Crystal Palace have failed in their bid to overturn their demotion from the Europa League and will compete in the Conference League instead. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) rejected the club's appeal on Monday, upholding Uefa's decision to penalise Palace for breaching multi-club ownership rules.
The ruling stems from Uefa's assessment that John Textor, the US investor who held a 44.9% stake in Palace, also held shares in Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League. Although Textor has since sold his stake to Woody Johnson, the Cas panel found that at the time of Uefa's assessment date, he was a board member with decisive influence over both clubs.
Palace argued during the hearing that Textor never exercised decisive influence and that they had been treated unfairly compared to Nottingham Forest and Lyon. However, Cas dismissed these claims, stating that Uefa's regulations are clear and do not offer flexibility for non-compliant clubs.
As a result, Nottingham Forest, who qualified for the Conference League, are expected to be promoted to the Europa League. Palace will now face a Conference League playoff against the loser of the Europa League qualifier between Fredrikstad and Midtjylland, with the first leg at Selhurst Park on 21 August.
Speaking after Palace's Community Shield victory, chairman Steve Parish expressed frustration with the outcome, saying he did not understand why the club had been excluded. The club estimates that missing the Europa League could cost up to £20m and is considering seeking compensation from Uefa.
