Crystal Palace has announced it is seeking legal advice following the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) decision to uphold UEFA’s ruling demoting the club from the Europa League to the UEFA Conference League.
The dispute centers on UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations. On March 1, the date of regulatory assessment, U.S. businessman John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings held majority ownership of Olympique Lyonnaianother Europa League qualifier and also maintained a stake in Crystal Palace. Under UEFA rules, two clubs with shared ownership cannot compete in the same UEFA competition.
Although Eagle Football has since divested its stake in Crystal Palace, CAS on Monday dismissed the club’s appeal and rejected its argument that UEFA had applied the rules inconsistently, particularly in comparison to Lyon and Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest has since replaced Palace in the Europa League draw.
In a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, Crystal Palace said the decisions from UEFA and CAS had undermined the integrity of competition:
“The decision by UEFA, and upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, shows that sporting merit is rendered meaningless,” the club said.
“It appears that certain clubs, organisations and individuals have a unique privilege and power. While we respect the CAS tribunal members, the process is designed to severely restrict and, in our case, make it almost impossible to receive a fair hearing.”
Palace, who qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup, said the ruling denies their fans a historic opportunity.
“A combination of poorly conceived regulations and their unequal application means our brilliant fans will be deprived of the chance to watch this team compete in the Europa League for the first time in our history,” the statement added.
Also Read: Crystal Palace Edge Liverpool 3-2 to Claim Community Shield Glory
In response, CAS issued a statement clarifying that no objections were raised by either party at the time of the hearing:
“CAS rules are long-standing and designed to ensure fairness in the sporting world. All parties on 8 August 2025 were given a formal opportunity to raise any concern about the running of the process. No objections were raised to state that the right to a fair hearing was not respected,” CAS said.
UEFA has not yet commented on the matter.
Crystal Palace also referenced a recent European Court of Justice ruling that allows national courts to conduct in-depth reviews of CAS rulings for compliance with EU law. The club said this could bring much-needed oversight to sports arbitration:
“Only then will fairness and due process be granted to every team.”
Despite the disappointment, the club confirmed it will participate in the Conference League and is continuing to explore its legal options.
Palace are set to compete in the Conference League qualifying playoff round later this month. On Sunday, they secured their first major silverware of the season by defeating Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties to win the Community Shield.
