Drogheda United to be expelled from Conference League by UEFA
Drogheda United have confirmed that they will not be allowed compete in the UEFA Conference League due to ownership rules and are now taking the case of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
United, owned by the Trivela Group, qualified for the competition by winning last year's FAI Cup.
However, Danish side Silkeborg, also under the Trivela umbrella, secured a place in the Conference League through their league position.
Under UEFA rules, two sides from the same owner cannot enter the same European competition.
Silkeborg take priority due to their higher league position under UEFA guidelines.
Clubs in England have been attempting to get around the ownership rules by placing their ownership in a blind trust.
United have not stated if they made such a move before a deadline, but revealed they are limited by what they can discuss at this time.
In a statement, they said: "The club can confirm that it has been notified by UEFA that we are facing expulsion from the UEFA Conference League due to Drogheda United and Silkeborg having both qualified for the same competition.
"This is despite significant efforts by the club to work constructively with UEFA to make necessary ownership and governance changes to allow both to compete over the past several months.
"We are devastated by this potential development and believe it would be both harsh and unfair, given the way brand new rule changes this year have been, in our view, inconsistently communicated and enforced across various clubs.
"We're now appealing the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"Given we are now in the midst of an ongoing legal battle, and out of respect for that process, UEFA and CFCB, and the overall aim of sporting integrity, there are limits to what we are able to share.
"What we can say is this: we are—even at this late hour—fighting to do anything and everything we can to secure our players', supporters', and community's place in Europe.
"We have been in active dialogue with UEFA for months and have put forward a share disposition, trust arrangements, and various other undertakings consistent with recent CFCB precedent, only to have all of those efforts rebuffed. Nevertheless, we look forward to the opportunity to be heard at CAS and thank you in advance for your support."
It is a significant blow to the Boynesiders with over €500,000 in prize money for reaching the Conference League on offer.
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