Softfootball understands that fans of Crystal Palace have disagreed publicly about the recent decision of the European football governing body. The fans protested publicly on Tuesday and promised to continue till the club is back to where it originally belonged.
According to the UK Guardian, Crystal Palace supporters took their fight to the streets after UEFA’s controversial decision to demote the club from the Europa League to the Europa Conference League despite the Eagles winning the FA Cup.
UEFA has previously made exceptions for other multi-club relationships, notably clearing Manchester City and Girona and Manchester United and Nice to compete in the same tournaments after structural adjustments were made, but they weren’t lenient to Crystal Palace.
It was recorded that hundreds of fans marched from Norwood High Street to Selhurst Park on Tuesday evening, holding banners and voicing anger at what they described as a “robbery” of their rightful European place.
The protest, organised by a supporters’ group Holmesdale Fanatics, came days after UEFA confirmed Palace had been demoted due to a breach of multi-club ownership rules.
“UEFA: morally bankrupt. “Revoke the ruling now,”
read one of the banners, while another stated:
“Football: created by the poor, stolen by the rich.”
The governing body ruled that John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings had “decisive influence” over both Palace and French side Lyon, in breach of UEFA regulations, despite attempts to resolve the conflict before the March deadline.
“It’s not fair,”
said Palace fan Josh Harness.
“We won the oldest cup competition in the world and earned our place in the Europa League. Now we’ve been demoted and can’t even plan properly for next season.”
Parish also revealed that Woody Johnson, owner of the NFL’s New York Jets, has passed the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test and is set to purchase Textor’s 43% stake. But UEFA insisted the changes came too late.
A petition demanding that UEFA reverse the decision has already gathered nearly 3,000 signatures. Fanatics issued a wider call to action across Europe, stating that the protest will continue until their request is granted.
“This won’t be the last protest. We’re standing against a system that rewards a cartel of clubs and punishes ambition.”
Recall that Softfootball had earlier reported the reaction of the Chairman of Crystal Palace, Steve Parish, who called the UEFA decision a “terrible injustice.” Speaking to Sky Sports, Parish said:
“We’re devastated. It’s a bad day for football. It’s a terrible injustice. We’ve been locked out of a European competition on the most ridiculous technicality. Supporters of all clubs should be devastated for us.”
Palace are expected to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with club chairman Steve Parish calling the decision “one of the greatest injustices in European football history.”
