Crystal Palace Kecam UEFA And A Number Of Clubs Follow CAS Decree

Crystal Palace's victory in the 2024/2025 FA Cup was in vain because UEFA was banned from appearing in the Europa League (Instagram/@cpfc).

JAKARTA - Crystal Palace claims sport achievements are considered meaningless following UEFA's decision to field them from the Europa League to the UEFA Conference League following the rejection of an appeal at the Sports Arbitration Court (CAS).

In a statement, the club confirmed that they would continue to consult with legal counsel, but would compete in the UEFA Conference League.

The 2024/2025 FA Cup winner was sent to the UEFA Conference League by UEFA on July 11, 2025 after establishing that, as of March 1, US businessman John Textor has control or influence at Crystal Palace and Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon).

On Monday (11 August 2025), CAS announced that the southern London club lost an appeal to the decision. As a result, Nottingham Forest is expected to take Crystal Palace's place in the Europa League.

"At the time we were supposed to celebrate the victory at Community Shield at Wembley, UEFA's decision and followed by the Sports Court of Arbitration showed that sporting achievement was considered meaningless."

"When we won the FA Cup against Manchester City on a historic day in May 2025, our managers and players got the right to play in the Europa League."

"We have missed that opportunity. It seems that certain clubs, organizations, and individuals have unique privileges and power."

"This growing and unhealthy influence has shattered the hopes and dreams of Crystal Palace supporters."

"This is not a good sign for ambitious teams across Europe competing to advance when rules and sanctions are implemented unevenly in the most striking way," Crystal Palace said in a statement.

Crystal Palace qualified for the Europa League as the FA Cup winner in May 2025. However, seven days later, Paris Saint-Germain's victory in the French Cup final (Coupe de France) saw Lyon move up from the UEFA Conference League to the Europa League.

If two clubs violate the MCO (Multi-club Ownership) regulations, a team that finishes higher in the league will be a priority.

Even though Palace (the 12th place in the Premier League) won the FA and Lyon Cups (the sixth place) only escaped for technical reasons, it was the league rankings that determined the right to play.

It all depends on Textor's share ownership, through Eagle Football Holdings Limited, which owns controlling shares in Lyon and 43.9 percent of shares in Crystal Palace.

The Premier League club argued that Textor had no votes in Palace management, but regulations regarding decisive influences prohibit any party from holding more than 30 percent of total share ownership in more than one club in the same tournament (Europe).

Textor last month completed the sale of his Crystal Palace stake to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, but UEFA rules are dictated by the club's situation as of March 1, 2025.

Crystal Palace has always insisted that they are not part of a multi-club operation.

"The multi-club structure hiding behind the role of a 'blind guardian' while clubs like us, who have no relationship with other clubs, are prohibited from playing in the same competition."

"To exacerbate injustice, clubs that seem to have very large informal agreements with each other are also allowed to participate and may even compete against each other."

"While we respect CAS tribunal members, this process is designed to be very restrictive. In our case, it makes it almost impossible to get a fair trial."

"The rejection of all requests for disclosure to obtain a correspondence between related parties, the refusal to allow testimony from those involved, and the lack of formality and respect for law in general means that decisions cannot be properly sued, leading to predetermined results."

"The UEFA decision has broader implications for sports governance. The combination of poorly drafted regulations and its uneven implementation."

"This means that our supporters will miss the opportunity to watch this team compete in the Europa League for the first time in our history."

"This should be a turning point for football. UEFA must fulfill its mandate to pass coherent rules, communicate, and apply properly, with a reasonable recovery period to resolve consistent uncertainties and sanctions, as well as treat all clubs equally through appropriate appeals."

"The European Court has confirmed that similar decisions will be monitored more closely by future national courts."

"Only then will justice and legal proceedings be given to each team. Although we continue to consult with the law for the next steps, we will compete in the UEFA Conference League with the same determination and determination to win, which is the hallmark of this extraordinary club," said Crystal Palace again.