Europa League rejection upheld by Crystal Palace after unsuccessful last-minute appeal
In a surprising turn of events, Crystal Palace has been moved from the Europa League to the Europa Conference League. This decision was made by UEFA following the club's qualification for the FA Cup, and it stems from the multi-club ownership rules that UEFA has in place to safeguard competition integrity.
The decision was rendered two and a half weeks after the appeal, filed on 21 July 2025, in an expedited procedure. Crystal Palace qualified for the UEFA Europa League after winning the FA Cup, but their participation was hindered by UEFA's multi-club ownership rules. These rules prevent two clubs under the same control from participating in the same UEFA competition to avoid conflicts of interest.
American businessman John Textor has significant influence in both Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyonnais. As both clubs qualified for the Europa League, only one club (Lyon, due to their higher league position) could compete there. As a result, Crystal Palace was demoted to the Conference League.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed an appeal by Crystal Palace against UEFA's decision. The Panel, composed of Prof. Luigi Fumagalli, Mr Manfred P. Nan, and Mr Olivivier Carrard during the hearing, found that John Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, had shares in Crystal Palace FC (CPFC) and Olympique Lyon (OL) and was a Board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA's assessment date.
Nottingham Forest has been elevated to the Europa League due to Crystal Palace's exclusion. Crystal Palace will face either Norwegian club Fredrikstad or Danish side Midtjylland in the Conference League play-off round.
The key specifics of UEFA's multi-club ownership rule include no individual or entity being able to control more than one club in the same UEFA competition. Control means owning a majority of shareholder voting rights, having powers to appoint or remove key executives, or having decisive influence over decision-making. When two clubs with shared ownership qualify for the same UEFA competition, only one club is permitted to participate, and the priority is given based on sporting merit or higher league position.
Simon Jordan, former Crystal Palace owner, expressed his thoughts on the failed appeal live on talkSPORT, stating that it's what he expected and that Palace can move on, knowing they are in Europe, playing in the Conference League. Crystal Palace missed the deadline to restructure their multi-club ownership to circumvent the rule. John Textor, Crystal Palace's largest shareholder, has sold his share in the club to New York Jets co-owner Woody Johnson.
UEFA and related stakeholders are considering potential updates to their multi-club ownership framework due to the increasing prevalence of such ownership models in football. A full Award (with grounds) will be made available on the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) website in due course, unless Parties request confidentiality.
[1] UEFA Regulations [2] Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) [3] Multi-club ownership rules [4] John Textor [5] Simon Jordan
- Despite the change in circumstances, Crystal Palace will compete in the Europa Conference League, having initially qualified for the Europa League due to their FA Cup win, but being hindered by UEFA's multi-club ownership rules.
- Nottingham Forest now holds a spot in the Europa League, a result of Crystal Palace being demoted due to their shared ownership with Olympique Lyonnais, thus violating UEFA's multi-club ownership regulations.
- With increasing instances of multi-club ownership in football, ongoing discussions are revolving around potential updates to UEFA's multi-club ownership framework, as initial assessments have pointed out the need for improvements in the regulation.
