Crystal Palace’s European dream lies in tatters, and their anger is boiling after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld UEFA’s decision to strip the FA Cup winners of their Europa League spot over multi-club ownership breaches, demoting them to the third-tier competition. Now, the south London club is assessing legal options, while their August 24 Premier League home clash with Nottingham Forest—who reported Palace to UEFA and have replaced them in the Europa League—promises to be a fiery affair.
Having lifted their first major trophy in 17 years (the FA Cup) on May 17, and added the Community Shield on Sunday, Palace has lost both the prestige and potential £2 million in revenue from European football. Captain Joel Ward said: "It’s sad and frustrating. The Europa League was the cherry on top. Having it taken away is a bitter pill to swallow."
UEFA rules bar clubs with shared ownership or control from competing in the same European competition. Palace was blocked because US investor John Textor still held a 43% stake in the club by the March 1 deadline; his French side Olympique Lyonnais also qualified for the second-tier competition, and as Ligue 1’s sixth-placed team, they took priority over 12th-placed Palace in the Premier League.
Palace insists Textor had no influence over the club—he has since sold his stake to fellow American Woody Johnson—and claims Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis (who controls Olympiacos) was given extra time to place his Forest shares in a blind trust to bypass the rules.
But UEFA, and now CAS, ruled Palace broke the rules. A CAS statement read: "The panel found Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, held shares in both CPFC and OL, and was a board member with decisive influence over both clubs on UEFA’s assessment date." It dismissed Palace’s claim of unfair treatment compared to Forest and Lyon, stating: "UEFA’s rules are clear, with no flexibility for non-compliant clubs on the assessment date."
Former Palace owner Simon Jordan told talkSPORT: "It’s a ridiculous rule, but everyone knew it—and Palace didn’t comply." Co-owner Steve Parish vowed: "I’m determined to get the right result. If not, we’ll look at next steps." Goalkeeper Dean Henderson said at Wembley on Sunday: "On footballing merit, we deserve the Europa League. It devalues the competition if we’re excluded."
Forest had paused transfer plans awaiting the CAS ruling; they bid for 21-year-old Monaco midfielder Soungoutou Magassa (an Olympic silver medalist with France last summer) last night. With Palace sandwiched between two third-tier European play-off legs, their clash with Forest is set to be emotionally charged.
