Crystal Palace say “sporting merit is rendered meaningless” after losing an appeal to remain in the Europa League.
Crystal Palace have condemned UEFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after losing their appeal against demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League.
The FA Cup winners qualified for Europe’s secondary competition but were punished for breaching multi-club ownership rules. CAS upheld UEFA’s decision, ruling that former shareholder John Textor still held “decisive influence” over Palace and Lyon at the time of assessment.
In a statement, Palace said it was “almost impossible to receive a fair hearing” and that “sporting merit is rendered meaningless.” The club accused UEFA of allowing certain teams “unique privilege and power” while treating others unfairly.
Palace had missed a March 2025 deadline to restructure ownership. Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League, will take their Europa League place.
The club vowed to “continue to take legal advice on the next steps” and urged UEFA to apply rules consistently. They will face either Fredrikstad or Midtjylland in the Conference League play-off round later this month.