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UEFA Europa Conference League, not the Europa League, due to ownership conflicts with Olympique Lyonnais. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected their appeal.">
UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa Conference League, Olympique Lyonnais, John Textor, CAS, Court of Arbitration for Sport, football, soccer, European competition, Nottingham Forest">
Crystal Palace’s European League Bid rejected: CAS Upholds UEFA Decision
Photo by zumapress.com
LONDON, UK – Crystal Palace’s hopes of competing in the UEFA Europa League have been dashed after the court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected their appeal against a UEFA decision. The London club, winners of the 2024-2025 English FA Cup, will instead participate in the less prestigious UEFA Europa Conference League.
The dispute stems from UEFA’s regulations prohibiting clubs with overlapping ownership from competing in the same European competition. Crystal Palace is controlled by American businessman john Textor, who also holds a controlling stake – approximately 79% as of July 2024 – in French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais. UEFA rules, designed to maintain sporting integrity and prevent conflicts of interest, prevent both clubs from participating in the Europa League.
Initially, UEFA ruled that Crystal Palace would be relegated to the Europa Conference League, granting Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League, a place in the Europa League.crystal Palace formally contested this decision, arguing that the ownership structure did not warrant such a penalty. The appeal to CAS, considered the highest authority in sports-related legal disputes, proved unsuccessful.
The BBC reported on Monday that CAS upheld UEFA’s original ruling, confirming Crystal Palace’s placement in the Europa Conference League and solidifying Nottingham Forest’s spot in the Europa League. The CAS panel, comprised of three arbitrators – including prominent sports law expert Professor Dr. Ulrich Haas of the University of Zurich – cited the clear wording of UEFA’s regulations as the basis for their decision.
This case highlights the increasing complexity of multi-club ownership in modern football. Textor
