Nottingham Forest have lodged a formal complaint with Uefa over Crystal Palace’s eligibility for the Europa League, citing potential breaches of multi-club ownership regulations. The Midlands club argues that a conflict of interest exists because Palace shareholder John Textor also holds a stake in Lyon, who have qualified for the same competition.
Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League and qualified for the Conference League, would inherit Palace’s Europa League spot if Uefa rules against the London club. Evangelos Marinakis, Forest’s owner, has placed his shares in a blind trust to comply with Uefa rules, but Textor’s similar proposal was rejected for missing the deadline.
Textor and Palace chairman Steve Parish attended a meeting at Uefa’s Nyon headquarters last week to argue their case, but no agreement was reached. Uefa’s rules stipulate that the higher-ranked domestic club—Lyon in this instance—takes precedence, placing Palace’s European participation under threat.
