CAS affirms Crystal Palace’s demotion to Conference League, Nottingham Forest to play in Europa League
Crystal Palace will play in the UEFA Conference League this season after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld UEFA’s decision to demote them from the Europa League.
The club, which recently won the FA Cup and beat Liverpool to claim the Community Shield, had appealed the ruling but lost the case.
UEFA initially demoted Palace on July 11, citing a conflict with their multi-club ownership rules. This was due to American businessman John Textor’s control or influence at both Palace and French club Lyon as of March 1.
Following an appeal by Palace, Chairman Steve Parish attended a 10-hour hearing with three CAS judges in Lausanne. However, the appeal was unsuccessful, and the club is now considering its legal options.
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As a result of the ruling, Nottingham Forest will take Palace’s place in the Europa League. Forest is set to play Palace in their first home league game on August 24.
CAS’s official statement outlined their reasoning for the decision:
“The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal by Crystal Palace FC (CPFC) against UEFA, Nottingham Forest FC and Olympique Lyonnais (OL) concerning a decision by UEFA to remove CPFC from the UEFA Europa League 2025/2026 due to a breach of UEFA multi club ownership regulations. As a result, CPFC will be admitted to compete in the UEFA Conference League 2025/2026.”
The statement continued, explaining that Palace’s appeal sought to annul the July 11 decision and have the club readmitted to the Europa League, with either Nottingham Forest or Lyon’s admission rejected.
The panel found that Textor, as the founder of Eagle Football Holdings, “had shares in CPFC and OL and was a Board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA’s assessment date.”
CAS also dismissed Palace’s argument that they were treated unfairly compared to Nottingham Forest and Lyon, stating, “The Panel considered that the UEFA Regulations are clear and do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date, as CPFC claimed.”
The ruling was an “expedited procedure,” with the decision delivered just over two weeks after the appeal was filed. A full report with the grounds for the decision will be made public later unless the parties request confidentiality.
It has been reported by Sky Sports that Textor has since sold his stake in Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.
Speaking after the Community Shield victory, Palace chairman Steve Parish had anticipated the possibility of a negative outcome and stated the club would explore further options. “If we don’t get the right outcome, then we will have to look if there’s any steps after that,” Parish said.
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