Crystal Palace have been demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League after UEFA ruled the club violated multi-club ownership regulations, European football’s governing body confirmed on Friday.
The decision stems from American investor John Textor’s dual ownership stakes โ holding shares in Palace while serving as majority owner of French side Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League.
Under UEFA rules, Lyon retained their Europa League place after finishing sixth in Ligue 1 last season, while 12th-place Premier League Palace were relegated to UEFA’s third-tier competition.
“We are obviously devastated, most importantly for the supporters,” Palace chairman Steve Parish told Sky Sports. “Supporters of all clubs should be devastated for it. It is a bad day for football.”
The South London club had earned their first-ever European qualification by winning May’s FA Cup โ their maiden major trophy. However, Textor’s delayed sale of his 43% Palace stake to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson missed UEFA’s March 1 deadline for resolving ownership conflicts.
“Most right-minded football fans will see what a terrible injustice this is,” Parish added. “I hope someone can remedy [it] because I do believe that nobody in football wants to see this โ I don’t think UEFA want to see it.”
The ruling follows Lyon’s own reprieve after successfully appealing a separate financial demotion earlier this week. Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League, will now replace Palace in the Europa League, a UEFA source told AFP.
Palace are expected to challenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The case highlights growing tensions between UEFA’s ownership regulations and football’s increasingly globalized investment landscape.
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