The Eagles were removed from the competition due to multi-club ownership rules and American businessman John Textor’s ownership stakes in both Palace (43%) and Lyon (77%), with both clubs qualifying for the Europa League.

UEFA’s rules prohibit clubs with significant shared ownership from competing in the same European competition, and Palace missed a March 1st, 2025, deadline to prove restructuring.

Despite Palace’s argument that Textor has no decisive influence and the clubs operate independently, UEFA demoted Palace to the Conference League.

Lyon, who finished higher in Ligue 1, took precedence. The issue was complicated by Textor’s incomplete sale of his Palace stake and his resignation from Lyon’s leadership, alongside Lyon’s successful appeal against Ligue 1 relegation.

Nottingham Forest are now expected to replace Palace in the Europa League.

Parish says he plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, calling the decision “ludicrous.”

Fabrizio Romano states that Crystal Palace owners and directors are converging on New York for an emergency meeting tonight to discuss next steps.

They believe their rightful place is in the Europa League and will fight to convince UEFA that they should still be allowed to play in the tournament.

STATEMENT:

Crystal Palace F.C. are extremely dismayed by UEFA’s decision to exclude the club from the Europa League.

It’s clear for everyone to see that we are not part of a multi-club operation and never have been. Further with the completion of the sale of Eagle football’s shareholding to Woody Johnson there will be zero possibility of a conflict of interest once the competition begins.

We will continue to press our case and work with UEFA to achieve the fair and just outcome so that we may take our rightful place in the Europa League, as well as taking legal advice to consider our options, including an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

“Obviously we’re devastated,” he told Sky Sports News in an exclusive interview. “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.

“You win a cup, actually win something for the first time in your history. Somebody said to me it’s like winning the lottery, going to the counter and you don’t get the prize.

“I’m devastated for the players, for the fans, for the staff. It’s a bad day for football.

“I think most right-minded football fans will see what a terrible injustice this is for the football club, one that I dearly hope somebody can remedy because I do believe that nobody in football wants to see this.

“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.

“We will appeal. I don’t want to prejudge [whether they’d win]. When I say we’ll appeal, we’re looking at all of the options at the moment. That obviously is one option. What we would much prefer is if somebody intervened in this process.

“We believe it’s possible for Mr Ceferin or somebody to do that. There are a number of really important points that people need to consider.

“First of all, from what I can see, there’s no other rule around the licence that has a deadline. There are people still resolving their issues now, as we know. People who have to put money into bank accounts by next week and will have a test next week. So the date in itself seems an incongruous thing to do.

“Secondly, this is a rule we can’t comply with. A rule has been created that’s impossible for the majority owners of Crystal Palace to comply with. A minority shareholder needed to either sell or place their shares in trust. We had no power to compel them to do that.

“That part alone is completely incongruous. How can you pass a rule and sanction a club for a rule they couldn’t comply with?

“Obviously, as everybody knows, John or anybody at Eagle Football [Textor’s company] didn’t have decisive influence over Crystal Palace. Everybody knows this. Everybody knows we’re not part of a multi-club [ownership]. Everybody knows we have no staff, no players from Lyon, no loans, no transactions.

“We’ve caught a tripwire. We’re caught up in a rule that wasn’t put there for us.

“It will change. Nobody’s going to stick with this rule. It’s a crazy rule. I don’t understand why the panel have come to the conclusion they’ve come to.

“We’ve proved to them beyond all reasonable doubt that John didn’t have decisive influence over anything to do with the football club, yet still they’ve come up with this decision, which seems incongruous.

“It’s such an incredible travesty of justice, something every football fan should be worried about when teams with the same name have played in these competitions.

“Either you have these multi-clubs or you ban them. They need to find a way through this. But notwithstanding that, we were never part of one. As everybody knows my position on them, I don’t think they’re generally the right thing to do. Other people disagree with me. That’s fine. But we have nothing to do with them.

“There’s a real crossroads here for UEFA to look at. Do they intervene and do the right thing, which is what I think they should do, which is what I think they want to do?

“Or do they let this process play out and see probably one of the greatest injustices that have ever happened in European football?”

“Forest are a fantastic club. They won the league once. Like us, they had a kind of black swan event. They got into the European Cup. They won it and that allowed them to qualify again and win it again. These things have an incredible effect on football teams.

“You get your one shot. This is our one shot at the Europa League in our 164 years.

“I canit believe a football club with that story, that history, very similar to ours, would really want to be a part of taking this away from us. I really don’t.

“A lot of Forest fans have reached out to me and said they don’t want to get access to a tournament this way.”

: Do whatever it takes to solve it as quickly as possible. You should have planned for both competitions however

: Feel for you guys! The whole multi club ownership legislation is a farce due to so many contradictions within the rule-set. Football these days is so difficult for anyone outside the “BIG SIX”. #AVFC #UTV #CPFC #NFFC #UEFA

: Games gone. Whatever happened to that independent body that was going to bring the game back to how it use to be. Rid of these spending rules and var and corruption. Wishing everyone at palace the best. KRO

: Fantastic statement. Well done parish.

: Credit where credit is due, great interview.

: Good on you to fight this! Deserved the spot in the europa league and worked hard to get it I’m sure the football community can celebrate when you finally get justice and win! 💪🏼

: I hope the board know bar that bellend Textor who is thankfully gone. the whole Palace fanbase is behind them. They gave us our first major trophy. Give it your best lads. We’re proud to be Palace. We were yesterday and we are today. What will be will be.

: Steve Parish is the fucking boy, absolutely smashed that interview. If he’s confident im confident.

: The absolute state of football and UEFA decide to make an example of Crystal Palace. Totally grim. An unbelievably bitter pill to swallow.

: We’re Palace and Proud and this outrageous pathetic rule hurts but we won our first Major trophy and still in Europe and have a great manager and outlook. Just need to strengthen and climb the Premier League. Do the double over forest and hopefully see them struggle next season!

: Steve Parish, what a bloke. Spoke absolutely brilliantly, on issues that go far beyond Palace

: Honestly I don’t care if a lot of you don’t like him, or you think just because he follows me I have to like him. I’d go to the trenches with Steve Parish😂👏

@Guymowbray: Just seen Steve Parish interview. Agree with him 100%. Don’t like ‘multi club ownership’ (shouldn’t exist) but as rules are Palace’s status is blatantly obvious. We watch and enjoy games of football, not business transactions. Easy to fall out of love at the moment #cpfc