Crystal Palace have been officially relegated to the UEFA Conference League after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld UEFA’s decision regarding a breach of multi-club ownership rules.
In a statement on Monday, CAS confirmed that Palace would lose their Europa League spot to Nottingham Forest. The ruling was based on the involvement of American businessman John Textor, who holds significant influence in both Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyonnais (OL) through Eagle Football Holdings. At the time of UEFA’s assessment, Textor’s dual role violated the governing body’s ownership rules.
Palace had earned their Europa League place by winning the FA Cup and had hoped to reverse UEFA’s July 11 ruling. However, CAS found no grounds to exclude either Forest or Lyon, whose Europa League qualification remains intact.
An in-person hearing took place in Lausanne on August 8, with Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish in attendance. Prior to the ruling, Parish had stated, “If we don’t get the right outcome, then we will have to look if there’s any steps after that.”
The fast-tracked appeal lasted just two and a half weeks from filing to verdict. CAS noted that a full decision with detailed reasoning will be released unless both parties request confidentiality.
The decision ends Palace’s brief Europa League hopes, instead giving Nottingham Forest a boost as they step into the tournament. Palace, who secured Europa League qualification by winning the FA Cup and recently defeated Liverpool in the Community Shield, will now compete in the Conference League. The two clubs will face off in the Premier League on August 24 at Selhurst Park.
But CAS ruled “the UEFA Regulations are clear and do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date.”
