Crystal Palace released a fiery statement after their last-ditch bid to play in the Europa League has fallen short.The Eagles were consigned to the Conference League for the upcoming season as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) handed down their verdict.Palace got to the Europa League by winning the FA Cup – only to be demotedGettyPalace fans staged a protest during the Community ShieldGettyThe ruling means Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last term and initially qualified for the Conference League, have since been elevated to the Europa League.Palace qualified for UEFA’s second-tier club competition after a stunning 1-0 upset over Manchester City to win the FA Cup, which marked their first major trophy in club history.But they were placed at risk of being dropped into the Conference League due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, which prevent multiple teams owned by an individual competing in the same European competition.Palace fell foul of the rule due to John Textor’s involvement with French side Olympique Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League via a 6th-place finish in Ligue 1 last term.The South London outfit had the opportunity to circumnavigate the rule had they shown proof of restructuring their multi-club ownership by March 1, but they missed the deadline.Palace also desperately tried to argue Textor had no decisive influence at the club despite his status as the club’s largest shareholder, but to no avail.The American has since sold his share in Palace to New York Jets co-owner Woody Johnson, with the deal expected to be in excess of £190million.Palace will now face either Norwegian club Fredrikstad or Danish side Midtjylland in the Conference League play-off round.CAS statement on Crystal Palace in fullThe Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal by Crystal Palace FC (CPFC) against UEFA, Nottingham Forest FC and Olympique Lyonnais (OL) concerning a decision by UEFA to remove CPFC from the UEFA Europa League 2025/2026 due to a breach of UEFA multi club ownership regulations. As a result, CPFC will be admitted to compete in the UEFA Conference League 2025/2026.The appeal sought to annul the decision by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body on 11 July 2025 which found CPFC and OL non-compliant with multi club ownership regulations. Alongside the annulment of the decision, CPFC requested readmission to the UEFA Europa League with Nottingham Forest or OL’s admission rejected.Despite the protests and appeals – Crystal Palace lost their legal challengeGettyAn in-person hearing took place at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on 8 August 2025. The CAS Panel was composed of Prof. Luigi Fumagalli as President (Italy), Mr Manfred P. Nan (the Netherlands) and Mr Olivier Carrard (Switzerland).After considering the evidence, the Panel found that John Textor, founder of Eagle Football Holdings, had shares in CPFC and OL and was a Board member with decisive influence over both clubs at the time of UEFA’s assessment date. The Panel also dismissed the argument by CPFC that they received unfair treatment in comparison to Nottingham Forest and OL. The Panel considered that the UEFA Regulations are clear and do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date, as CPFC claimed.This was an expedited procedure, with an operative decision rendered two and a half weeks after the appeal, filed on 21 July 2025. Unless Parties request confidentiality, a full Award (with grounds) will be made available on the CAS website in due course.Simon Jordan’s verdictFormer Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan gave his immediate thoughts on the failed appeal live on talkSPORT.When asked by Jim White for his reaction to the news, he said: “It’s what I expected. Now they can get on with it, can’t they?“They can go on and win the Conference League, and have another season in Europe.”Crystal Palace won the Community Shield on Sunday – less than 24 hours before the CAS ruling was revealedGetty“Yeah but, what a mess,” White said, although Jordan insisted: “Well, of their own making, of Palace’s own making.“Whether you want to bring Textor in it, or [Steve] Parish in it, they knew what they had to do, they didn’t do it.“Whether we like the rule, and it’s a bloody stupid rule because currently, two teams are in the Europa League that A, didn’t qualify there, and B, if they had been in together, Lyon and Palace, had no shared ownership.“So it’s ridiculous, it’s almost a victimless crime. But the fact of the matter is, that’s the governance.“There’s a whole raft of discussion around it, but Palace can move on now. They know where they are, they’re in Europe, they’re playing in the Conference League, go win it.”Crystal Palace’s statement in full“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.”Premier League OfferFootball is back!New Football Sign Up Offer: Get up to £50 in free bets – CLAIM HERET&Cs: 18+ New Customers Only. Opt in, deposit and bet min £10+ (max £50) on any Football market (odds 1/1+) by 20:00 on 15/08/2025. Get up to £50 in Free Bets (min £10) for set markets, which expire in 7 days. Click for T&Cs. GambleAware.org. Please gamble responsibly.