Crystal Palace Confident in Appeal Against Europa League Demotion – Oliver Glasner

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner remains optimistic about the club’s chances of overturning their demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League, Sport360NG reports.

The Eagles were sanctioned by UEFA after breaching rules on multi-club ownership. American businessman John Textor, who holds a stake in Palace, is also the majority owner of French club Lyon, which has also qualified for the Europa League.

Palace lodged an appeal in July with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), challenging UEFA’s decision, which also involves Lyon and Nottingham Forest. Should the appeal fail, Forest, who finished seventh in last season’s Premier League, would take Palace’s spot in the Europa League as the FA Cup winners.

The appeal hearing began on Friday, with a ruling anticipated by Monday.

Glasner expressed confidence ahead of Sunday’s Community Shield clash with Liverpool: “I remain positive. I can’t see any reason why we should be demoted or why we should remain in the Conference League. I trust the club’s leadership and the decisions they make daily.”

UEFA regulations prohibit clubs with shared ownership or significant influence under the same individual or entity from competing in the same European tournament. Clubs had until March 1, 2025, to demonstrate compliance with these rules, Palace missed this deadline.

The club argues that Textor does not exert decisive influence over Palace, but UEFA rejected this claim.

In a recent interview on The Rest is Football podcast, Palace chairman Steve Parish voiced strong hope that the decision would be reversed.

In their appeal, Palace is seeking the annulment of UEFA’s ruling by the financial control body and reinstatement in the Europa League, taking the place of either Forest or Lyon.

Meanwhile, Palace’s current fixture is the Conference League play-off round against either Norway’s Fredrikstad or Denmark’s Midtjylland later this month, with the Europa League group stage commencing on September 24.

‘A Matter of Common Sense?’

The situation is baffling for Palace owner Steve Parish, and supporters share his frustration.

For those closely tied to the club, it feels unjust that Palace’s Europa League berth, earned through last season’s FA Cup victory, has been stripped due to UEFA regulations.

Parish led the club’s legal challenge at the CAS hearing on Friday, hopeful Palace will be reinstated in European football’s second-tier competition.

Palace’s appeal partly rests on the argument that Nottingham Forest was given additional time to comply with the same ownership rules, a leniency Palace did not receive.

The club believes common sense should prevail and allow their return to the Europa League.

However, as Parish acknowledges, football governance does not always align with common sense, an outcome that remains his chief concern.