Crystal Palace may still be banned from competing in the Europa League as a new report has revealed details of the UEFA rule that has been breached.
Despite securing qualification for the 2025/26 Europa League after winning their first ever major trophy in a historic FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May, recent reports suggested they may not be permitted to compete.
The London club were in danger of breaching multi-club ownership regulations as majority shareholder John Textor also held a controlling stake in Ligue 1 side Lyon, who have also qualified for next season’s Europa League.
However, after it was revealed that Textor had sold his 43 per cent shares in Crystal Palace, it was widely believed that this issue was resolved and the Eagles would be fighting in Europe later this year.
But a new bombshell report has revealed that this may not be the case, due to one strict UEFA rule.
Crystal Palace won the FA Cup trophy last month (Image: Getty)
Reports on Monday confirmed that Textor had agreed to sell all of his shares to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson in a deal worth more than £190million, seemingly removing any obstacle to their participation in the Europa League next season.
But, according to a report from The Times, this may not be the case as UEFA’s official multi-club ownership rules state that clubs must meet the eligibility criteria by a deadline of 1 March 2025, nearly four months prior to Textor’s sale.
UEFA’s rules state: “To ensure the integrity of the Uefa club competitions, the club must be able to prove that as at 1 March 2025 the… multi-club ownership criteria were met and the club must continue to comply with the criteria from that date until the end of the competition season.”
John Textor sold his 43 percent stake in Crystal Palace to Woody Johnson for £190m. (Credit:Getty)
Palace will have to wait until Friday to learn their fate as their potential particiapting in the Europa League will be decided at a meeting of UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body.
It remains possible that Palace could be forced to drop down to the Europa Conference League, dealing a huge blow to the club’s income.
If this were to happen, it is almost certain that the Premier League side would hallenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
On the other hand, if Palace are permitted to play in the Europa League, then Nottingham Forest, who would take Palace’s spot in the the competition, will argue to CAS that UEFA’s laws have not been followed.
