Premier League club Crystal Palace have lodged an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against UEFA’s decision to demote them from the Europa League due to alleged breaches of multi-club ownership rules, CAS confirmed on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) relegated Palace to the UEFA Europa Conference League — the third tier of European club competition — citing concerns over John Textor’s involvement in multiple clubs. Textor is president of Eagle Football Group, the majority owners of Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais, and also holds a controlling stake in Palace.
While Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League, were cleared to participate, Palace were not granted the same clearance.
“This appeal will follow an expedited procedure, with an operative decision (without grounds) to be delivered on or before 11 August 2025,” CAS stated.
Palace previously announced that Robert Wood “Woody” Johnson, co-owner of the NFL’s New York Jets, had signed a legally binding agreement to acquire Eagle Football Holding’s stake in the club, pending Premier League approval.
However, the club missed UEFA’s March deadline to resolve the ownership conflict before securing a spot in European competition by winning the FA Cup in May.
