Crystal Palace have lost their legal battle to retain their place in the Europa League after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed their appeal against UEFA’s multi-club ownership (MCO) ruling.
The Premier League side earned Europa League qualification by winning the FA Cup in May 2025. But UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body ruled that the club breached MCO regulations due to the shareholding of American businessman John Textor.
At the time, Textor owned a controlling stake in French side Lyon and 43.9% of Palace, a level of influence prohibited under UEFA rules when two clubs qualify for the same competition.
Both Lyon and Palace had secured Europa League spots, but under the regulations, the club finishing higher in its domestic league keeps its place.
Lyon’s sixth-place Ligue 1 finish saw them remain in the competition, while Palace, who ended 12th in the Premier League, were relegated to the UEFA Conference League.
CAS heard Palace’s case in Lausanne on Friday, August 8, 2025, where chairman Steve Parish argued the decision was unjust and that Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the league, should not benefit.
Palace also contested Lyon’s participation, but all three grounds of appeal were rejected.
Nottingham Forest, who reported Palace to UEFA earlier this year, will now step up to the Europa League, while Palace will enter the Conference League playoff round later this month, facing the losers of the Europa League qualifier between Fredrikstad and FC Midtjylland.
Although Textor has since sold his Palace stake to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, UEFA based its ruling on club ownership status as of March 1, 2025, when the deadline for compliance passed.
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