Crystal Palace to appeal Europa League demotion to sports court

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish confirmed the club will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after UEFA demoted them from the Europa League to the Conference League.

Palace qualified for Europe by winning the FA Cup final against Manchester City, but UEFA ruled a conflict of interest existed due to former director John Textor’s stake in French club Lyon.

Textor left Palace in July, but UEFA cited ownership rules in place when Palace secured qualification.

“We are still fighting,” Parish told The Rest is Football podcast. “We think we’ve got great legal arguments. We know unequivocally that John didn’t have decisive influence.”

UEFA rules prohibit any owner holding a controlling interest in multiple clubs in the same competition.

(Source: AFP)