Crystal Palace ultras to hold furious protest march against Uefa after Eagles booted out of Europa League
The Eagles are
next
season for breaching multi-club ownership rules.
Advertisement
5
Crystal Palace ultras have announced plans to hold a protest against the club's 'unjust' relegation from the Europa League next season
Credit: Getty
5
Palace lost their place in the Europa League due to John Textor's multi-club ownership
Credit: AFP
American businessman John Textor owns a stake in Palace and is also the majority owner of French club
Lyon
, who also qualified for the Europa League
next
season.
The rules of European football's governing body state clubs owned, to a certain threshold of influence, by the same person or entity cannot compete in the same European competition.
Uefa's rules set a
deadline
of March 1 2025 to show proof of multi-club ownership restructuring - a
deadline
which Palace missed.
FA Cup
winners Palace in the Europa League
next
term.
Advertisement
READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
And now raging Palace fans have planned a protest to start from Norwood Clocktower to Selhurst Park on Tuesday night at 7:30pm.
The ultras are demanding answers and hinted at unfair treatment from Uefa, who they claim are often influenced by other clubs with more "prestige and money".
A statement from the Holmesdale Fanatics read: "
Uefa
's decision to demote
football
as a whole.
"A team has won the oldest cup competition in the world and, with it, its first piece of silverware in the club's
history
.
Advertisement
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
"A dream not unique to Palace fans but one shared by supporters of clubs across the country.
"To then have the deserved prize of Europa League
football
unjustifiably taken away is emblematic of a European
football
governing body disconnected from the true values that makes the sport adored by fans everywhere.
Eberechi Eze to Tottenham LATEST | Transfers Exposed
"It is indicative of why so many fans have fallen out with the modern game.
Advertisement
"We call this protest not just for Palace's position in the Europa League to be reinstated, but with all
football
fans in mind.
"Many clubs could be the
next
to be ruled against for lacking the historical prestige and financial resources to influence
Uefa
for their own gain."
The X post was captioned with: "Time to act. Please share widely."
It will take for around 12 minutes for the marchers to get from the meet-up point to Selhurst Park.
Advertisement
5
Palace are appealing against the decision to boot the club out of the Europa League
Credit: 2021 Sebastian Frej/MB Media
A timeline - why Palace have been demoted
March 1:
Uefa's deadline passes for clubs in multi-club groups to change their ownership structure.
At that point, Crystal Palace were 12th in the Premier League and in the FA Cup fifth round.
April 30:
It is revealed Evangelos Marinakis has removed himself from control of Nottingham Forest, putting his shares into a blind trust when it looked like Forest would qualify for the Champions League alongside Olympiakos, also owned by the Greek billionaire.
May 17:
Palace win the FA Cup by beating Manchester City 1-0 and qualify for the Europa League.
On the same day, Lyon qualify for the Europa League on the final day of the Ligue 1 season. But Lyon face the prospect of Uefa sanctions for over spending rules.
May 25:
Forest fail to qualify for the Champions League on the final day of the Premier League season but reach the Conference League instead, so Marinakis takes back control of the club.
June 3:
Uefa meet with Palace executives in Switzerland to discuss whether the Eagles are able to play in Europe next season.
John Textor and Steve Parish attend the meeting to fight Palace's case.
June 9:
It is revealed
June 25:
It is announced that Lyon have been relegated from Ligue 1 after failing to convince authorities they have resolved their financial difficulties.
July 9:
Lyon's appeal is upheld, meaning they are reinstated to Ligue 1 and their spot in the Europa League is confirmed.
July 11
: Palace's demotion to the Conference League is announced by Uefa, with the Eagles saying they will appeal the decision.
As FA Cup winners, Palace won a spot in the Europa League for the 2025/26 campaign after beating Manchester City 1-0 at Wembley eight weeks ago.
But that was brought into question with
Advertisement
Textor - who Palace argue did not have overall control of the club - sold his 43 per cent stake to
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson
- albeit after the March 1
deadline
.
He then resigned from his leadership roles at
Lyon
when they
were relegated to Ligue 2
after failing to convince authorities they have resolved their financial difficulties.
This appeared to pave the way for Palace's Europa League participation.
But, there was further uncertainty on Wednesday when
Lyon won their appeal
against their relegation and were reinstated to Ligue 1 - meaning they are able to take up their Europa League spot.
Advertisement
5
Textor also owns French club Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League by finishing sixth in Ligue 1
Credit: Getty
5
Palace chairman Steve Parish slammed 'ludicrous' Uefa for permitting 'the biggest injustice in the history of football'
Palace argued Textor does not hold any decisive influence at the club, but the Premier League side's defence was not accepted.
Club chief Steve
history
of football'.
Advertisement
Parish said on Friday that Johnson had passed the Premier League's owners' and directors' test and that everyone at Palace feel they have been made an example of by Uefa.
Uefa rejects any claim that Palace have been harshly treated. It regards the case as a clear breach of the regulations, saying on Friday it had reached that conclusion after an 'assessment of the documentation submitted' by Lyon and Palace.
Forest's place has not yet been confirmed, with Uefa's Club Financial Control Body waiting until the outcome of the
Court
of Arbitration for Sport appeal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Paul O'Connell: 'These guys are capable of taking on stronger opposition'
Portugal 7 Ireland 106 Saturday started with Scotland slipping to defeat against Fiji in Suva. It ended with England claiming a series win at the expense of Argentina in San Juan. Wales broke an 18-game winless run in Japan in between, a second-string French team sucked up some hard lessons in defeat to New Zealand, while Italy were outclassed by 14 against the Springboks. Some of those exercises were more worthwhile than others. Every one of them was of infinitely more value to the Six Nations sides involved than this cringe of an occasion at the Estadio Nacional on the outskirts of the Portuguese capital where Paul O'Connell's romped to a record win for an Irish men's Test team. Sixteen tries were scored against a host playing its first game for four months, and its last for another four. A side made up mostly of part-timers, the majority of them had prepared by playing in a local league the last 10 weeks that wouldn't match the AIL on its best day. Portugal coach Simon Mannix said that they had been basically trying to 'bluff' it. 'Yeah, the opposition could have been stronger, for sure,' said O'Connell when asked if it would have served Ireland better to be put to the pin of their collar in Tokyo or Buenos Aires. 'These guys are definitely capable of taking on stronger opposition, but it is what it is.' The stand-in Ireland head coach had by that stage already lamented the lack of a third summer run for an inexperienced squad that has been operating without so many players, coaches and backroom staff as a result of the secondments to the British and Irish Lions expedition in Australia. The original plan had been for a third Test in Bucharest against Romania but then the Eastern Europeans are still digesting a record loss to another Tier 2 nation this week having gone down 70-8 to Uruguay in Montevideo. That Ireland won't be crossing their paths is no small mercy for all concerned. It's no wonder then that O'Connell found himself waxing lyrical about the benefit of the tour in a wider sense, focusing in on the worth to young players of being in camp for a month and exposed to the jargon and the culture and the workrate and leadership of men like captain Craig Casey and Ryan Baird. The Munster legend, while reluctant to pick out individuals who have impressed, explained how Finlay Bealham, now with the Lions after a late call-up, has benefited by singling out areas of his game and prep that others do well and tapping them up for pointers when in the national camp environs. 'That's been a big thing for us. We see it on the Emerging [Ireland] tours, they just need an opportunity, whether it is with Ireland or with their provinces. There are some very, very good players and they just have to gain the experience. 'They have to play a game, review it, train. Play a game again, be reviewed and accumulate. That's what a lot of our frontliners are doing with their provinces and Ireland: they are playing games and reviewing it and putting that into place. Others just need that chance.' Boil it all down and Ireland scored 140 points and 20 tries over the last two weekends while conceding two. There were nine Test debuts handed out with Shayne Bolton, Hugh Gavin and Alex Kendellen, the three newbies in Lisbon, all getting on the scoresheet two days ago. To be fair to Ireland, they never stopped playing their game their way in the face of a paper-thin Portuguese defence. Time and again teams have lost their shape and their focus in such circumstances. Not here, not even with the beach within touching distance, almost literally and figuratively, at the end of such a long campaign. Whatever about the opposition, it's been good to see the likes of Bolton, Tommy O'Brien, Ben Murphy and Alex Kendellen wearing green jerseys at this grade while people like Casey, Jimmy O'Brien and Ryan Baird got to step up to roles of seniority. It's not yet confirmed if there will be another Emerging Ireland tour next season. O'Connell touched on the strains the concept can cause provinces and coaches while extolling the virtues of the time benefits to be accrued by those in need of such training wheels on the road to better things. Simon Easterby, his colleague on Andy Farrell's staff, has taken the head role on previous such ventures and challenged players involved to put their hands up for squads to follow come the November and Six Nations windows. O'Connell would do the same while painting this as a picture with a greater measure of depth. 'It's not just about that first game up [against New Zealand in Chicago in November], it's about the next two years.' Portugal: N Sousa Guedes; S Bento; V Pinto, T Appleton, M C Pinto; H Aubry, H Camacho; D Costa, L Begic, D H Ferreira; A R Andrade, P Ferreira; D Wallis, N Martins, D Pinheiro. Replacements: G Aviragnet for Appleton (21); F Almeida for Aviragnet (33); G Costa for Andrade (50); M Souto for Begic and A Cunha for Costa (both 57); PS Lopes for Begic (57); AR Andrade for Ferreira (60); V Baptista for Pinheiro 62). Ireland: J O'Brien; T O'Brien, H Gavin, S McCloskey, S Bolton; J Crowley, C Casey; J Boyle, G McCarthy, T Clarkson; T Ahern, D Murray; R Baird, A Kendellen, C Prendergast. Replacements: M Deegan for Baird, M Milne for McCarthy, T Stewart for Boyle, T O'Toole for Clarkson and C Frawley for McCloskey (all 52); C Nash for T O'Brien (54); C Izuchukwu for Murray (60); B Murphy for Casey (61). Referee: A Leal (RFU).
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Fans say football's ‘never been further gone' as Coldplay make shock appearance at Club World Cup half-time show
FANS declared that football has 'never been further gone' after Coldplay made a shock appearance during the Club World Cup final's half-time show. Supporters were left stunned as Chelsea produced a masterclass to beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0. Advertisement 6 Coldplay made a surprise appearance during the Club World Cup final's half-time show 6 Football fans were left cringing at the performance And there was chaos at full-time when However, fans were The American tradition saw artists like Tems and J Balvin perform on a raised stage at the top of the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL And the show ended with a surprise appearance from Chris Martin's Coldplay. The lengthy production saw the half-time break last over 20 minutes. It saw supporters flock online to express their disgust at seeing football introduce a half-time show. One said: 'Football's never been further gone.' Advertisement Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Another declared: 'Half time shows and national anthems, game's gone.' One noted: 'Half time show at 3-0 down must feel diabolical.' Club World Cup final descends into huge brawl with Enzo Maresca pulling Chelsea players away after Donnarumma madness 6 Cole Palmer scored twice as Chelsea beat PSG 3-0 Advertisement 6 The match ended in a fight as Luis Enrique slapped Joao Pedro 6 President Donald Trump unexpectedly joined in the trophy celebrations 6 Another boomed: 'Wtf are Coldplay doing there?' Advertisement One decreed: 'A sky full of stars.' Another added: 'Why is this happening?' Even Jeremy Clarkson got involved. The former Top Gear star said: 'People of America. So you know. Advertisement 'Half time at a football match is for a pie. Not singing.'
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Club World Cup final descends into huge brawl as PSG manager Luis Enrique SLAPS Chelsea's Joao Pedro in face
LUIS ENRIQUE sparked a mass brawl as he SLAPPED Joao Pedro following Chelsea's Club World Cup final win. The Paris Saint-Germain manager lost his marbles as he lunged for the Blues' new Brazilian star, Advertisement 10 Luis Enrique lost his head as he slapped Joao Pedro after the Club World Cup final 10 PSG's manager put hands on Pedro after losing 3-0 10 It sparked a mass brawl on the field as players from both sides joined the fray Credit: Channel 5 10 Pedro appeared to be hurt as he clutched his face Credit: AP 10 Players on both sides were left fuming Credit: Reuters 10 Enzo Maresca rushed to push Enrique away Credit: Getty The former Barcelona manager appeared to slap Pedro while also placing his hands on the striker. Gianluigi Donnarumma was particularly incensed as staff members from both sides ran towards the action. But the battle was short-lived as Advertisement As for Enrique, his scowl could not be disguised as he was ushered away in shame. Fans were quick to react to the shocking incident. One said: "What a salty man." Another declared: "No class." Advertisement Most read in Football BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS One noted: "Friendly they said." Another added: "Head lost." PSG's Joao Neves sent off for pulling Chelsea star Marc Cucurella's HAIR in Club World Cup final 10 Cole Palmer scored twice as the Blues made history in America Advertisement 10 Chelsea won in glorious style against all odds 10 President Donal Trump joined in the celebrations on stage Credit: Reuters 10 Enrique's shameful behaviour did little to dampen the spirits as Chelsea celebrated a historic win. Advertisement The Blues tore PSG apart in the first half as they struck three goals. Cole Palmer scored Chelsea's opener before doubling the lead minutes later. He then turned provided as Pedro, who only joined from Brighton last week, chipped home for the third. Chelsea then kept PSG at bay in the second half, with Robert Sanchez making several top saves. Advertisement Read more on the Irish Sun And the French side's night got even worse when Joao Neves was sent off late for pulling Marc Cucurella's hair. Chelsea finally got to lift their trophy later on, with President Donald Trump joining them on the podium in hilarious fashion.
