Crystal Palace Loses Europa League Appeal, Demoted to Conference League

Crystal Palace has been demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League after UEFA ruled they breached multi-club ownership regulations, a decision upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The club qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup but was penalized due to part ownership ties with Lyon through American businessman John Textor, who has since sold his shares in Palace. Palace issued a strongly worded statement condemning UEFA and CAS, arguing that sporting merit has been disregarded and criticizing the uneven application of rules, which they say favors certain clubs with multi-club structures masked by 'blind trusts'. The statement also highlighted the perceived unfairness as Nottingham Forest, also connected to a multi-club ownership, replaced them in the Europa League. Crystal Palace expressed frustration that their victory on the field was undermined by regulatory decisions and accused UEFA of allowing clubs with close informal ties to compete while punishing others without such connections. This controversy raises questions about the consistency and fairness of UEFA's enforcement of multi-club ownership rules and its impact on European competition integrity.