One of the English Premier League teams, Crystal Palace Football Club, is facing a significant impact. Then, on July 11, UEFA relegated them further down from the Europa League to the Conference League. UEFA took a strong stance after determining that John Textor, the owner of Eagle Football, was controlling or influencing both Crystal Palace and French side Lyon as of March 1. This calculation informed their recent rulemaking undertaking. The club’s failure to meet the federation’s deadline for changing its ownership structure resulted in this draconian decision. Palace chairman Steve Parish at the time described the demotion as “one of the greatest injustices” in European football history. He is very much opposed to UEFA’s understanding of the matter.
The club is currently appealing UEFA’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). They think they still have very, very good evidence that will win the day for their case. Crystal Palace will be looking to retake their place in the Europa League. Right now, that position is occupied by Nottingham Forest, per UEFA’s distribution. Eintracht Frankfurt Boss Oliver Glasner has huge faith in the German side’s appeal, and the thoughts and prayers are looking good for a happy outcome.
The Basis for Demotion
UEFA’s ruling against Crystal Palace centered on John Textor’s influence over both the club and Lyon. Under UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules, clubs owned by the same entity are required to operate in a way that avoids any conflict of interests. Crystal Palace officials insist that is not the case regarding the accusations that Textor has acquired complete control of their operations.
Parish strongly rejected any suggestion that Crystal Palace and Lyon are included in a multi-club ownership model. He referred to the rule that led to their demotion a “crazy rule.” He added that there are no staff, players, loans, or financial dealings in common between the two teams.
“Obviously, as everybody knows, John or anybody at Eagle Football didn’t have decisive influence over Crystal Palace. Everybody knows this. Everybody knows we’re not part of a multi-club ownership.” – Source not specified
Additionally, Parish pointed out the bigger repercussions for football clubs, warning that this decision could lead to a disastrous precedent. He stressed the need for there not to be deterrents for clubs who are successful enough to qualify for more prestigious competitions. He dubbed it “the most absurd technicality.”
“I don’t think UEFA want to see this. Clubs that rightfully qualify for a competition being locked out of that competition on the most ridiculous technicality that you could imagine.” – Source not specified
Supporters’ Reaction and Club Position
Parish told Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol, in an exclusive interview, that he was deeply concerned for the backers. He stressed that the impending demotion concerns more than just the club’s $2 million valuation, but its dedicated fans. He stated, “We’re devastated for, most importantly, the supporters. I think the supporters of all clubs should be devastated for us because this is the dream.”
With considerable support from their stakeholders and fans, Crystal Palace is determined to pursue all possible avenues to overturn UEFA’s decision. The club has already begun to look ahead to next season’s Conference League matches. They’re working in earnest to promote that charm.
Next Steps and Future Competitions
Crystal Palace would be the first to hear from CAS that their appeal was successful. In the meantime, they’ll face either Norwegian club Fredrikstad or Danish side FC Midtjylland in the first round of a new international cup competition. Though the immediate future may seem daunting, Glasner is positive about their chances on both fronts.
Ringelheim went on to say that the club is dedicated to seeing that justice is served through their full and fair appeal process. The CAS hearing will be an important opportunity for Crystal Palace to make their case to CAS and challenge UEFA’s decision.
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