal Palace in late July to fellow American Woody Johnson.
It is expected that Nottingham Forest will now take Crystal Palace’s place in the Europa League for the upcoming season.
Crystal Palace statement on decision
“At a time when we should be celebrating our victory in the Community Shield at Wembley, the decision by UEFA and followed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport shows that sporting merit is rendered meaningless.
“When we won the FA Cup against Manchester City on that momentous day in May, our manager and players earned the right to play Europa League football. We have been denied that opportunity. 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. 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.
“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. While we respect the CAS tribunal members, the process is designed to severely restrict and, in our case, make it almost impossible to receive a fair hearing. The denial of all disclosure requests to obtain correspondence between the relevant parties, the refusal to allow witness testimony from those involved, and the general lack of formality and respect for law mean decisions cannot be properly challenged, leading to pre-determined outcomes.
“UEFA’s decision has wider implications for the governance of the sport. A combination of poorly conceived regulations and their unequal application means our brilliant fans will be deprived of the chance to watch this team compete in the Europa League for the first time in our history.
“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. Although we continue to take legal advice on the next steps, we will compete in the Conference League with the same determination and will to win that characterises this incredible club.”
CAS statement on Crystal Palace
“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal by Crystal Palace FC (CPFC) against UEFA, Nottingham Forest FC and Olympique Lyonnais (OL) concerning a decision by UEFA to remove CPFC from the UEFA Europa League 2025/2026 due to a breach of UEFA multi club ownership regulations.
“As a result, CPFC will be admitted to compete in the UEFA Conference League 2025/2026. The appeal sought to annul the decision by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on July 11 2025 which found CPFC and OL non-compliant with multi club ownership regulations.
“Alongside the annulment of the decision, CPFC requested readmission to the UEFA Europa League with Nottingham Forest or OL’s admission rejected.
“After considering the evidence, the Panel found that John Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, had shares in CPFC and OL and was a Board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA’s assessment date.
“The Panel also dismissed the argument by CPFC that they received unfair treatment in comparison to Nottingham Forest and OL. The Panel considered that the UEFA Regulations are clear and do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date, as CPFC claimed.
“This was an expedited procedure, with an operative decision rendered two and a half weeks after the appeal, filed on July 21 2025. Unless Parties request confidentiality, a full Award (with grounds) will be made available on the CAS website in due course.”
