Crystal Palace Maintains Conference League Status Following Unsuccessful Cas Appeal
Crystal Palace's hopes of competing in the Europa League next season have been dashed, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld UEFA's decision to demote the London club to the Conference League.
The demotion stems from a breach of UEFA's multi-club ownership regulations, which prohibit one person or entity from controlling or significantly influencing two clubs participating in UEFA competitions. American businessman John Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, was found to have shares in both Crystal Palace (CPFC) and Olympique Lyonnais (OL) and was a Board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA's assessment date.
Palace finished the Premier League season in 12th place, while Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh, are expected to take their place in the Europa League due to Palace's demotion. Crystal Palace qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup, but Lyon, who finished sixth in the French Ligue 1, retained their place in the competition.
The Palace delegation, led by chairman Steve Parish, argued that they had been singled out by UEFA and that its rules had not been applied consistently. They also presented evidence that only members of the European Club Association (ECA) were informed that the deadline for setting up a blind trust to comply with multi-club regulations could be extended until May 31st. This enabled Nottingham Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, to place the club into a blind trust at the end of April. Marinakis also owns Olympiakos.
However, the CAS dismissed all of Palace's arguments, finding that they were not singled out and that the rules were applied fairly. The decision upheld UEFA's regulations, which do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date.
Crystal Palace have since sold Textor's 43% stake in the club to Woody Johnson, and Steve Parish has expressed determination to get a favorable outcome from any further steps if the desired outcome is not achieved.
The first leg of Crystal Palace's Conference League playoff is scheduled at Selhurst Park on August 21st, with the return leg to be played a week later. Liverpool play at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace in the Premier League three days before the Conference League playoff match.
In the meantime, Crystal Palace will be preparing for the new season, aiming to bounce back and secure a place in European competition once again next year.
[1] BBC Sport. (2023). Crystal Palace demoted from Europa League to Conference League. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61128484
[2] Sky Sports. (2023). Crystal Palace demoted from Europa League to Conference League. [online] Available at: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11699/12347531/crystal-palace-demoted-from-europa-league-to-conference-league
[4] The Guardian. (2023). Crystal Palace demoted from Europa League to Conference League. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/may/31/crystal-palace-demoted-from-europa-league-to-conference-league
Despite Crystal Palace's hopes, their relegation from the Europa League to the Conference League remains intact, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld UEFA's decision following a breach of sports regulations. The London club's football squad, having won the FA Cup to qualify for the Europa League, will now compete in the less prestigious Conference League.