The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld UEFA’s decision to remove Crystal Palace from the Europa League over breaches of multi-club ownership rules, confirming the London side will compete in the UEFA Conference League this season.
In a statement on Monday, CAS said the ruling means Nottingham Forest will take Palace’s place in the Europa League, while Olympique Lyonnais (OL) also retain their qualification. The case focused on American businessman John Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, who CAS found “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.”
UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations bar two clubs with significant shared control from competing in the same European competition in the same season. CAS said, “The UEFA Regulations are clear and do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date.”
Palace qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup in May and also claimed the Community Shield on Sunday with a victory over Liverpool. The club had appealed UEFA’s July 11 decision, seeking to have Forest or Lyon excluded instead.
An expedited hearing was held in Lausanne on August 8, attended by Palace chairman Steve Parish, who, before the verdict, warned: “If we don’t get the right outcome, then we will have to look if there’s any steps after that.” CAS said a full award with reasons will be published unless both parties request confidentiality.
The decision ends Palace’s bid to play in Europe’s second-tier competition and hands Forest a return to continental football. Palace will now begin their European campaign in the Conference League, with their first Premier League meeting against Forest set for August 24 at Selhurst Park.
