Crystal Palace Lose Europa League Appeal, Dropped to Conference League

Crystal Palace’s attempt to overturn their removal from the Europa League has failed, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) backing UEFA’s decision to demote them to the Europa Conference League for the 2025/26 campaign, Sport360NG reports.

The verdict confirms Nottingham Forest’s promotion to the Europa League in Palace’s place. The ruling was delivered less than 24 hours after Palace claimed the Community Shield at Wembley with a penalty shootout win over Liverpool.

UEFA Ownership Rules at the Centre of Dispute

Palace booked their Europa League spot by winning the FA Cup last season but were found in breach of UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations. At the time of UEFA’s compliance check, American businessman John Textor held a 43% stake in Palace while also serving as majority owner of Lyon, who had also qualified for the Europa League.

UEFA rules forbid clubs under significant shared ownership from competing in the same European tournament to prevent conflicts of interest. Palace were given until 1 March 2025 to prove their ownership structure was compliant but failed to meet the deadline. Textor’s sale of his stake to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson in June came too late to influence the decision.

In July, Palace appealed against UEFA’s ruling, naming UEFA, Lyon, and Nottingham Forest as respondents. However, CAS dismissed the case, stating the regulations were clear, non-negotiable, and consistently applied. The panel also rejected Palace’s argument that Textor no longer exercised decisive influence over the club.

Forest Avoid Sanctions, Palace Set for Play-Offs

Forest avoided similar sanctions despite owner Evangelos Marinakis also controlling Greek side Olympiakos. UEFA accepted that Marinakis diluted his influence over the Premier League club before the April deadline.

Palace will now enter the Conference League play-off round later this month, facing either Norway’s Fredrikstad or Denmark’s Midtjylland for a place in the group stage.

Key Timeline

17 May – Palace beat Manchester City in FA Cup final to secure Europa League place.

10 June – Forest query Palace’s eligibility with UEFA.

23 June – Textor sells stake in Palace to Woody Johnson.

30 June – Textor resigns from Lyon board.

11 July – UEFA demotes Palace to Conference League.

22 July – Palace appeal to CAS.

8 August – CAS hearing takes place.