Crystal Palace have lost their appeal against expulsion from the UEFA Europa League, with the FA Cup winners now set to compete in the UEFA Europa Conference League instead.
The club had earned Europa League qualification in 2025 after a historic FA Cup triumph over Manchester City at Wembley, their first major trophy.
However, UEFA ruled that Palace were in breach of multi-club ownership regulations, as then-shareholder John Textor also had significant involvement with French side Lyon, who had qualified for the same competition.
Palace took their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), arguing that Textor had no decision-making power at Selhurst Park and that he later sold his stake to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. CAS ultimately upheld UEFA’s decision, noting that Palace had not resolved the ownership issue before the 1 March deadline.
This is different to the Salzburg-Leipzig and City-Girona connections because of the percentage stake held by Textor in both clubs which is quite significant and is considered against the rules.
A statement from CAS released a statement regarding the final decision and why the appeal was dismissed.
“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal by Crystal Palace FC (CPFC) against UEFA, Nottingham Forest FC and Olympique Lyonnais (OL) concerning a decision by UEFA to remove CPFC from the UEFA Europa League 2025/2026 due to a breach of UEFA multi club ownership regulations. As a result, CPFC will be admitted to compete in the UEFA Conference League 2025/2026,” said the CAS in a recent statement.
“After considering the evidence, the Panel found that John Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, 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. The Panel also dismissed the argument by CPFC that they received unfair treatment in comparison to Nottingham Forest and OL.
“The Panel considered that the UEFA Regulations are clear and do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date, as CPFC claimed.”
This ruling not only confirms Nottingham Forest’s place in the Europa League but also sends a clear message on the enforcement of multi-club ownership rules, a decision that could shape the governance and integrity of European football for years to come.
