Crystal Palace’s hopes of overturning their demotion from the Europa League to the UEFA Conference League have been dashed after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed their appeal on Monday.
The decision means Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, will take Palace’s spot in the Europa League. Palace, despite winning the Community Shield by defeating Liverpool in a penalty shootout, will now begin their European journey in the Conference League’s qualifying playoff round later this month.
The controversy began when UEFA ruled that Palace could not compete in the Europa League due to ownership conflicts. At the time of UEFA’s assessment, Eagle Football Group, founded by John Textor, was the majority owner of French club Olympique Lyonnais, while Textor also held a controlling stake in Crystal Palace. The panel concluded that Textor’s influence over both clubs breached UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations.
Olympique Lyonnais retained their Europa League place as they finished sixth in Ligue 1, while Palace ended 12th in the Premier League. Nottingham Forest replaced Palace based on their league position, with CAS rejecting Palace’s argument that they were treated unfairly in comparison to Lyon and Forest.
In recent developments, New York Jets co-owner Robert “Woody” Johnson completed the purchase of Eagle Football Holdings’ stake in Palace, and Textor stepped down from Lyon’s board of directors. Michele Kang has since been appointed chairwoman and president of Lyon.
With the ruling finalised, Palace will now shift focus to making a strong impact in the UEFA Conference League while Nottingham Forest prepare for Europa League action.