A verdict on Crystal Palace’s fight to stay in Europe has been delayed – with all eyes now on Lyon’s fight against relegation.
UEFA officials had been set to deliver a verdict on Monday on whether Palace would be permitted to take part in next season’s Europa League amid concerns they had breached the competition’s rules on multi-club ownership.
However, a statement released this morning by UEFA says the decision has been postponed, with an agreement to be ‘communicated in due course’. The issue relates to the involvement of US businessman John Textor, whose company Eagle Football Holdings, held a 43 per cent stake in Palace.
Textor is also the majority owner of Lyon, who qualified for the same competition. Rules do not allow clubs under the same group to participate in the same competition.
Textor has since agreed to sell his stake in Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, although whether that will be enough to satisfy UEFA remained to be seen. Under the rules, Lyon would have taken the spot given they finished 6th in their domestic competition compared to Palace’s 12th.
However, officials in France have decided to demote Lyon, thanks to breaches of their financial rules. Lyon have appealed, but should the demotion stand then Palace will be given the green light.
UEFA are now awaiting that verdict before handing down their own decision. Earlier today, Textor revealed that he was stepping away from day-to-day duties at Lyon to focus on other clubs within his group. Michele Kang, owner of the London City Lionesses and Washington Spirit as well as OL Lyonnes, Lyon’s women’s team, has been appointed as chair and president at the club as a whole. It is thought the restructure is aimed at appeasing French officials.
A UEFA spokesperson said: ‘The CFCB First Chamber has decided to postpone its assessment of the multi-club ownership case involving Olympique Lyonnais and Crystal Palace.
‘This postponement relates to Olympique Lyonnais’ compliance with the settlement agreement concluded with the CFCB First Chamber for its breach of the financial sustainability requirements. As part of this settlement, Olympique Lyonnais agreed on an exclusion from the 2025/26 UEFA club competitions should the French authority (DNCG) confirm the club’s relegation to Ligue 2.
‘Further details on this multi-club ownership case and this settlement agreement will be communicated in due course.’ Crystal Palace have been contacted for comment.
Earlier this month, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld UEFA’s decision to kick Drogheda United out of the Conference League under multi-club ownership rules.
The Irish side and fellow qualifiers Silkeborg, of Denmark are both owned by the American Trivela Group. Drogheda missed UEFA’s March 1 deadline to make changes to ownership or executive structure to navigate any issues. CAS ruled that the March 1 deadline – also missed by Palace – was fair and had been communicated. Should Lyon be successful in their appeal, CAS’s verdict could spell bad news for Palace.
