FA Cup winner Crystal Palace ultimately dismisses CAS as UECL
Aug 12, 2025
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The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), an independent body that mediates sports-related disputes, officially announced on the 12th (Korea time) that it had dismissed Crystal Palace's complaint. CAS said in a statement that `After reviewing the evidence, Eagle Football Holdings founder John Textor held stakes in both Crystal Palace and Lyon at the time of UEFA evaluation and was a decisive member of the board of directors in both clubs.'
As a result, Crystal Palace will play in the UEFA Conference League, and Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the English Premier League (EPL) last season, will play in the Europa League in the 2025-2026 season. The UEFA club competition is at the top of the European Champions League, followed by the Europa League and the Conference League.
Crystal Palace won the FA Cup for the first time in 120 years last season. The FA Cup winners will be given the right to play in the Europa League.
But the joy is also brief. The UEFA Club Finance Authority (CFCB) decided last month that Crystal Palace should participate in a lower conference league, not the Europa League, for violating the `multiple club ownership rules.' UEFA explained that U.S. businessman John Textor is the majority shareholder of Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyon (France), saying, `If two teams participate in the same tournament at the same time, there will be a conflict of interest.' Textor owned a 43% stake in the club before selling its stake in Crystal Palace in June, and is also Lyon's largest shareholder.
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Crispal Palace then filed a complaint with CAS against UEFA, Nottingham and Lyon clubs and asked for arbitration. Crystal Palace argued in its closing arguments last week that the deadline for compliance with multiple club ownership rules on March 1 was not consistently applied, saying 'Dexter did not have a decisive influence on the club in practice' 'The clubs of the European Club Association (ECA) have received special assistance in avoiding violations of regulations' also presented e-mail evidence.
However, CAS did not accept Palace's claim. CAS explained 'UEFA regulations are clear and do not provide flexibility for clubs that violate the regulations at the time of evaluation'
Crystal Palace won the previous day's Community Shield against EPL champion Liverpool at Wembley Stadium in London. Crystal Palace, who won the penalty shootout 3-2 after a 2-2 draw in the first 90 minutes of the second half, got off to a good start to the season, lifting the trophy for the first time in history. However, he bowed his head as the relegation to the conference league was confirmed in a day.
Crystal Palace will face either Norwegian Fredrikstad or Danish Mitwillan in the playoffs. Game 1 will be held at Selhurst Park on the 21st. The conference league draw will be held on the 29th, and the finals will begin on October 2.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
