Crystal Palace supporters have taken their protest against Uefa's Europa League ruling directly to the governing body's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The delegation, organised by the Holmesdale Fanatics group, handed over a letter to Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin demanding that the club be reinstated into the Europa League after being demoted to the Conference League.
The demotion stems from Uefa's finding that co-owner John Textor had control or influence over more than one club in the same competition, as he also holds a stake in Lyon. Palace had qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup, but missed a March 1 deadline to demonstrate that Textor had no such influence. Uefa's Club Financial Control Body ruled that only one of the two clubs could enter the Europa League, with Lyon given priority due to their higher league position.
During the protest, fans presented Uefa with a suitcase of fake money, which they said represented the contradiction between the governing body's stated values of integrity and fairness and its actual business methods. The group said they travelled to Switzerland to represent all Palace supporters in fighting what they called a morally unjust decision.
Following the demonstration, the fans went on to the headquarters of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. Less than two hours later, CAS confirmed that Palace had lodged an appeal against Uefa, Nottingham Forest and Lyon regarding the multi-club ownership ruling. The appeal is being expedited, with a decision expected on or before August 11.
Uefa declined to comment when approached by The Independent. Nottingham Forest are expected to take Palace's place in the Europa League after finishing seventh in the Premier League, while Palace ended the season in 12th place.
