Crystal Palace Demoted to Conference League over UEFA Ownership Rules

Crystal Palace has been demoted from the Europa League to the UEFA Conference League due to UEFA's multi-club ownership rules, as their largest shareholder John Textor also owns a majority stake in French club Lyon, which qualified for the Europa League. The club's chairman, Steve Parish, vehemently criticized the decision, calling it one of the greatest injustices in European football history and expressing devastation over the ban. Despite Palace's claim that Textor has no decisive influence over their operations, UEFA ruled against them because the March 1 deadline to resolve the ownership conflict was not met. Nottingham Forest is expected to take Palace's Europa League spot pending any appeals, and Palace plans to challenge UEFA's decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Parish also urged UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin or other officials to intervene, highlighting the unfairness faced by smaller clubs like Palace despite their historic FA Cup win. The controversy underscores the complexities and tensions surrounding multi-club ownership rules and their impact on European football competitions.