Sporting merit rendered meaningless – Palace hit out at Europa League demotion
At a time when we should be celebrating our victory in the Community Shield at Wembley, the decision by UEFA and followed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport shows that sporting merit is rendered meaningless.
Full statement 👇#CPFC
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) August 12, 2025
A statement from the Eagles read: 'At a time when we should be celebrating our victory in the Community Shield at Wembley, the decision by UEFA and followed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport shows that sporting merit is rendered meaningless.
'When we won the FA Cup against Manchester City on that momentous day in May, our manager and players earned the right to play Europa League football.
'We have been denied that opportunity.
Marc Guehi lifts the Community Shield with team-mates following Palace's win over Liverpool on Sunday (John Walton/PA)
'It appears that certain clubs, organisations and individuals have a unique privilege and power.
'This growing and unhealthy influence has shattered the hopes and dreams of Crystal Palace supporters, and does not bode well for aspirational teams all over Europe competing to progress when rules and sanctions are unevenly applied in the most flagrant way.'
UEFA and the CAS have been contacted for comment by the PA news agency.
UEFA regulations state that where one or more clubs are found to have shared ownership, they cannot play in the same competition, and Lyon held on to the Europa League spot by virtue of their higher league position.
Textor has since sold his shares to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, a takeover completed in late July.
The Eagles stance, as outlined in a July statement, was that 'it's clear for everyone to see that we are not part of a multi-club operation and never have been.'
On Tuesday, Palace wrote in their statement: 'Multi-club structures hide behind the charade of a 'blind trust' while clubs such as ours, who have no connection to another club whatsoever, are prevented from playing in the same competition.
'To compound the injustice, clubs that appear to have huge informal arrangements with each other are also allowed to participate and even possibly play against each other.
'While we respect the CAS tribunal members, the process is designed to severely restrict and, in our case, make it almost impossible to receive a fair hearing.
'The denial of all disclosure requests to obtain correspondence between the relevant parties, the refusal to allow witness testimony from those involved, and the general lack of formality and respect for law mean decisions cannot be properly challenged, leading to pre-determined outcomes.'
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