Court of Arbitration Denies Crystal Palace Europa League Appeal, Confirms Conference League Demotion

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld UEFA's decision to demote Crystal Palace from the Europa League to the Europa Conference League due to a breach of UEFA's multi-club ownership rules involving American investor John Textor, who holds stakes in both Crystal Palace and French club Olympique Lyonnais. Palace's appeal, which argued that Textor did not exert decisive influence and challenged UEFA's ruling, was dismissed, confirming Nottingham Forest's promotion to the Europa League spot. The club missed a UEFA-imposed deadline to resolve the ownership conflict, which contributed to the sanction. This ruling carries significant financial consequences for Palace, with an estimated revenue loss of up to £20 million and potential impacts on player retention and transfer plans. Despite this setback, Palace recently celebrated winning the Community Shield and now prepares for the Conference League qualifying playoffs. The decision has sparked protests from Palace fans and condemnation from chairman Steve Parish, who called it one of the greatest injustices in European football history.