Crystal Palace Demoted to Conference League Over Multi-Club Ownership Conflict

Crystal Palace will be demoted from the Europa League to the Europa Conference League for the 2025-26 season due to UEFA's multi-club ownership rules, which prevent a single entity from having control or influence over multiple clubs in the same competition. The club qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup but was ruled ineligible because of American businessman John Textor's ownership stakes in both Palace and Lyon, with Lyon taking the Europa League spot due to a higher league finish. Despite Textor having sold his shares in Palace and resigned from Lyon's board, UEFA did not accept these changes before the March 1, 2025 deadline and maintained the decision. Palace chairman Steve Parish strongly condemned the ruling as a "terrible injustice" and "a bad day for football," appealing directly to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and signaling intentions to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Nottingham Forest are expected to replace Palace in the Europa League, though this has not yet been officially confirmed. The controversy centers on the interpretation and enforcement of multi-club ownership rules, with Palace asserting they have never been part of a multi-club operation and criticizing the decision as unfair given their historic FA Cup triumph.