Crystal Palace have been relegated from the Europa League to the third-tier UEFA Conference League following a breach of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, European football’s governing body announced on Friday.
The ruling by UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) comes amid scrutiny over the ownership structures of Eagle Football Group, the majority shareholders of French side Olympique Lyonnais and also linked to Crystal Palace through their chairman, John Textor, who holds a controlling stake in the London club.
Palace had earned their place in next season’s Europa League by winning the FA Cup, while Lyon secured qualification via their sixth-place finish in Ligue 1. However, both clubs were subject to a CFCB investigation over potential conflicts of interest arising from their ownership ties.
UEFA regulations prohibit two clubs under the same ownership from competing in the same UEFA competition to preserve the integrity of the tournaments. In its statement, UEFA confirmed that both clubs were in breach of these rules as of 1 March 2025.
“The CFCB First Chamber pursued the assessment of the documentation submitted by Olympique Lyonnais and Crystal Palace and concluded that the clubs breached, as at 1 March 2025, the multi-club ownership criteria,” read the statement.
The decision follows an earlier development this week in which Lyon avoided domestic relegation to France’s Ligue 2 due to financial concerns, a ruling that UEFA had awaited before concluding its investigation.
While Olympique Lyonnais will now remain in the Europa League, Palace have been dropped to the UEFA Conference League. The South London club retains the right to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
The case casts a renewed spotlight on multi-club ownership models, which are becoming increasingly common in global football. UEFA has signalled its intent to enforce strict compliance with its rules to prevent any potential conflicts that could compromise the integrity of European competitions.
