Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has made it clear he wouldn’t trade his team’s Community Shield victory for a guaranteed spot in next season’s Europa League.
The FA Cup winners clinched their second trophy in just three months—and their first-ever Community Shield title after defeating Premier League champions Liverpool in a dramatic penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw at Wembley.
However, Palace are now facing uncertainty over their European campaign. On Monday (August 11, 2025), the club will learn whether they’ll be allowed to compete in the 2025/26 Europa League or be relegated to the third-tier Europa Conference League due to multi-club ownership concerns.
American businessman John Textor, who owns a stake in Crystal Palace, is also the majority owner of French club Lyon—who have also qualified for the Europa League. This conflict has raised red flags with UEFA’s regulations.
The club has already filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with a ruling expected on Monday.
When asked if he would swap Sunday’s victory at Wembley for a favorable ruling from CAS, Glasner responded without hesitation: “No.”
“The players have stayed focused despite all the noise around us,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do about it tomorrow, so tonight we’ll enjoy this moment. Tomorrow, we’ll have lunch together and train again. There’s no point worrying.”
Dean Henderson, who played a key role in Palace’s penalty shootout win, echoed his manager’s sentiments adding that dropping Palace to the Conference League would diminish the integrity of European competitions.
“You could see it today we weren’t thinking about that stuff,” Henderson told BBC Radio 5 Live at Wembley.
“We’ve won the FA Cup. We’ve earned our place in the Europa League. From a footballing perspective, we deserve to be there. Leaving us out would definitely take something away from the competition,” he added.
