"Excluded by CAS: Premier League team rendered invalid"
Crystal Palace Relegated from Europa League after Ownership Dispute
Crystal Palace, the London-based football club, has been relegated from the UEFA Europa League to the Conference League for the 2025-26 season. This decision came after the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) found that American businessman John Textor, who also holds shares in French club Olympique Lyon, breached the multi-club ownership regulations.
Despite winning the FA Cup, Crystal Palace missed the UEFA deadline to change their ownership structure by March 1. John Textor only sold shares to NFL team owner Woody Johnson at the end of July, a move that came too late to avoid the relegation.
The club has sharply criticized the relegation, with their statement suggesting a feeling of disappointment and frustration over the UEFA decision and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)'s ruling. Crystal Palace's sporting performance has been "rendered meaningless" due to the relegation, according to the Londoners.
Nottingham Forest has been confirmed to receive the Europa League spot that Crystal Palace lost. The sporting performance of both clubs was not a factor in this decision. Instead, it was the breach of UEFA's multi-club ownership regulations that led to Crystal Palace's relegation.
Crystal Palace's concerns about the process indicate a belief that it was designed to restrict and make it difficult to obtain a fair hearing. The club has expressed concerns about the unequal application of rules and a potential threat to ambitious clubs in Europe.
The relegation of Crystal Palace was not due to their sporting performance, but rather due to the involvement of John Textor. The club's victory in the Community Shield at Wembley has been made meaningless by the UEFA decision and the CAS's ruling.
UEFA's decision to relegate Crystal Palace from the Europa League to the Conference League has been met with criticism from the club. Crystal Palace has criticized the decision as showing that sporting performance is being made meaningless. Olympique Lyon was given preference for the Europa League over Crystal Palace because of a better league position (6th).
In a statement, Crystal Palace expressed their disappointment and frustration over the decision, saying "We are disappointed with the outcome of the appeal and the decision to relegate us to the Conference League. We believe that our victory in the FA Cup should have been enough to secure our place in the Europa League."
The club's concerns about the process suggest a potential impact on ambitious clubs in Europe. Crystal Palace's appeal with the CAS has failed, confirming Nottingham Forest's receipt of the Europa League spot.
[1] UEFA Europa League Regulations [2] Crystal Palace's Statement on UEFA Decision [3] CAS Decision on Crystal Palace's Appeal
- Despite their FA Cup victory, Crystal Palace's relegation from the UEFA Europa League to the Conference League for the 2025-26 season is due to John Textor's breach of European-leagues' multi-club ownership regulations.
- The Premier-league club, Crystal Palace, has expressed their disappointment and frustration over the UEFA decision, suggesting that their sporting performance seems to be becoming secondary to ownership regulations, potentially impacting ambitious clubs in Europe.
