Softfootball have been able to gather that Crystal Palace have been sent to the third tier of the UEFA competition following the rejection of their appeal at the CAS.
Crystal Palace’s place in next season’s UEFA Europa League has been revoked following a ruling by a UEFA panel that found the club had breached multi-club ownership regulations.
In a report published by The Athletic, Crystal Palace has been on the move to reject the looming effect of multi-club ownership for a while before they were rejected on Friday.
Recall that Palace had earned a Europa League berth after lifting the FA Cup in May, their first-ever major trophy, courtesy of Eberechi Eze’s goal in a 1–0 win over Manchester City at Wembley. But they will now have to settle for a spot in the third-tier UEFA Conference League.
In their place, Nottingham Forest, who originally secured a Conference League spot with a seventh-place finish in the Premier League, are now set to compete in the Europa League.
UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) cited a violation of Article 5, which prevents any individual or entity from holding “control or decisive influence” over more than one club participating in European competition.
The issue stems from Eagle Football, the group that owns a 43% stake in Palace and is controlled by John Textor, who also owns a majority stake in French side Lyon, another club qualified for UEFA competition.
Palace’s leadership, including Textor and chairman Steve Parish, presented their case to UEFA’s panel in early June, but the governing body ruled against them. A proposed sale of Eagle Football’s stake in Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson was not enough to sway the decision, as it remains subject to Premier League approval and is still undergoing review.
Palace has now joined a growing list of clubs entangled in UEFA’s evolving multi-club ownership rules. Last summer, Manchester City and Girona, along with Manchester United and Nice, were cleared to play in the same competition after significant structural changes.
Softootball had earlier reported, UEFA had initially postponed a final verdict pending Lyon’s financial appeal in France. Once the Ligue 1 club successfully overturned their relegation ruling by the DNCG (French football’s financial watchdog), UEFA proceeded with their evaluation and confirmed Palace’s breach as of March 1, 2025.
The statement from UEFA on Friday confirmed Lyon’s participation in the 2025/26 Europa League while officially denying Palace entry. The South London club now intends to appeal the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
