LAUSANNE (SWITZERLAND) (ITALPRESS) – The TAS says no, and Crystal Palace has no choice but to play in the Conference. The London club, which won the Community Shield yesterday at the expense of Liverpool, last May had earned a place in the Europa League thanks to the historic FA Cup victory. But UEFA relegated the Eagles to the Conference based on timeshare rules: John Textor, in fact, was a shareholder in both Palace and Lyon at the time the inspections were conducted in Nyon.
Since the French club also qualified for next season’s Europa League, the team with the lowest finish in their respective league—in this case, Palace—must settle for the lower European competition. The fact that Textor subsequently sold his 43% stake in the English club to Woody Johnson was not enough to convince either UEFA first or the Lausanne Court of Arbitration for Sport.
At this point, Nottingham Forest, who initially qualified for the Conference after finishing seventh in the league, will play in the Europa League, while Crystal Palace will play the first leg of the Conference play-offs on August 21st against either Fredrikstad or Midtjylland.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS)
