Lyon was relegated to Ligue 2 by French football officials over financial problems, jeopardizing their Europa League qualification.
After challenging the ruling, Lyon won their case on Wednesday, as reported by French outlet L’Équipe following a Paris hearing. ..Continue Reading
Having placed sixth last season before being demoted, Lyon will probably retain their Europa League spot — possibly pushing out Crystal Palace.
Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail reports that Palace could be dropped from the Europa League to the Conference League over an alleged violation of UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership.
A Times article notes that UEFA regulations require clubs to comply with ownership criteria by March 1, 2025 — nearly four months ahead of Textor’s planned sale.
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UEFA regulation states: “To ensure the integrity of the Uefa club competitions, the club must be able to prove that as at 1 March 2025 the… multi-club ownership criteria were met and the club must continue to comply with the criteria from that date until the end of the competition season.”
UEFA has the final say on Crystal Palace’s European future, with a verdict expected by the end of this week following a delay caused by the pending outcome of Lyon’s appeal.
According to The Guardian, insiders have revealed that the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) is set to determine Palace’s European fate in the coming days.
At present, the general belief is that Palace will be relegated to the third tier of European football — the Europa Conference League — a scenario without precedent given the competition’s recent introduction in 2021.
Should that occur, Nottingham Forest would likely step into Palace’s spot in the Europa League, joining Aston Villa as another English participant.
However, Palace is expected to challenge the ruling through the Court of Arbitration for Sport if they are barred from competing.
Last season, Oliver Glasner led the team to a historic milestone by securing their first major trophy — an FA Cup win over Manchester City — which earned them a place in European competition.
Shortly after, reports emerged suggesting Palace could be disqualified from the Europa League due to their co-owner John Textor also holding a majority stake in Lyon, another club that qualified for the same tournament.
Textor is currently negotiating a £190 million ($254 million) sale of his Palace shares to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, though the transaction has yet to be finalized. Despite the sale, there have been continued claims that Palace’s Europa League status remains at risk.
