This was supposed to be Crystal Palace’s time.
Maybe it still will be. Hopefully it still will be.
But whatever happens in the days and months ahead, as UEFA deliberates and the Palace hierarchy wait with bated breath, all that exhilaration that accompanied winning the FA Cup — of lifting a first major trophy in the club’s history and qualifying for European competition for the first time — has been sullied.
Palace are in limbo. They have made representations to UEFA in an attempt to satisfy the governing body that John Textor, through his Eagle Football vehicle that owns a 43 per cent in the south London club and the majority stake in Ligue 1 side Lyon, does not have control or influence over what happens at Palace. That he is shut out, ignored, and the club is effectively controlled by chairman Steve Parish.
It will only become clear later this month if that is sufficient to satisfy UEFA’s regulations over multi-club operations.
Whether Textor genuinely does have any semblance of control over decision making at Palace is up for debate and will come down to technicalities. What is not in question, though, is that Palace do not operate in the same way as other multi-club groups.
No player has moved between the two clubs since Jake O’Brien joined Lyon in August 2023. Some Eagle Football players whom Textor had suggested as potential signings for Palace have been rebuffed by the other general partners.
Textor was involved in the appointment of head coach Oliver Glasner and feels he has a strong relationship with former sporting director Dougie Freedman, who departed the club this year. Beyond that, and much to his own frustration, his involvement has been limited, as he has always been at pains to point out.
Yet that state of limbo exists regardless, with the prospect of appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by any aggrieved party involved threatening to delay things yet further. It is already having an unsettling effect.
Marc Guehi and Joel Ward hoist the FA Cup last month (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Not knowing whether they will be competing in UEFA’s second club competition next season leaves Palace unable to plan as effectively as they would like for the new season. There are players, including Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze and Jean-Philippe Mateta, whose futures may be affected by whether or not Palace are playing in Europe.
Mateta is desperate to play for the French national team at senior level and believes playing in UEFA competition is the best way to convince national manager Didier Deschamps he is up to the task. Guehi is entering the last year of his contract, but as an England regular, he will expect to be competing in Europe at this stage of his career. Eze would make a similar argument.
Glasner has yet to commit his future to the club beyond the end of his existing deal next summer, either. Seeing his team denied the chance to compete in the Europa League, a competition the Austrian won while at Eintracht Frankfurt, may affect negotiations over a contract extension.
Then there is recruitment. The budget will change, even slightly, depending on whether there will be increased revenue from the Europa League next term. Glasner does not want a significantly larger squad, but the depth is not there to support a Europa League push in tandem with the team holding its own in the Premier League. The number of arrivals will be dictated in part by the competitions in which they participate.
For supporters, the concern is more emotional. Their dream has been to see Palace play in Europe. Many will find the notion that they might be denied that opportunity as one step too far. Some may see winning the FA Cup as sufficient, but surely even they will have seen some of the shine come off that success by this unsettling subplot and the uncertainty that will drag until UEFA reaches a resolution.
For those who watched Palace in the 1990-91 season, there will be an eerie sense of deja vu. This has happened to them before, albeit in very different circumstances.
Steve Coppell’s fine team finished third in the top flight that season, only to be denied what they thought would be a UEFA Cup place. English clubs had been banned from European competition following the Heysel disaster in 1985, with Liverpool handed an extended ban. However, UEFA chose to lift Liverpool’s ban a few weeks before the end of the campaign, meaning Palace missed out entirely.
Palace’s Class of ’91 celebrate winning the Zenith Data Systems Cup at Wembley (Allsport UK /Allsport)
Perhaps UEFA will not be forced to make a decision. Maybe all parties will avoid those desperate trips to CAS.
If Textor sells Eagle Football’s shares in Palace in the next fortnight, then UEFA may decide that the issue is no longer pertinent and Palace are free to compete in the Europa League. There are interested parties and discussions are ongoing.
Yet until clarity is delivered, Palace’s fanbase will be uneasy. The 2024-25 campaign was the club’s greatest. They achieved a record points tally for the revamped Premier League alongside that first major trophy. Those scenes at Wembley, back at Selhurst Park at the Wolverhampton Wanderers celebration, and on the subsequent victory parade, should have carried supporters into the summer.
Instead, the glory has been clouded. The club, the fans and the players have been left on tenterhooks waiting for UEFA’s decision.
It really should not have come to this.
(Top photos: Getty Images)