Any optimism from Crystal Palace fans after yesterday’s Charity Shield win has likely given way to disappointment following the confirmation of UEFA’s decision by CAS.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected Crystal Palace’s appeal against UEFA’s decision to exclude the club from the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League.
On August 11, CAS confirmed the appeal filed by Crystal Palace against UEFA, Nottingham Forest and Olympique Lyonnais was rejected. The ruling upheld UEFA’s original decision based on multi-club ownership regulations.
“After considering the evidence, the Panel found that John Textor, Founder of Eagle Football Holdings, had shares in CPFC and OL and was a Board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA’s assessment date,” the CAS statement said.
The panel also dismissed Crystal Palace’s claim of unfair treatment compared to Nottingham Forest and Lyon, concluding that “the UEFA Regulations are clear and do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date, as CPFC claimed.”
As a result, Palace will compete in the UEFA Conference League for the 2025/26 season. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest and Olympique Lyonnais will participate in the UEFA Europa League.
How we got here
Crystal Palace’s initial joy following their historic FA Cup win in May 2025, which secured Europa League qualification, quickly faded amid a complicated ownership dispute.
Investor John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings owned significant stakes in both Palace (43%) and Lyon (over 75%), prompting UEFA to enforce its multi-club ownership regulations designed to avoid “decisive influence” conflicts.
Despite Palace’s arguments that Textor lacked decisive control over the club, UEFA ruled Textor’s influence over both teams breached the rules. UEFA prioritised Lyon’s league-based Europa League qualification, relegating Palace to the Conference League.
Palace Chairman Steve Parish expressed the club’s frustration at the time, saying they felt like they had “won the lottery and been denied the prize.”
It has been a rollercoaster period for Crystal Palace fans, who briefly found hope when Lyon faced near-relegation from France’s top flight due to financial troubles, only for the club to secure its place once again.
Another glimmer of optimism came as Textor hurried to sell his stakes in Palace and step back from his role at Lyon. However, just like today’s ruling, UEFA’s immovable deadline remained the decisive factor in determining eligibility, leaving no room for late changes to alter the outcome.
Looking ahead
At the time of publication, Crystal Palace had yet to release a public statement following the CAS dismissal of its appeal.
The club’s recent highs, including the shock FA Cup triumph over Manchester City last May and its underdog victory against Liverpool in the Charity Shield held on August 10, make this ruling all the more bitter for supporters.
Fans are likely to feel hard done by, especially given that Textor will no longer have any involvement with Palace when the Europa League season kicks off. This situation shines a spotlight on UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules.
The controversy also extends to Nottingham Forest, who lodged a formal complaint with UEFA in June, arguing Palace’s ownership arrangement violated competition regulations.
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