Crystal Palace received sad news after winning the Community Shield

Just one day after winning the Community Shield by defeating Liverpool, Crystal Palace received bad news when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected their appeal, officially demoting the team to play in the Conference League instead of the Europa League.

One day after winning the Community Shield, Crystal Palace received sad news - Photo: REUTERS

Last month, UEFA's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) ruled that Crystal Palace were too closely linked to Lyon and had breached multi-club ownership rules.

Accordingly, American businessman John Textor, through Eagle Football Holdings Limited, took control of Lyon and owned up to 43.9% of Crystal Palace's shares. Although the Premier League team affirmed that Textor did not interfere with the club's operations, UEFA prohibits any individual or organization from holding more than 30% of shares in more than one club participating in the same European tournament.

Crystal Palace appealed to CAS on three main grounds: that the CFCB decision was unfair, and that Lyon and Nottingham Forest did not deserve to be promoted. However, all three of these arguments were rejected.

With this ruling, Nottingham Forest will become the direct beneficiary when they are promoted from the Conference League to compete in the Europa League. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace will have to play in the Conference League play-off round at the end of the month, facing the loser of the Fredrikstad - FC Midtjylland match.

Chairman and co-owner Steve Parish expressed disappointment but said he would consider next steps. “If we don’t get the results we want, we’ll look at other options,” he said.

Crystal Palace will play in the Conference League instead of the Europa League - Photo: REUTERS

The crux of the matter is that UEFA has tightened the MCO rules, requiring clubs to comply by March 1, instead of June 3 as previously. Although John Textor sold his shares in Crystal Palace last month, UEFA still bases its assessment on the ownership status as of March 1, when he still had influence over both clubs.

The CAS ruling also confirmed that UEFA’s rules are clear and there are no exceptions. Crystal Palace’s situation is similar to that of Drogheda United (Ireland), who were also expelled from the Conference League due to ownership conflicts and lost their appeal to CAS, creating a precedent that is unfavorable for the English team. This shows that football’s governing bodies are tending to tighten the rules on multi-club ownership more than ever.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/crystal-palace-nhan-tin-buon-sau-khi-doat-sieu-cup-anh-20250812090016658.htm