London, July 12(HS): Crystal Palace has faced a significant blow as UEFA announced its transfer from the Europa League to the UEFA Conference League due to violations of multi-club ownership rules. This decision stems from the ownership overlap involving Eagle Football Group, which owns both Crystal Palace and Olympique Lyon, represented by chairman John Textor. While Crystal Palace qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup, Lyon secured their spot by finishing sixth in Ligue 1. Lyon faced potential demotion to League 2 due to financial issues, but this was reversed prior to UEFA’s ruling.

UEFA stated in its official announcement: Accordingly, the CFCB First Chamber reviewed the documents submitted by Olympique Lyon and Crystal Palace and concluded that until March 1, 2025, these clubs were violating the multi-club ownership criteria..

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar