Crystal Palace have been demoted from next season’s UEFA Europa League to the UEFA Europa Conference League after breaching UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations.
The decision follows an investigation by European football’s governing body, which found that American businessman John Textor, who owns a significant stake in Palace, is also the majority shareholder of French club Olympique Lyonnais. Both clubs had qualified for the Europa League, prompting a conflict under UEFA rules.
UEFA regulations prohibit two clubs under the decisive influence of the same individual or entity from participating in the same European competition. Palace failed to meet the 1 March 2025 deadline set by UEFA to restructure ownership arrangements and resolve the conflict.
While Crystal Palace insisted that Textor does not exert decisive control over the club, UEFA rejected that argument.
As a result, Palace will now compete in the Europa Conference League next season, while Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League, could be offered Palace’s Europa League spot, pending final confirmation.
The London club has the option to appeal UEFA’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and they are reportedly preparing to do so.
This ruling comes as part of UEFA’s broader crackdown on multi-club ownership models that threaten the integrity and fairness of European competitions.
