Textor owns a chunk of Palaceplaceholder image
Textor owns a chunk of Palace | AFP via Getty Images
Crystal Palace will be worried to see another club get expelled from European competition.
Crystal Palace will be sweating over UEFA’s pending decision on their Europa League participation for next season after an Irish club were booted out of the Europa Conference League due to ownership rules. The Eagles secured qualification to the Europa League after winning the FA Cup, and it would be their first ever experience of competing in a European competition that requires qualification.
But their appearance in UEFA’s second-biggest club competition has been left in doubt due to rules surrounding multi-club ownership. Unless sufficient evidence is received to prove there is no link between clubs, UEFA don’t allow two clubs with the same owners to compete in the same competition.
Palace part-owner John Textor also owns Olympique Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League through their league position. Textor owns Eagle Football, which owns 43% of Palace, while the same group owns 77% of Lyon.
Palace and Lyon must prove they are operated completely independently, or at least will be during their participation in next season’s competition, and there is some cause for optimism, with Aston Villa, Manchester City and Manchester United having previously managed to prove their eligibility under the current multi-club ownership rules.
But in the meantime, Irish club Drogheda United have been kicked out of the Conference League due to incompatibility with the rules. Their ineligibility is due to US-based Trivela Group also owning Danish side Silkeborg. In that case, Trivela own the entirety of Drogheda and 80% of the Danish club, so it is a controlling majority for both clubs, which is not the case for Palace. Drogheda have been eliminated because Silkeborg are the higher ranked team, meaning they get priority.
Drogheda posted in a statement: “We strongly disagree with this decision, and had hoped and believed that the principles of fairness and common sense would prevail. After months of engagement, constructive dialogue, countless hours of legal preparation, and multiple proposals based on frameworks that have been accepted in the past, we have come up short.
"Despite genuine and vocal support across the football world, the ruling did not fall in our favour. We are heartbroken by the outcome." Rules should protect opportunity, not prevent it. Especially for community-driven clubs like ours who fight every day to punch above their weight.
"Nevertheless, we accept responsibility. And we're sorry. But while we are saddened, we are also emboldened. We will not let this setback define us. Instead, we will use it as fuel. Our club has never been handed anything and we've earned every inch through grit, resilience, and unity. And we will continue to do so."
As the lower-ranked team, Palace are at risk over Lyon, but given Textor’s group doesn’t have a majority at Selhurst Park, the Eagles will be hoping they can prove that there is no conflict, allowing them to compete in Europe next season. A decision from UEFA is likely to come in the coming weeks as planning for the new season ramps up and qualification campaigns are arranged.
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