Crystal Palace have claimed “sporting merit is rendered meaningless” following UEFA’s decision to demote them from the Europa League and the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s rejection of their appeal.
In a statement, the club confirmed they will continue to take legal advice but will compete in the UEFA Conference League.
The FA Cup winners were demoted to the Conference League by European football’s governing body UEFA on July 11 after it determined that, as of March 1, American businessman John Textor had control or influence at both Palace and French club Lyon.
On Monday, the CAS announced the south London club had lost their appeal against the decision, with Nottingham Forest expected to take the place in UEFA’s second-tier competition.
“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,” the club said.
“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.”
UEFA and the CAS have been contacted for comment by the PA news agency.
Palace qualified for the Europa League by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May, but seven days later Paris Saint-Germain‘s victory in the Coupe de France final meant Lyon moved up from the Conference League to the Europa League.
If two clubs are in violation of the MCO regulation, the team that finishes higher in the league will play in the European competition. Even though Palace (12th) won the FA Cup and Lyon (sixth) only qualified on a technicality, the league placing alone determined the right to play.
It all came down to the shareholding of Textor, through Eagle Football Holdings Limited, who had a controlling interest in Lyon and 43.9% of Palace.
The Premier League club argued that Textor had no say in the running of Palace, but regulations relating to decisive influence forbid any party from holding more than 30% of the total shareholding in more than one club in the same competition.
Textor last month completed the sale of his Palace stake to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, but UEFA’s rules are determined by a club’s situation as of March 1.
Palace have always insisted that they are not part of a multi-club operation.
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“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,” the club said.
“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.”
Information from ESPN’s Dale Johnson contributed to this report.
