Palace Stung by UEFA Ruling as Europa League Dream Hits a Wall
So here we go again.
For the second time in club history, Crystal Palace find themselves on the wrong end of a European football technicality — this time courtesy of UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations. After lifting the FA Cup back in May — their first major trophy — Palace should’ve been preparing for Europa League nights. Instead, they’re staring down the third-tier Conference League, while Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the league, now sit in pole position to take their place.
UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) ruled that Palace — due to their ties with Lyon via Eagle Football — breached Article 5 of the multi-club ownership rules. And while Palace intend to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), time’s ticking, and the Europa League draw won’t wait forever.
The Ruling That Shook Selhurst
At the heart of the issue is John Textor and his Eagle Football group, which holds a 43% stake in Palace and also controls Lyon — who qualified for Europe via Ligue 1. Textor agreed to sell his stake in Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson back in June, but UEFA didn’t believe the change happened soon enough to meet their criteria.
Palace made their case to UEFA on June 3. It didn’t land. Even after Lyon’s appeal against Ligue 2 relegation was successful — which was itself a messy subplot — UEFA didn’t budge. Lyon are in. Palace, as it stands, are out.
UEFA pointed to unclear evidence of decisive influence — a key phrase in the regulations that defines control not by formality, but by how it appears. The CFCB said that as of March 1, 2025, the influence from Eagle and Textor was still active. That’s their line. And it’s one Palace now have to fight in court.
A Familiar Pain for Palace
Palace missed out on Europe once before. In 1991, they finished third in the old First Division, but UEFA gave the UEFA Cup spot to Liverpool after lifting their post-Heysel ban at the last minute.
Fast forward to 2025, and history has repeated itself — in new colors. It’s not a ban this time, just a bureaucratic freeze-out wrapped in modern football’s growing discomfort with multi-club ownership models. The result, however, feels just as deflating.
Palace may not have operated like a full-blown multi-club project — Steve Parish has never been shy about pushing back on that concept — but they got caught up in one all the same. Even though the club never functioned like Lyon’s sibling, UEFA wasn’t satisfied that there was enough daylight between the two.
Textor Out, But the Fallout Remains
The irony is thick. Textor’s on his way out, the deal with Woody Johnson is nearly done, and yet that wasn’t enough to clear Palace’s name. Johnson still has to pass the Premier League’s owners and directors test, which takes time — something UEFA didn’t have the luxury to wait for.
So what happens now? Unless CAS overturns the ruling (which would be a first in this kind of case), Forest will take the Europa League spot while UEFA places Palace in the Conference League — a solid competition, but not the one they earned.
A Sense of Injustice
Make no mistake, this one stings. Palace didn’t just qualify by league standing — they earned it the hard way, by knocking off Manchester City in the FA Cup Final. That should’ve been a statement moment. A turning point. Instead, paperwork, ownership structures, and UEFA’s tightening grip on European football overshadow it.
UEFA seems less focused on competitive integrity and more determined to project control over an increasingly tangled club landscape. But the collateral damage? A club that did everything right on the pitch now finds itself on the outside looking in.
Palace will appeal, as they should. And they might win. But even if they do, the joy of that FA Cup win has already been dulled by the politics of the modern game.
And that’s the real shame.
