Palace Face EL Qualification Headache Despite FA Cup Win

Crystal Palace qualified for next season’s UEFA Europa League following the weekend’s FA Cup final win over Manchester City

Crystal Palace face a potential headache regarding their qualification for next season’s UEFA Europa League, despite their historic FA Cup triumph over Manchester City on Saturday.

The Eagles secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Pep Guardiola’s side to claim the first major silverware in the club’s history. The win should also secure them a place in European competition next season, specifically, in the UEFA Europa League, despite their mid-table finish in the Premier League.

However, complications may arise due to UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership, which could jeopardise Palace’s eligibility to compete. According to The Athletic, Eagle Football is the majority owner of French club Lyon with an 88 per cent stake, and also holds a 43 per cent stake in Palace.

The chairman of the group, John Textor, initially purchased a smaller personal stake in Palace in 2021, but that has since been incorporated into the multi-club structure, which also includes Brazilian champions Botafogo, Belgian second-tier side RWD Molenbeek, and, most recently, Lyon.

As it stands, Lyon have qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League following their sixth-place finish in Ligue 1, which concluded over the weekend. However, should Paris Saint-Germain win the French Cup final against Reims this weekend, the domestic cup’s Europa League qualification spot would pass to the next league position, meaning Lyon would move up into the Europa League.

UEFA rules prohibit multiple clubs under the same ownership group from competing in the same European competition. The deadline to resolve such ownership conflicts passed on March 1.

A similar issue recently affected Nottingham Forest, whose owner, Evangelos Marinakis, also owns Greek side Olympiacos. In anticipation of a potential qualification clash, Marinakis diluted his control over Forest by transferring his shares into a blind trust, ceasing to be classified as a ‘person with significant control’ of the club.

The Athletic reports that, in the event of a conflict, the club with the higher league finish would be granted entry, which is an outcome that favours Lyon. While a resolution could still be negotiated between Palace and UEFA, it is an unwelcome complication for the club in the wake of such a historic achievement.

Football.london