Crystal Palace have been controversially demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League.
Crystal Palace fans were left outraged after UEFA confirmed the club’s demotion from the Europa League to the third-tier Europa Conference League, despite the Eagles earning their place through a historic FA Cup triumph.
On Tuesday, hundreds of passionate supporters staged a protest outside Selhurst Park, waving banners and chanting against UEFA’s decision, which many branded unjust and damaging to the spirit of fair competition.
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Ownership Conflict Pushes Palace Down, Forest Up
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The controversy stems from UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, which prohibit clubs with the same majority owner from competing in the same European tournament.
American businessman John Textor, who holds shares in Crystal Palace, is also the controlling stakeholder of French side Olympique Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League.
UEFA had set a deadline of March 1, 2025, for all clubs to show compliance with these rules, but Palace missed the cut-off.
Despite their FA Cup win, Palace’s first-ever major trophy, the South London club has been forced to make way for Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season.
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Palace’s demotion has been seen as a direct result of Textor’s unresolved dual ownership issue, although he is currently negotiating the sale of his stake in the club to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson as per reports.
Club chairman Steve Parish slammed UEFA’s decision as “a bad day for football” and described it as “a terrible injustice.”
He emphasized that the club has been unfairly “locked out of a European competition on the most ridiculous technicality.”
As per BBC Sports, fans echoed his sentiment, with Nick Philpot of the Red and Blue Review podcast declaring at the protest, “We won the FA Cup, we should be in the Europa League, no question. They’re penalizing the entire club and the fanbase. Why would they do that?”
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Palace to Appeal Decision to CAS
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Crystal Palace are now preparing to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), hoping for reinstatement into the Europa League.
The club maintains that the breach is an administrative technicality rather than a competitive advantage issue and that the punishment undermines sporting merit.
UEFA has yet to respond regarding the controversy as Palace fans and club officials remain defiant, insisting they will not accept a decision they view as disproportionate and harmful to the integrity of the competition.