Latest news with #SteveParish
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Crystal Palace set for UEFA talks over Europa League participation
Crystal Palace are set to argue their case to UEFA to allow the club to compete in the Europa League next season. The club's participation in the tournament is in jeopardy due to the governing body's rules on multi-club ownership. Palace's four general partners — John Textor, chairman Steve Parish, Josh Harris and David Blitzer — will meet UEFA representatives on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the issue that stems from Eagle Football, controlled by Textor, owning a stake in French club Lyon, who also qualified for the competition. UEFA's deadline to address any multi-club issues was on March 1. Teams that win the FA Cup gain automatic entry to the Europa League, if they have not already qualified for the Champions League. Palace earned the right to play their first-ever European campaign by winning the FA Cup in May. Eberechi Eze scored the only goal of the game against Manchester City as Palace lifted their first major trophy in club history. Advertisement UEFA's rules forbid individuals from being involved with multiple clubs in the same competition. Textor is the controlling owner of Eagle Football, which possesses an 88 per cent stake in Lyon and a 43 per cent stake in Palace. Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1, which earned them a spot in the third-tier UEFA Conference League. However, Paris Saint-Germain won the Coupe de France final in late May having already qualified for the Champions League by winning Ligue 1, meaning that Lyon were given a Europa League slot. UEFA rules are as follows: 'No club participating in a UEFA club competition may, either directly or indirectly, hold or deal in the securities or shares of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition; … be involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition; or have any power whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition. 'No one may simultaneously be involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition. 'No individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition, (including) holding a majority of the shareholders' voting rights; having the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of the club; being a shareholder and alone controlling a majority of the shareholders' voting rights pursuant to an agreement entered into with other shareholders of the club; or being able to exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making of the club.' Palace's general partners each hold an equal 25 per cent share of the voting rights at the club. After a relaxation of UEFA's rules last year, it appeared that entry into the Conference League, Europe's third-tier tournament, would be an option if Palace are denied access to the Europa League. However, Blitzer's Global Football Holdings company owns a stake in Danish side Brondby, who also qualified for the competition. Advertisement In the event that Palace are disqualified from European competition entirely, Nottingham Forest could be promoted to the Europa League after finishing seventh and qualifying for the Conference League. Palace's rivals Brighton and Hove Albion, who finished eighth, could enter the Conference League. Palace's position is under threat rather than Lyon's as UEFA state that the club ranked highest in its domestic championship may be given entry to the competition. Lyon's sixth-place finish gives them priority over Palace, who came 12th.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Crystal Palace Transfer DealSheet: Summer window latest, key targets and likely exits
Crystal Palace will enter the summer looking to prepare and build a squad for the Europa League next season and seeking to atone for errors made this year. Manager Oliver Glasner repeatedly referenced the late arrival of players, both returning from international competitions but also transfers, as a factor behind the club's worst start to a Premier League season, before it was turned round into an FA Cup-winning campaign in which they achieved their highest Premier League points total. Advertisement He will look to have additions earlier than last year and Palace will have to improve their strength in depth to account for the extra fixtures. They have several key players who will likely be in demand and decisions will have to made on whether to sell and how much they can realistically expect to command for those talents. Those decisions will heavily influence what happens this summer. This is up in the air after the departure of former sporting director Dougie Freedman in March, with Palace having considered replacements and a possible restructuring of their recruitment department. Chairman Steve Parish will be at the head of decisions, setting the budget and having the final call on the strategy. Freedman's assistant, Ben Stevens, who has been with the club since 2015 — originally as head of performance analysis before stepping up alongside Freedman last July — has stepped in to partly fill the void. Iain Moody, who has worked as a consultant at the club for several years and who worked closely alongside Freedman, albeit more in the negotiation process for new and existing players rather than identifying new talent, will also provide some sense of consistency. Freedman built a team working behind him that remains in place and will continue. Freedman will inevitably be consulted to some extent as well, despite his new role in Saudi Arabia. This depends on outgoings. The initial plan is to sign a goalkeeper as back-up to Dean Henderson. There has been a desperate need to sign another left wing-back to provide cover and competition for Tyrick Mitchell. There is no obvious cover for the 25-year-old. Should Marc Guehi, who has only a year left on his contract, leave this summer, Palace will look to sign two centre-backs. Chadi Riad, originally seen as a possible successor, should return in the early part of the season from rupturing his ACL. Advertisement Regardless of whether Eberechi Eze is sold, they will look to bring in another No 10, with Matheus Franca having struggled to make an impact and Romain Esse inexperienced. They could add a second No 10 if a club meets Eze's release clause, but they will also target a centre-midfielder. Cheick Doucoure is expected to be available for pre-season after his meniscus injury, and adding another midfielder would provide Palace with cover and depth. There is hope Jean-Philippe Mateta will stay, given he has two years remaining on his contract, but if he does depart another striker would be a necessity, with only Eddie Nketiah available. Glasner's preference is for players who can come in and make an impact quickly, or adapt with relative ease over a short period of time. He pushed last summer for the signings of Maxence Lacroix and Daichi Kamada, both of whom he had worked with at Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, respectively. Glasner wants a squad that is quick to acclimatise to each other and to the hefty physical demands of his system. That does not automatically discount young players, and he is not against promoting youth — Justin Devenny's progress this season is testament to that, even if he was a player bought from Scottish side Airdrieonians — but his priority is for more experienced players. Palace are primarily looking for younger players who have the potential to improve but already have some experience. Southampton midfielder Mateus Fernandes would fit that profile, having been linked with Palace. The Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has also been mentioned and, at 21 with almost 100 professional appearances, would suit Palace. But that would be a difficult deal to do with Chelsea keen to keep him having impressed on loan with Strasbourg. They are targeting centre-backs in Italy and Spain, while they have built excellent contacts in France. Odsonne Edouard has failed to make any impact on loan with Leicester City and is not seen as a player who can make a significant contribution. He will move on if they can find a suitor who is prepared to meet the striker's wage demands. He has only a year remaining so would not command a high fee. The 23-year-old midfielder Naouirou Ahamada is not in the club's long-term plans. A rare tick in the miss column for Freedman, Ahamada was loaned to Ligue 1 side Rennes and played only six times. Advertisement Forward Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, 22, scored seven times across 37 appearances on loan with Sheffield United this season, but is not viewed by Glasner as a player who could be a core part of his squad. They originally sought a fee around the £20million that Ipswich Town paid Chelsea for Omari Hutchinson, but that seems a stretch. They could sell Guehi if he continues to show no inclination to sign a new deal. Given the rigours of seven extra games next season, it seems unlikely anyone will be loaned out. Devenny might have been a possibility, but he has done well enough to be kept as part of the first-team squad. Palace might have looked to loan out Franca to ensure sufficient minutes, but he too may now be required in the first team given their extended campaign. Some of the Under-21 side will be loaned out. Hindolo Mustapha has interest, as does Asher Agbinone, who spent time with Gillingham this season. There have been conversations with clubs and the background work has been ongoing for months, but nothing is imminent. It is likely the bulk of their transfer activity will come in the middle to end part of the main transfer window. Parish, however, told reporters after the FA Cup semi-final win over Aston Villa that they would try to 'have a better pre-season (and) not make some of the mistakes we made again'. While he did not explicitly reference the four deadline day arrivals as a mistake, it is a reasonable deduction to make given how much it affected their preparations. Palace have no concerns over their PSR position and their budget will be sufficient to strengthen. If they can offload fringe players, it will be boosted further, while if any of their key players leave it will be for a hefty fee, allowing them to reinvest that money. (Top photos: Getty Images)
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Crystal Palace ‘could be THROWN OUT of Europa League' as owners jet in for emergency Uefa summit
CRYSTAL PALACE could be banned from playing in the Europa League next season, according to reports. The Eagles qualified for Europe by winning the FA Cup. Advertisement 2 Crystal Palace could be prevented from playing in the Europa League Credit: Getty 2 Palace co-owner John Textor's stake in Lyon has caused a problem Credit: Getty But they could be prevented from participating in the Europa League because of rules over multi-club ownership. Co-owner John Textor, who has a 43 per cent stake in Palace, owns French club Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League. Uefa forbids clubs with the same owners from competing in the same competitions. Unfortunately for Palace that could mean they will not be allowed to drop into the Conference League either, as Textor has a stake in Danish side Bronby. Advertisement Now Crystal Palace chiefs are set to meet with Uefa in Switzerland where they hope to iron out any issues. The south London club will argue their case by pointing out no relationship exists between them and Lyon, according to the Textor also does not possess sole decision-making power at Selhurst Park - he only holds 25 per cent of voting rights alongside chairman Steve Parish and other partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer.
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Crystal Palace celebrate historic FA Cup win with parade
Crystal Palace supporters had all waited a lifetime for this moment. When the two buses carrying Oliver Glasner and his FA Cup winners rounded the corner of Holmesdale Road, red and blue smoke from flares filled the air as thousands of south Londoners showed their appreciation, with several shedding tears again. In the days since Eberechi Eze's winner against Manchester City clinched Palace's first-ever trophy, a sense of disbelief has been the overwhelming feeling for fans who are excitedly contemplating a first foray into Europe next season. 'This has been the best week of my life to share this with all these guys,' said an emotional chair, Steve Parish. 'Our fans are our superpower – that is what we've got that drives us forward.' Ambitious plans to host the parade in Crystal Palace Park – the club's former home and where the Cup final itself was played between 1895 and 1914 – had failed to come to fruition despite several days of discussions with local stakeholders. Croydon council's chief executive even denied rumours that it had demanded £200,000 to host the celebrations in the borough, while neighbouring Bromley council revealed that it had suggested a parade from the training ground in Beckenham via the park and then the stadium but Palace 'did not feel able to proceed in the time available with their ideas, given concerns raised by a range of organisations'. The result was a slimmed down route that you could usually walk in about five minutes but it took Joel Ward, Marc Guéhi and co the best part of an hour to complete. Even a downpour of rain as the buses made their way along Whitehorse Lane couldn't dampen the spirits, with 7,000 supporters then piling on to the pitch at Selhurst Park to continue the celebrations that included a DJ set from Sister Bliss from Faithless, whose singer Maxi Jaxx was a vice-president at Palace before his death in 2022. 'I've been dancing all day,' admitted French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta when he was called up onstage to collect his goal of the season award for his lob against Arsenal at the Emirates. With planning permission for a new stand that would take the stadium's capacity to 34,000 having been granted last summer, work was expected to finally begin in the coming weeks but spiralling costs have caused further delays. It is estimated that they could reach up to £240m, while uncertainty over the club's ownership is another hurdle that Parish must resolve. But holding on to Glasner, whose contract expires at the end of next season, will be his main priority, not to mention a number of players who are coveted by bigger clubs including Guéhi, Mateta and Wembley hero Eze. 'We couldn't hope for a better group,' admitted Parish when he addressed the exultant crowd on the pitch after the parade. 'To smash through the glass ceiling for this football club and finally win something – their names will go down in history. They will always be loved here.' Asked what Glasner has done for Palace since taking over from Roy Hodgson as manager last February, he added: 'Oliver doesn't like coming second! Winning is a drug and I don't see any reason at all why we can't go and do it again. We need to deliver for the manager in the close season and the fans.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The Austrian has made a habit of winning trophies wherever he has been and has seemed to take Palace's victory in his stride despite allowing himself to let his hair down on a staff trip to Ibiza after their win over Wolves in midweek. Glasner showed his ruthless side during the final match of the season against Liverpool on Sunday when he substituted Romain Esse after the £12m January signing from Millwall had been brought on as a replacement and criticised his attitude. He was in far more relaxed mood on Monday and stressed the importance of maintaining their progress next season. 'Today is a good moment to talk about [our achievements]. Yesterday after the game maybe not,' he said. 'I couldn't be more pleased to work with a group of players like they are. Not just because of their talent, they are great talents, but especially what great characters they are. It's very exciting, and we all will enjoy this journey, playing the Premier League, playing the Carabao Cup, playing the FA Cup and playing the Europa League. Four competitions, four titles to win, let's go for every single one.'
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
High-concept farewells and the eye of the beholder
In the Selhurst Park stands on Tuesday, a celebration of Crystal Palace's historic FA Cup win was awaited. It was duly delivered, after Eberechi Eze completed a 4-2 win over Wolves with one of those goals only he can score, all grace and precision, off-the-cuff football played with south London swing. To the final whistle then, and a chance for the FA Cup to be run round Selhurst, hopefully with a bit more care than when Graeme Souness and Liverpool chums were lobbing around the old Football League Championship trophy like they were Orrell back-row forwards. The silverware took a while to arrive but when it did, it was in the arms of Joel Ward, making his final appearance as a Palace player, his 364th game. So long, Joel, and thanks for all the fish. But instead of another FA Cup beano, a club that had waited 101 years to win anything, give or take the ZDS Cup, launched a celebration of … Joel Ward. You know, Joel Ward, played 364 times for Crystal Palace, defender bloke, been there 13 years. Chairman Steve Parish was beside himself, wiping a tear when the player was subbed off in the 71st minute. 'You've been a rock star,' he sobbed. Now, not even his better half, at pitch-side holding their baby, born just last Thursday, can believe Joel Ward, a man who has, beyond Croydon perhaps, been able to live life as incognito as the rest of us, is anything like Nick Cave or Ozzy Osbourne, let alone Billy Idol. Perhaps, though, in football, those who survive long enough deserve the tearful send-off. After all, as Liverpool's psychodrama over Trent Alexander-Arnold's departure suggests, football loyalty is in the eye of the beholder. Trent, by the by, runs a foundation for those, unlike him, who never made the grade and felt the cruelty of a profession that breaks hearts harder than any rock star. While Ward was being deified, at Eastlands a high-concept farewell was being bade to Kevin De Bruyne, a true Manchester City great, the best midfielder of the last decade in the Premier League, perhaps second only to Colin Bell in club lore. Thing is, De Bruyne has been making noises that he would have preferred to stay. Ward, 35, meanwhile has featured in just three matches all season. Both have been cut from wage bills and given the soft landing of a leaving party at the closure of their employment contracts. Talking of which: Pep Guardiola, who stopped short of sobbing 'he is so nice' of King Kev as he once did when jibbing out Sergio Agüero, was busy throwing the blue door marked 'Do One' wide open, having spent £200m in January. 'I don't want to leave five or six players in the freezer,' he roared of his expensive squad-fillers. 'I don't want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay. It's impossible for my soul.' OK. Right. Does Jack Grealish get a leaving do? Join Scott Murray from 8pm BST for hot Bigger Vase final minute-by-minute coverage of Tottenham 0-1 Manchester United (aet). 'The celebrations went on a long time. We had a few Jägerbombs and were up pretty late! The buzz has been amazing over the last few days. I've pretty much been crying ever since we won' – Palace fan Nicola Webb talks to Ed Aarons as he catches up with the non-stop party in south London. May I be the first of 1,057 to point out that yesterday's tea-time email contained line after line of unreadable coded text. There was also something wrong after the letters section' – Joseph Brown (and no others). Can I be one of 1,057 pedants to suggest that in order not to make a laughing stock of the Greatest League in the World™ by the quality (?) of their play, maybe Spurs and Manchester United should agree to go straight to penalties?' – Richard Hirst (and no other pedants). A doff of the cap to The Knowledge for this wonderful comparison on the Bigger Vase final (aka: two bald men fighting over a comb): 'Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, who meet in Bilbao … are 17th and 16th in the Premier League, respectively … equivalent to Oldham Athletic playing Southampton in the Uefa Cup final of 1992'' – Noble Francis. Send letters to Today's letter o' the day winner is … Joseph Brown, who lands some Football Weekly merch. We'll be in touch. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here. The latest Women's Football Weekly podcast has a very special guest in the shape of new Chelsea treble winner Lucy Bronze. Listen now. There's also a new edition of Football Weekly fresh out of the box. The Gallagher brothers have been responsible for much, from hardened/fake Manc accents, that groin-thrusting gait that passes for a walk and phrases like 'our kid' and 'mad fer it'. Last year, after 15 years of hurling abuse at each other over the airwaves and social media abominations, they seemingly introduced another unwelcome concept to the Great British Public. Those wanting to relive the mid-1990s at Oasis reunion gigs found themselves being charged multiples of what was already agreed to be a steep face value. 'Dynamic pricing', this was known as, 'surge pricing' being another term. An 'absolute bloody rip-off' its most common description, as witnessed at Wembley last weekend. So hurrah for the reports that next year's Air Miles World Cup will see fans offered tickets along 'dynamic' lines, prices variable according to supply and demand. Fifa declined to confirm its plans, a spokesman telling the Times: 'Ticket sales for the Fifa World Cup 2026 are expected to begin in Q3 of 2025 via the Fifa website.' AFC Wimbledon midfielder Sam Hutchinson has revealed he had a heart attack during the game where his goal helped seal a League Two playoff place. 'It happened in the sixth minute, I carried on and played the full 90,' he said. 'The specialist in London has told me there's no problem with playing football again, so I'm happy.' Blackburn have confirmed their withdrawal from the WSL2 and will re-enter at least two tiers lower, with the owners unwilling to fund meeting the division's new minimum licence requirement. England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland will not be handed automatic qualification for Euro 2028 … although a back-door route to the finals will be offered to the two best-ranked hosts who don't make it. Crystal Palace are hopeful they won't fall foul of multi-club ownership regulations if both they and, as seems likely, Lyon qualify for next season's Bigger Vase. Lyon's owner, John Textor, also owns 45% of Palace through his Eagle Holdings company. Uefa suits will examine Palace's situation but the club are confident that the fact that Steve Parish (the chairman), David Blitzer and Josh Harris own an equal stake to Tex … we lost you after the last sentence, didn't we? Chelsea are determined to keep Real Madrid's mitts off Enzo Fernández amid the standard-issue media noise in the Spanish capital about them targeting the Argentina midfielder. Madrid are also sniffing around Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Larsson and Real Sociedad's Martín Zubimendi. And Oldham are one game from returning to the Football League after winning 3-0 at York in their National League playoff semi-final. They face the winners of Wednesday's match between Forest Green and Southend in the final. Nick Ames delivers this special report from Kyiv on how amputee football is helping Ukraine's war-wounded. Do read. Tom Sanderson and Josué Seixas wonder whether Carlo Ancelotti and Brazil could be a glorious, perfect match. We've got hot Bigger Vase content coming out of our ears: Jonathan Wilson's preview tells us why this much-mocked final matters, Daniel Harris bigs up Ruben Amorim's emotional intelligence, David Hytner senses Ange Postecoglou is resigned to his fate whether Spurs win or lose, and you can test your knowledge of English clubs in European finals with our matchday quiz. What are the worst European finals based on finalists' domestic position? Yes, the Knowledge knows. And in the Premier League race for Europe, check out who's in, who's out and who could yet shake it all about. Celtic fans in Seville get their heads down wherever they can after the 2003 Big Vase final defeat by José Mourinho's Porto. An estimated 80,000 Bhoys supporters descended on the city for their first European final since 1970, many without either tickets or hotel rooms. Martin O'Neill's side lost an absorbing, spiky final 3-2, Henrik Larsson twice equalising before Derlei settled it in extra time. Porto, and Mourinho, would go on to win Big Cup the following season while Celtic fans could at least find small consolation in winning Fifa's 2003 Fair Play Award for their festive, convivial behaviour in Andalusia.
