Crystal Palace are appealing UEFA’s decision to demote them from the Europa League to the Conference League. The appeal is being heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland on Friday, with a verdict expected on Monday.
Palace were removed from the Europa League after UEFA ruled they breached multi-club ownership rules. The issue stems from John Textor, who previously held shares in both Palace and Lyon, another Europa League qualifier. UEFA deemed this a conflict under their ownership rules and handed Palace’s Europa League spot to Nottingham Forest, dropping Palace into the third-tier Conference League.
Textor has since sold his shares in Palace to fellow American businessman Woody Johnson, but UEFA still upheld the punishment. Palace argue that this is an injustice and believe they have strong evidence to overturn the decision.
Club chairman Steve Parish, who flew to Lausanne for the hearing, said UEFA’s decision was “one of the greatest injustices in European football.” He claims Palace were unfairly punished under rules that have not been applied consistently. Palace point to similar cases: Manchester City and Girona, and Manchester United and Nice, both played in European competitions last season despite ownership links.
The club also says that it’s run independently, with no shared players, loans, or influence from Lyon. Palace argue they were told by legal advisors that the real deadline to fix ownership issues was 30 April—not the 1 March deadline UEFA cited. Palace claim they were never properly informed by UEFA, while other clubs such as Nottingham Forest received more accurate guidance.
Parish is frustrated that UEFA sent official rule updates to a general club email address rather than to senior staff. He also said Textor couldn’t put his shares into a blind trust by March 1 because he was actively selling his stake at the time.
Manager Oliver Glasner said the team is staying focused but remains confident of a successful outcome. Losing the Europa League place could cost the club up to £20 million in revenue and make it harder to keep key players like Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi. If the appeal fails, Palace would face a two-legged Conference League qualifier against Fredrikstad or Midtjylland later this month.
Parish insists the ruling is based on a technicality that doesn’t apply to Palace. He hopes the CAS will overturn the decision and restore the club’s rightful place in the Europa League, just days before they face Liverpool in the Community Shield at Wembley.
