Crystal Palace have appealed against the decision to demote the club from the Europa League, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed.

A decision is expected by August 11, 2025 – a month after their move down to the Conference League was confirmed on July 11.

As FA Cup winners, the Eagles won a spot in the Europa League for the 2025/26 campaign. However, that was brought into question with French club Lyon finishing sixth in Ligue 1 and earning their own Europa League spot.

John Textor owned shares in both clubs and under UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, clubs with the same ownership group cannot play in the same competition. Any conflicts of interest for next season had to be sorted by March 1.

Textor – who Palace argue did not have overall control of the club – sold his 43 per cent stake in Crystal Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, albeit after the March 1 deadline.

He then resigned from his leadership roles at Lyon when they were relegated to Ligue 2 after failing to convince authorities they had resolved their financial difficulties. This appeared to pave the way for Palace’s Europa League participation.

However, there was further uncertainty on Wednesday when Lyon won their appeal against their relegation and were reinstated to Ligue 1 – meaning they are able to take up their Europa League spot.

With that, UEFA then confirmed that Palace will move down a competition to the Conference League.

UEFA regulation 4.10 states Palace’s place should be taken by the next-best-placed club in the Premier League, which would be Nottingham Forest.

However, Sky Sports News understands Forest’s place has not yet been confirmed, with UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body waiting until the outcome of the CAS appeal.

‘Devestated’ Parish slams UEFA ruling

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish says the club’s demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League is “one of the greatest injustices” in the history of European football.

Parish strongly rejects the idea Palace and Lyon were part of a multi-club ownership group and said it was a “crazy rule” Palace have been judged to have fallen foul of.

“Obviously we’re devastated,” he told Sky Sports News in an exclusive interview. “We’re devastated for, most importantly, the supporters. I think the supporters of all clubs should be devastated for us because this is the dream.

“You win a cup, actually win something for the first time in your history. Somebody said to me it’s like winning the lottery, going to the counter and you don’t get the prize.

“I’m devastated for the players, for the fans, for the staff. It’s a bad day for football.

“I think most right-minded football fans will see what a terrible injustice this is for the football club, one that I dearly hope somebody can remedy because I do believe that nobody in football wants to see this.

“I don’t think UEFA want to see this. Clubs that rightfully qualify for a competition being locked out of that competition on the most ridiculous technicality that you could imagine.

“Obviously, as everybody knows, John or anybody at Eagle Football [Textor’s company] didn’t have decisive influence over Crystal Palace. Everybody knows this. Everybody knows we’re not part of a multi-club [ownership]. Everybody knows we have no staff, no players from Lyon, no loans, no transactions.

“We’ve caught a tripwire. We’re caught up in a rule that wasn’t put there for us.

“It will change. Nobody’s going to stick with this rule. It’s a crazy rule. I don’t understand why the panel have come to the conclusion they’ve come to.

“We’ve proved to them beyond all reasonable doubt that John didn’t have decisive influence over anything to do with the football club, yet still they’ve come up with this decision, which seems incongruous.”