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UEFA Excludes Club from European Play as Crystal Palace Awaits Decision
UEFA has excluded a club from participating in next season’s European competitions, while Crystal Palace is still awaiting the outcome of their own case.
Crystal Palace may face consequences for possibly violating UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, due to the involvement of majority shareholder John Textor, who also controls French club Lyon.
Both Palace and Lyon secured spots in next season’s Europa League. According to The Times, Palace presented their defense at a UEFA summit, stating that Textor holds only 25% of the voting rights—below UEFA’s 30% threshold that defines “decisive influence.”
Palace also emphasized that there is no operational connection between the two clubs—no shared ownership structure, facilities, or data exchange.
While a final ruling is still pending, if Palace are excluded, Nottingham Forest—who submitted a letter to UEFA expressing their concerns—would take their Europa League spot.
Separately, Irish side Drogheda United has been informed they will not be allowed to compete in the Conference League. The club is owned by the Trivela Group, which also owns Danish side Silkeborg IF. Both clubs earned their European spots by winning domestic cup titles.
Silkeborg finished 7th in the Danish league, and Drogheda ended 9th in the League of Ireland Premier Division.
Drogheda expressed deep disappointment over UEFA’s ruling, criticizing what they see as inconsistent application and communication of new ownership regulations introduced this year. The club plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
They stated:
“We’re doing everything we can to ensure our players, fans, and community don’t lose their chance to play in Europe. We’ve been working with UEFA for months, offering changes to our ownership structure, trust arrangements, and more—following established precedents—but all were rejected.”
