CRYSTAL PALACE have released a furious statement in the wake of their demotion to the Conference League.The Eagles lost their appeal to be reinstated into the Europa League on Monday, having initially been relegated to Europe’s third-tier competition last month due to multi-club ownership rules.GettyCrystal Palace have released a statement following their Europa League demotion[/caption]UEFA deemed them to have remained part of the same ownership group as Lyon after the March 1 disengagement deadline – despite John Textor, majority owner of Eagle Football Holdings, selling his stake in the South London club.They subsequently submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to get reinstated to the Europa League – but club officials learned on Monday that it was unsuccessful.Crystal Palace have now released a passionate statement in response to the verdict, claiming that some clubs and organisations have a “unique privilege and power” in football.The statement read: “At a time when we should be celebrating our victory in the Community Shield at Wembley, the decision by UEFA and followed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport shows that sporting merit is rendered meaningless.“When we won the FA Cup against Manchester City on that momentous day in May, our manager and players earned the right to play Europa League football.“We have been denied that opportunity.“It appears that certain clubs, organisations and individuals have a unique privilege and power.“This growing and unhealthy influence has shattered the hopes and dreams of Crystal Palace supporters, and does not bode well for aspirational teams all over Europe competing to progress when rules and sanctions are unevenly applied in the most flagrant way.“Multi-club structures hide behind the charade of a ‘blind trust’ while clubs such as ours, who have no connection to another club whatsoever, are prevented from playing in the same competition.“To compound the injustice, clubs that appear to have huge informal arrangements with each other are also allowed to participate and even possibly play against each other.“While we respect the CAS tribunal members, the process is designed to severely restrict and, in our case, make it almost impossible to receive a fair hearing.“The denial of all disclosure requests to obtain correspondence between the relevant parties, the refusal to allow witness testimony from those involved, and the general lack of formality and respect for law mean decisions cannot be properly challenged, leading to pre-determined outcomes.“UEFA’s decision has wider implications for the governance of the sport. A combination of poorly conceived regulations and their unequal application means our brilliant fans will be deprived of the chance to watch this team compete in the Europa League for the first time in our history.“This should be a turning point for football.“UEFA must fulfil its mandate to pass coherent rules which are properly communicated and applied, with reasonable cure periods to resolve uncertainty and consistent sanctions, treating all clubs equally with a proper appeal process.“The European Court of Justice has made it clear that rulings similar to this will be under greater scrutiny from national courts in future. Only then will fairness and due process be granted to every team.“Although we continue to take legal advice on the next steps, we will compete in the Conference League with the same determination and will to win that characterises this incredible club.”A panel at an in-person hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland, last week found that Textor had shares in Crystal Palace and Lyon and was a board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA’s assessment date.It also dismissed the argument that Palace had unfair treatment in comparison to Lyon and Nottingham Forest.Palace chairman Steve Parish was cross-examined by a group of lawyers sent to the hearing by Forest about Textor’s role at the club on Friday before the decision was made, according to The Telegraph.It is understood that club officials will consider their legal options.As a result of the verdict, Crystal Palace will stay in the Conference League and Nottingham Forest will take their place in the Europa League for the 2025-26 season.The news came as a huge blow to the Eagles just one day after their Community Shield triumph against Liverpool.