Tag: Europa League

A decision on whether Crystal Palace can compete in next season’s Europa League has been delayed by Uefa.

The Eagles’ place, earned by winning the FA Cup last season, has been under threat because of Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules, which prevents teams under the same ownership from competing in the same European competition.

Co-owner John Textor, who also co-owns French club Lyon, has agreed to sell his 44% stake in Palace in a bid to help their case.

A decision on Palace’s participation had been expected on Monday.

However, Lyon were demoted to Ligue 2 last week by the French football authorities on account of their poor finances.

The club are appealing against the decision but should they fail, they have agreed to relinquish their Europa League spot.

Uefa has therefore opted to wait until the outcome of the appeal before making a decision on Palace’s participation.

It is not known how long Lyon’s appeal will take, with Uefa stating further details will be announced in “due course”.

Read Also: Forest ask for clarity over Palace’s Europa League place

Should Palace be granted a spot in the competition, they will enter the group phase – which begins in September.

Textor is in the process of selling his stake in Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.

The American, 59, resigned from his leadership role at Lyon on Monday after deciding to step back from the day-to-day running of the club, in which he owns a 77% stake.

Last October, Textor’s Eagle Football Group announced debts of £422m at Lyon.

The club said the decision to demote them into Ligue 2 was “incomprehensible” and that they would appeal the decision.

Nottingham Forest have asked UEFA for clarity after expressing their concerns over Crystal Palace’s Europa League place.

The Eagles won the FA Cup to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history, but UEFA must decide if they have breached its multi-club ownership rules.

Uefa’s final ruling will centre on American businessman John Textor, owner of Eagle Football – which holds a 43% stake in Palace.

Eagle Football also owns a 77% stake in French side Lyon, who – like Palace – have qualified for next season’s Europa League.

Uefa’s rules state “no individual or legal entity” can hold a majority of shareholder voting rights at two clubs in the same European tournament.

Forest finished seventh in the Premier League, earning a Europa Conference League play-off spot, but stand to gain if Palace are unable to compete in Europe and could be lifted to the Europa League.

Sources have told BBC Sport they have issued their reservations to Uefa.

Uefa’s regulations are in place to prevent collusion between clubs. Palace’s argument is their historic FA Cup win – beating Manchester City 1-0 last month – and European qualification was an achievement accomplished entirely on their own merit.

The club have insisted they are an entity which operates entirely independently, not within the structures of a multi-club model.

Palace also say there has been no employee, backroom staff or coach sharing with Lyon, no dialogue, no collaborative strategy, no combined partnerships, sponsorships or commercial deals and no collective scouting, analysis or software collaborations.

Read Also: Why Crystal Palace may miss Europa League despite qualification

Forest have avoided this issue after owner Evangelos Marinakis diluted his control of the club.

The Greek businessman also controls Olympiakos, as well as Portuguese side Rio Ave and, at the time, Forest and Olympiakos were both on course to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Forest complied with the rules after Uefa changed the date to 1 March for clubs to highlight potential issues in ownership structures as it was becoming unmanageable to go through the checks required from the previous deadline of 1 June.

The first and second qualification rounds of the Europa League and Conference League are in July.

At that point Palace had not acted despite qualification through the FA Cup being a possibility.

BBC Sport contacted Uefa and Palace who declined to comment.

English Premier League club Crystal Palace qualified for the Europa League after beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final but the historic achievement is under threat due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations.

UEFA prohibits individuals from holding influence over multiple clubs participating in its competitions simultaneously. This rule aims to maintain the integrity of European tournaments by preventing conflicts of interest.

Two major shareholders of Crystal Palace are at the centeyr of this issue:

John Textor: Holds a 45% stake in Crystal Palace and is the majority owner of Olympique Lyonnais, a French club that also qualified for the Europa League.

David Blitzer: Owns an 18% share in Crystal Palace and has significant holdings in Brøndby IF, a Danish club set to compete in the Europa Conference League.

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The simultaneous qualification of these clubs for European competitions has triggered UEFA’s scrutiny.

In an attempt to comply with UEFA regulations, Textor and Blitzer proposed transferring their shares in Crystal Palace to a blind trust, a strategy previously accepted by UEFA in similar situations.

If UEFA enforces its rules strictly and Palace’s owners are unable to find a solution, Crystal Palace could be barred from participating in the Europa League. In such a scenario, Nottingham Forest, who finished higher in the Premier League, might take their place, with Brighton potentially moving into the Conference League .

John Textor has indicated plans to sell his stake in Crystal Palace to resolve the conflict. However, completing such a transaction before the Europa League draw on June 17, 2025, remains uncertain.