Crystal Palace has expressed strong disappointment after their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was rejected, dashing their hopes of competing in the UEFA Europa League. The club believes they’ve been treated unfairly.
The dispute stems from UEFA’s decision to move Palace to the Conference League due to a conflict of interest involving minority shareholder John Textor. Textor owns a 20% stake in Palace through Eagle Football Holdings and also holds shares in French side Olympique Lyonnais, who will compete in the Europa League after finishing higher in their domestic league.
Palace argued that Textor no longer has any influence at the club, having sold his shares, and insisted this should clear the path for their Europa League participation. However, CAS ruled against them, stating the club failed to provide documentation confirming the sale of Textor’s stake before the UEFA deadline of March 1.
The decision has left the London club frustrated, particularly as they feel the rules are not being applied consistently across Europe. Palace pointed out that other multi-club ownerships have not faced the same level of scrutiny or sanction.
“While we should have been celebrating our Community Shield win at Wembley, UEFA and CAS’s ruling has shown that sporting achievement means little,” Palace said in an official statement.
“Our manager and players earned the right to play in the Europa League by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup Final. That moment should’ve been a launchpad, not a dead end.”
“Sadly, it seems that certain clubs, organisations, and individuals are granted special privileges and power. This growing imbalance is disheartening not just for us, but for every ambitious team in Europe that dreams of progressing especially when rules and sanctions are applied inconsistently and so transparently.”
While Palace have accepted their place in the Conference League for now, the club confirmed that they are considering further legal action against UEFA.
