Nottingham Forest write to Uefa over Crystal Palace Europa League concerns
Nottingham Forest have written to Uefa to express their concerns about Crystal Palace qualifying for the Europa League with a decision expected by the end of this month as to whether they should be expelled.
There have been suggestions that Brighton & Hove Albion, who would enter the Conference League in place of Forest if they are therefore promoted, have also complained to European football's governing body. But Telegraph Sport understands this is not the case.
Uefa are set to inform Palace whether they are in breach of their multi-club ownership rules by June 30 – although the matter may then be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport which would delay a final verdict.
The FA Cup winners met Uefa officials last Tuesday in a two-hour meeting in an attempt to avoid being barred from European competition because John Textor, the American businessman who has a 43 per cent stake in the club, also owns French club Lyon, who have also qualified for the Europa League.
Palace insist there are no sharing of information or staff or facilities with the French side. The club argue that despite Textor's shareholding he has no say in the day-to-day running and has just 25 per cent of voting rights. Indeed Textor has previously spoken about his annoyance at the lack of say he has at Palace and has been trying to sell his shares. Textor reiterated this after last week's meeting in Nyon.
However, Forest have now written a letter to Uefa expressing their position and asking for clarification over whether Palace will be involved. However, in a further complication, Palace's Europa League place could also depend on whether Uefa decides to allow Lyon to take part in the competition next season.
Uefa's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) disqualified Lyon from European competitions in December but allowed them to continue after the club met certain demands. However, Lyon are being 'carefully monitored' by the CFCB and if they are deemed to be in breach of a settlement agreement they could be disqualified from next season's Europa League in any case which would automatically earn Palace a reprieve.
On the other hand Lyon's involvement, if Palace are thrown out, will heighten the likelihood of the latter turning to CAS. At the same time Forest could also turn to the Swiss-based adjudicators if they are not satisfied with Uefa's decision. It, therefore, appears to be a legal minefield.
Palace may well have fallen foul of Uefa's rules because clubs have to establish separate ownership structures before March 1 if they hoped to play in the same competition in the following season.
Matters are further complicated because one option for Uefa to consider is to demote Palace to the Conference League as a form of punishment. That is believed to be unlikely, however, as it may lead to further appeals.
Palace have strongly refuted any wrongdoing and have attempted to comply with Uefa's rules as quickly as possible having won the first trophy in their history.
Evangelos Marinakis, the Forest owner, who also owns Greek club Olympiacos, diluted his stake by placing his shares in a blind trust to ensure there was no conflict when it appeared they would qualify for the Champions League.
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