The back and forth is over. It is now clear which international competition FA Cup winners Crystal Palace and Ligue 1 representatives Lyon will play in next season.
Crystal Palace won the FA Cup for the first time in its long history last season, thereby securing a ticket to the Europa League – or so it seemed. However, because Olympique Lyon had also qualified for the competition via Ligue 1, coach Oliver Glasner’s team was threatened with losing its right to participate until the very last minute.
John Textor is not only co-owner of Palace, but until recently he was also in charge at OL. And according to UEFA regulations, for reasons of sporting integrity, two or more clubs controlled by the same entity are not allowed to compete in the same competition. The team with the lower league position always loses out – in this case, Palace.
This is now the case, with UEFA announcing its decision on Friday evening. Crystal Palace has been stripped of its right to compete in the Europa League, but the Eagles will be allowed to participate in the Conference League. This is a first for the traditional London club, which has never before competed in a European cup competition.
According to UEFA, the association’s first financial control chamber concluded that the clubs had violated the criteria for owning multiple clubs set out in Article 5.01 of the UEFA Club Competition Regulations as of March 1, 2025.
EL admission for OL accepted
For this reason and “in accordance with the provisions of Articles 5.02, 5.03 and 5.04 of the UEFA Club Competition Regulations,” it was decided to accept Lyon’s admission to the Europa League. At the same time, Palace’s admission was rejected, but accepted for the Conference League.
Nottingham Forest, which finished seventh in the Premier League and had originally qualified for the Conference League, could now benefit and replace Palace in the Europa League.
However, this decision may be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in accordance with Articles 62 and 63 of the UEFA Statutes. There was no immediate comment from the two clubs, but according to The Athletic, the Eagles are planning to take the case to the CAS.
