The Ligue 1 side had also earned a place in the Europa League after finishing sixth in the table. The Premier League club will have their appeal heard in Lausanne on Friday, in front of a three-person panel at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
According to the Mail, Palace’s lawyers will argue that the authorities have unfairly singled them out. They are also set to cite examples of other clubs that fall under the banner of multi-club ownership, most notably City.
Nottingham Forest, who have taken the place of Palace in the Europa League, and Barcelona are also set to be used in their argument. Last season, when it looked like a possibility that Forest and Olympiacos, both owned by Evangelos Marinakis, could qualify for the Champions League, Marinakis temporarily relinquished control of the club
Palace will reportedly argue that he was advised to do so by the European Club Association. The organisation is an independent body which represents more than 700 clubs, but unlike Forest, that doesn’t include the London outfit.
To further complicate the issue, the draw for the Europa Conference League play-off round has already taken place. Palace are scheduled to play Norwegian side Fredrikstad or Midtjylland of Denmark.
The first leg of that tie is scheduled for Wednesday, August 21, with the return match seven days later. It will be the club’s first-ever European tie in their 164-year history.