Crystal Palace have failed in their bid to overturn a demotion from the Europa League and will now compete in the Europa Conference League this season.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld UEFA’s decision, which also confirms Nottingham Forest’s promotion into the Europa League in Palace’s place.
The Eagles secured Europa League qualification after winning the FA Cup last season but were sanctioned for breaching UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations. At the time, American businessman John Textor, who owned a 43% stake in Palace until July, was also the majority owner of French side Lyon — another Europa League qualifier.
UEFA had given Palace until 1 March 2025 to provide evidence of compliance with the ownership restructuring rules. However, the club failed to meet the deadline and subsequently lodged an appeal in July against UEFA, Lyon, and Nottingham Forest.
In its ruling, CAS stated:
“Regulations are clear and do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date, as Palace claimed.”
“Textor still had decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA’s assessment date.”
The panel also rejected Palace’s claim of being unfairly treated compared to Nottingham Forest and Lyon.
More details to follow.
