UEFA Investigates Crystal Palace’s Europa League Status After Premier League Club’s Letter

Amid ever-growing concerns over whether Crystal Palace will be allowed to participate in the Europa League next season after winning the FA Cup, a Premier League club has reportedly written to the competition’s chiefs, UEFA, to complain about the Eagles being in breach of multi-club ownership rules.

Oliver Glasner’s side, thanks to a 1-0 win over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the FA Cup final, booked themselves a place in next season’s Europa League. However, there have been fears over their spot due to John Textor’s ownership of French club Olympique Lyonnais. Lyon have also qualified for the continent’s secondary club competition, but long-standing multi-club ownership rules prevent any two clubs controlled by the same person/group from competing in the same competition, thus putting their place in jeopardy.Nottingham Forest, despite mounting an early charge for Champions League football, managed to conclude the campaign in 7th place, thus securing Europa Conference League football come August. They would, however, jump up a tier should Glasner’s men be excluded from Europe. As a result, Brighton & Hove Albion – who are Palace’s recognized rivals – would take Forest’s spot in the UECL, and according to a report from The Times, UEFA are hoping to reach a conclusion on the case by the end of this month.

The report also suggests that Nottingham Forest have written to UEFA with concerns about the Selhurst Park outfit breaching multi-club ownership rules that no individual can have “control or influence” over more than one club competing in the same European competition. In short, Lyon’s sixth-place finish in Ligue 1 takes precedence over the London club, who finished 12th in the Premier League. Crystal Palace’s spot in the Europa League could hinge on whether UEFA allows Lyon to feature or not. UEFA’s Financial Control Body (CFCB) disqualified Paulo Fonseca’s side from European football in December and they are now being ‘carefully monitored’ ahead of a crunch decision.