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Crystal Palace’s appeal against UEFA’s decision to relegate them to the Europa Conference League will be heard by CAS on August 8.
Crystal Palace footballers pose with FA Cup trophy after 1-0 win over Man City in the final. (Picture Credit: AFP)
A closed-door hearing in the legal dispute between Crystal Palace and UEFA, involving Nottingham Forest and Olympique Lyonnais, has been scheduled for August 8, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed on Wednesday.
The case revolves around UEFA’s decision to relegate Palace to the UEFA Europa Conference League, while allowing Lyon to compete in the Europa League, due to concerns over multi-club ownership.
Palace Penalised Over Textor’s Dual Ownership
The controversy stems from John Textor, the American businessman with stakes in both Crystal Palace and Lyon. UEFA ruled that, as of March 1, Textor exercised “control or influence” over both clubs—something that breaches UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, which prohibit clubs under common influence from participating in the same European competition.
Though Textor has since agreed to sell his Palace shares to Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets, UEFA based its decision on the ownership structure at the end of the 2023–24 season, when both clubs secured European qualification.
With Lyon finishing higher in Ligue 1, they were granted the Europa League spot, while Palace were pushed down to the Conference League.
Palace Appeal to CAS
Unhappy with UEFA’s ruling, Crystal Palace appealed the decision, and the CAS has now confirmed that the case will be heard next month.
Club chairman Steve Parish expressed optimism regarding Palace’s legal position during an episode of The Rest is Football podcast.
“We are still fighting. There’s an appeal process, so we go to CAS, and we’re very hopeful. We think we’ve got great legal arguments,” said Parish.
“We don’t think this is the right decision by any means. We know unequivocally that John [Textor] didn’t have decisive influence over the club. We know we proved that beyond all reasonable doubt—because it’s a fact.”
If Palace’s appeal fails, Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League, are set to replace them in the Europa League.
While no ruling is expected on the day of the hearing, a final decision is anticipated by August 11, just days before the start of European qualifying rounds.
(with AFP inputs)
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
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