UEFA Snubbing Crystal Palace’s Europa League Dreams Would Be a Disgrace — Fans Outraged Over Potential Robbery That Could Deny Eagles Their Hard-Earned Spot in European Football
A month ago, Crystal Palace fans were on top of the world. Eberechi Eze had just scored at Wembley, helping the club win their first-ever major trophy — the FA Cup — after a stunning victory over Manchester City. The celebrations were massive, and fans began planning for a dream European adventure in the UEFA Europa League.
But fast-forward four weeks, and Palace’s European hopes hang by a thread — not because of anything they did wrong on the pitch, but due to UEFA’s complex rules on multi-club ownership.
The issue revolves around Palace’s part-owner, John Textor, whose company Eagle Football owns a 43 per cent share in the club. The same company also owns a majority stake in French side Lyon, who finished higher in their domestic league. According to UEFA rules, two clubs under “decisive influence” from the same owner can’t both play in the same European competition. Because Lyon finished higher, it’s Palace that could be forced out — despite qualifying fairly by winning the FA Cup.
Textor and Palace chairman Steve Parish have argued to UEFA that the American investor does not control Palace’s decisions. In fact, Textor only holds 25 per cent of the voting rights and has made it clear he wants to sell his stake in Palace, suggesting the club doesn’t align with his wider football plans. He even admitted last year that his vision of an integrated football model didn’t fit Palace, which is run independently by Parish along with co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer.
There are no joint player loans, sponsorship deals or scouting operations between Palace and Lyon. They are completely separate in their day-to-day operations. UEFA’s decision to go after Palace, a club that has genuinely earned its European place on sporting merit, seems unfair and out of touch.
It’s especially frustrating when one looks at other cases. Manchester City and Girona, both part of the City Football Group, competed in the Champions League last season. Similarly, Red Bull-backed clubs like RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg have often found ways to stay within UEFA’s rules despite far stronger links between their operations.
Nottingham Forest, owned by Evangelos Marinakis, managed to avoid trouble by placing his club shares in a blind trust when it looked like both Forest and his other club Olympiakos might qualify for Europe. It was a move designed to satisfy UEFA’s rules, even though Marinakis was later seen asserting full control at Forest again.
Palace, on the other hand, didn’t make such preparations — not because they were careless, but because no one expected them to win the FA Cup. On the day clubs were required to meet UEFA’s ownership rules, Palace were busy defeating Millwall in the fifth round. It didn’t occur to Parish to ask Textor to step aside.
UEFA’s Article 4 clearly states that clubs must qualify for European competitions on sporting merit. That’s exactly what Crystal Palace did. Denying them a place in the Europa League would not only be deeply unfair — it would be a mockery of football itself.
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