Crystal Palace Lose Europa League Appeal, Drop To Conference League

Crystal Palace's appeal to remain in the Europa League was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday. This decision came less than 24 hours after the club celebrated winning the Community Shield.

The appeal was in response to UEFA's ruling confirming Nottingham Forest's promotion to the Europa League spot that Palace had vacated due to breaching ownership rules. The violation occurred when American investor John Textor, who held a 43% stake in Palace, also became the majority owner of French side Lyon.

UEFA regulations prohibit a team from having a decisive influence on another club playing in European competitions. Despite naming UEFA, Lyon, and Nottingham Forest in their appeal, CAS upheld the ruling, leaving Palace to compete in the Europa Conference League instead.

Palace must now prove compliance with ownership rules by March 1, 2025, following a missed deadline in July. The club will face either Norway's Fredrikstad or Denmark's Midtjylland in the Europa Conference League later this month.