Crystal Palace lose CAS appeal to be reinstated in Europa League
Just 24 hours after lifting the FA Community Shield, Crystal Palace have failed in their bid to overturn their demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed on Monday morning. The FA Cup winners lost their appeal against UEFA’s decision – which was based on breaches of the governing body’s multi-club ownership restrictions. UEFA ruled that Palace had broken the regulations because former co-owner John Textor also held shares in Europa league-bound Olympique Lyonnais. Textor has since sold his 43% stake in Palace to US businessman Woody Johnson – but it was too late to escape the UEFA sanction. At Friday’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) hearing in Lausanne, club chairman Steve Parish argued that Textor never had significant influence over the board and was no longer involved with the club. Palace also claimed they were treated unfairly and that UEFA had applied its rules inconsistently. The club repor...