Crystal Palace will file an appeal against UEFA after being removed from the Europa League
Crystal Palace has launched an official appeal with the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) after being demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League for violations of UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations.
The appeal is directed at UEFA, which announced the sanctions, and Nottingham Forest, a rival to French Said Lyon and Premier League.
The issue centers around American businessman John Text. John Text holds stakes in the palace and is also the owner of the majority of Lyon, a club that also played in the Europa League next season.
Under UEFA rules, clubs with shared ownership, which are deemed to have a critical influence, are prohibited from competing in the same European competition.
As it stands, Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, is lined up to win Palace’s Europa League location if the decision is supported.
However, the palace is pushing for the penalty to be overturned, asking the CAS to override the UEFA ruling. They are also seeking a recovery into the Europa League in place of Forest or Lyon.
Crystal Palace filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration of Sports.
This appeal is against UEFA, French Crab Lyon and Nottingham Forest. pic.twitter.com/yuir9effiy
– The match of the day (@bbcmotd) July 22, 2025
UEFA’s club financial management agency informed the original sanctions after determining that the palace had failed to rebuild its ownership in time.
The deadline for providing evidence of compliance with UEFA ownership rules was March 1, 2025. This is something the South London Club did not meet. The Palace argued that the text did not have a “decisive influence” on the operation, but UEFA rejected the claim.
With the rest of the comments being made on last week’s football podcast, Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish expressed confidence in the appeal.
“We know clearly that John (Textal) had no decisive impact on the club,” he said. “We know that we have proved it beyond all reasonable doubt because it is true.”
The verdict from the CAS is expected by August 11th, with the Europa League group stages scheduled to begin on September 24th.