Crystal Palace Banned From Europa League And Relegated To Conference League

Crystal Palace person been banned from nan Europa League and moved into nan Conference League aft Uefa concluded nan FA Cup winners were successful breach of its multi-club ownership rules.

The prohibition had been expected aft Lyon won their appeal against relegation to Ligue 2 this week, clearing them to return their spot successful nan tournament.

Clubs pinch nan aforesaid proprietor are barred from competing successful nan aforesaid Uefa title if an individual aliases ownership group is considered to person a decisive power complete much than 1 of those teams.

John Textor is Palace’s largest shareholder and nan proprietor of Lyon. A 1 March deadline for resolving multi-club ownership issues was not met and though Textor precocious agreed a deal to waste his Palace shares to nan US billionaire Woody Johnson, nan move has not been completed and was deemed to person travel excessively late.

Palace, who person ne'er played successful a awesome European competition, are expected to entreaty to nan tribunal of arbitration for sport. Nottingham Forest whitethorn beryllium promoted from nan Conference League to return Palace’s Europa League spot.

Uefa said successful a connection that its Club Financial Control Body had concluded that nan multi-club ownership criteria had been breached and had decided “to cull Crystal Palace’s admittance to nan 2025-26 Uefa Europa League and to judge Crystal Palace’s admittance to nan 2025-26 Uefa Conference League”.

Lyon qualified for nan Europa League by finishing sixth successful France’s apical section and had agreed pinch Uefa that they would beryllium excluded from its nine competitions if their relegation, imposed for financial reasons, were not overturned. Lyon’s higher convention position past play gives them precedence for nan Europa League spot.

Textor this period resigned from his activity positions astatine Lyon, including from nan board, and Michele Kang was named arsenic nan president and chair.

Palace’s 4 co-owners – Textor, Steve Parish, Josh Harris and David Blitzer – were portion of a nine delegation that attended a gathering astatine Uefa’s office successful Nyon and based on that Textor did not person a decisive power astatine ­Selhurst Park.

That, though, did not person Uefa and nan governing assemblage rejected an attempt by Textor and Blitzer to spot their shares successful a unsighted spot because they had missed nan March deadline. Use of a unsighted spot has enabled different clubs pinch nan aforesaid owners to play together successful a Uefa competition.

On Thursday Textor had insisted successful an question and reply pinch TalkSport that he did not person a decisive influence astatine Palace. “Why should I put my liking successful a spot backmost earlier March erstwhile nan norm says you only person to do it if you person decisive influence? I don’t,” he said.