Nottingham Forest would’ve felt a hint of disappointment after qualifying for the UEFA Conference League, but there is now a chance of a shock Europa League upgrade.
Qualifying for European competition for the first time in 30 years, the Forest players are optimistic about the Conference League, given the previous success of English clubs in the competition.
Forest are clearly taking the competition seriously as Evangelos Marinakis will invest in the squad to give Nuno Espírito Santo the best chance of going far in Europe.
However, these plans may be changed slightly as Crystal Palace, who qualified for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup, are at risk of dropping out of the UEFA tournament.
Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images
Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images
How Nottingham Forest could be impacted by Crystal Palace’s Europa League issues
If Forest had beaten Chelsea at the City Ground on the final day of the season, they would’ve qualified for the Europa League through finishing sixth.
Due to UEFA rules, though, there looks to be a chance that Forest could be promoted into the stronger competition due to issues surrounding Palace’s ownership structure.
According to talkSPORT: “UEFA has rejected proposals from Palace shareholders John Textor and David Blitzer to place their shares in the club into a blind trust so the Eagles can compete in the Europa League.
“[…]The Eagles’ position in the Europa League was placed under a cloud of uncertainty due to Textor, who is Palace’s largest shareholder and also the majority owner of French club Lyon, who will also take part in the tournament next season.
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“[…]Should UEFA make a final ruling that Palace cannot compete in the Europa League, it could mean Forest are promoted from the Conference League to take their spot.”
Perhaps an unsavoury way to gain an advantage, Forest would, of course, be delighted to compete in the Europa League if Palace cannot find a way to negotiate with UEFA.
The issue at hand may sound familiar to Forest fans, as Marinakis was smart enough to plan ahead to avoid the very same problem potentially arising.
Evangelos Marinakis planned ahead to avoid UEFA rule breaches
Back in April, it was announced that Marinakis had suspended his involvement in Forest in what now looks to be an incredibly wise piece of planning.
Olympiacos looked certain to qualify for the Champions League, and Forest were still in the mix too, so the clubs would’ve run into the very same position that Palace find themselves in if Forest finished in the top five.
Of course, without Champions League qualification, Marinakis can take back control of Forest without any worries, but this ability to think ahead will undoubtedly be useful once more down the line as Forest and Olympiacos continue to compete for Continental qualification.