Crystal Palace said on Tuesday they are seeking legal advice on possible next steps after the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the club’s appeal against UEFA’s decision to demote them from the Europa League to the Conference League.
European soccer’s governing body made the decision over Palace’s multi-club ownership rule breach because at the time of assessment on March 1 the John Textor-founded Eagle Football Group were majority owners of fellow Europa League side Olympique Lyonnais and also held shares in Palace.
U.S. businessman Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings sold their stake in Palace last month. However, CAS upheld UEFA’s ruling on Monday, and dismissed Palace’s argument that the club received unfair treatment in comparison to Lyon and Nottingham Forest, with the latter replacing them in the Europa League.
“The decision by UEFA and followed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport shows that sporting merit is rendered meaningless,” Palace, which had qualified for the Europa League as FA Cup winners, said in a statement.
“It appears that certain clubs, organisations and individuals have a unique privilege and power … while we respect the CAS tribunal members, the process is designed to severely restrict and, in our case, make it almost impossible to receive a fair hearing.
“UEFA’s decision has wider implications for the governance of the sport. A combination of poorly conceived regulations and their unequal application means our brilliant fans will be deprived of the chance to watch this team compete in the Europa League for the first time in our history.”
UEFA and CAS were not immediately available to comment.
Palace said the European Court of Justice’s ruling earlier this month, which allows national courts to conduct in-depth reviews of arbitral awards by CAS to ensure they are compliant with EU law, will ensure greater scrutiny of sport’s top court.
“Only then will fairness and due process be granted to every team,” Palace added.
“Although we continue to take legal advice on the next steps, we will compete in the Conference League.”
Palace, who won the Community Shield on Sunday with victory over Premier League champions Liverpool on penalties, are in the Conference League qualifying playoff round later this month.