Club left in ‘disbelief' as appeal against Uefa expulsion from Europe dismissed in potential blow to Crystal Palace
Irish side Drogheda United qualified for the competition after winning the FAI Cup.
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Drogheda United have lost their appeal after being kicked out of the Conference League
Credit: Sportsfile
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Crystal Palace risk being expelled from the Europa League
Credit: PA
But they will
Silkeborg, who compete in the Danish top tier, share the same owners as Drogheda - the US-based Trivela Group.
Uefa rules forbid clubs with the same owners from playing in the same competition.
And because Silkeborg finished higher in their league than Drogheda, they will take the spot in the Conference League.
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Drogheda appealed the decision, taking their case to the
Court
of Arbitration for Sport.
But they have lost their appeal with the panel rejecting claims of unequal treatment by Uefa.
Uefa advanced its assessment date to March 1 rather than June, but Cas found this was clearly communicated to Drogheda.
That could cause for concern for
Ligue 1
side
Denmark
's Superliga.
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Textor is Palace's largest shareholder at 43 per cent and he is the majority owner of Lyon, who finished higher than the Eagles in their respective leagues.
The American could have placed his Eagles shares into a blind trust, as many other owners have done to avoid this outcome, though the
deadline
to do so was March 1.
Crystal Palace could be KICKED OUT of Europa League before a ball is even kicked
Palace have already met with Uefa in
Switzerland
arguing that Textor has no controlling influence at Crystal Palace.
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While he is the largest shareholder, the billionaire has an equal 25 per cent voting right and has complained about a lack of control and influence in the past.
Senior figures at the club are therefore confident that they will be able to find an agreement with Uefa which will see them take part in the Europa League
next
season.
Drogheda expressed their "great heartbreak and disbelief" at Cas' decision.
A statement read: "We strongly disagree with this decision, and had hoped and believed that the principles of fairness and common sense would prevail," the club said.
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"After months of engagement, constructive dialogue, countless hours of legal preparation, and multiple proposals based on frameworks that have been accepted in the past, we have come up short.
"Despite genuine and vocal support across the
football
world, the ruling did not fall in our favour. We are heartbroken by the outcome."
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