Crystal Palace have been dropped from the UEFA Europa League to the UEFA Conference League after breaching UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, the European football governing body confirmed on Friday.
The issue stems from U.S. businessman John Textor, who holds a significant stake in Crystal Palace and is also the majority owner of French club Olympique Lyonnais.
Both clubs had secured spots in next season’s Europa League, Lyon through a sixth-place finish in Ligue 1, and Palace by winning the FA Cup, their first major trophy.
However, under UEFA rules, two clubs under shared ownership cannot participate in the same European competition. Because Lyon finished higher in their domestic league, they have been allowed to retain their Europa League spot, while Palace have been moved to the Conference League.
Textor recently reached a deal to sell his 43% stake in Crystal Palace to Woody Johnson, owner of the NFL’s New York Jets. But the agreement came after UEFA’s March 1 deadline for resolving such ownership conflicts and is still pending completion.
UEFA’s ruling had been delayed due to a separate matter involving Lyon, who were initially relegated from Ligue 1 over financial issues. That decision was overturned earlier this week after Textor stepped back from the club’s daily operations.
Crystal Palace are expected to appeal the demotion to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest who finished seventh in the Premier League will now take Palace’s place in the Europa League, according to a UEFA source who spoke with Insight Media Sports Arena
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