Latest news with #Nyon
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Furious Crystal Palace fans launch UEFA protest amid club's Europa League appeal
Crystal Palace fans protested UEFA 's decision to demote their club from the Europa League to the Conference League. The demotion was due to a breach of multi-club ownership rules, specifically concerning co-owner John Textor's involvement with both Palace and Lyon. Members of the Holmesdale Fanatics travelled to UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, to hand-deliver a letter to president Aleksander Ceferin demanding the ruling be overturned. The fan group also presented UEFA with a suitcase of fake money, symbolising perceived contradictions in the organisation's values and conduct. Following the protest, Palace lodged an appeal against UEFA, Nottingham Forest, and Lyon with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), with a decision anticipated by 11 August.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Crystal Palace fans deliver suitcase of FAKE MONEY to UEFA headquarters in protest of Europa League demotion
Crystal Palace supporters have taken their outrage to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, delivering a suitcase filled with counterfeit money as a dramatic sign of protest. The Eagles qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup last term, only to be excluded from it for an alleged breach of UEFA regulations relating to multi-club ownership. But Palace have appealed against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the verdict is expected to be delivered on August 11. Were the decision to be upheld, Nottingham Forest would likely take their place in the Europa League, with Palace dropping into the Europa Conference League. But fans have continued to make their voices heard long before that ruling is handed down. In their latest protest, a group of Palace supporters, part of the loyal fan group Holmesdale Fanatics, arrived at UEFA's plush lakeside HQ armed with a suitcase stuffed full of fake cash. The stunt was intended to mock what they see as a governing body driven more by financial interests than fairness. Alongside the suitcase was a letter addressed to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, demanding a reversal of the decision. The fans then travelled to the CAS's headquarters in Lausanne, holding up banners and accusing sport's top brass of being 'morally bankrupt' and demanding the court to give them what they 'earned'. A post on X by the Holmesdale Fanatics read: 'Members of the group travelled to UEFA headquarters to protest the club's unjust expulsion from the Europa League. We gained access to the building to hand deliver a letter addressed to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin demanding a reversal of this moral injustice and Palace's reinstatement to the competition. 'Accompanying the letter, we symbolically presented UEFA with a suitcase of fake cash representing the contradictions between their supposed 'fundamental values' of integrity and fairness and the reality of their business methods and general conduct. 'Following this, we then travelled to the CAS headquarters in Lausanne to remind their organisation that this ruling can and should be overturned. The protests against those responsible will continue. REINSTATE PALACE NOW.' The problem arose because American businessman Textor held a stake in both Palace and French club Lyon. UEFA rules state that under such circumstances, Palace and Lyon could not participate in the same competition. Palace believe that emails and texts between UEFA and Forest could 'prove' double standards have been applied between the clubs Palace argue, however, that Textor never had a decisive influence at Selhurst Park and have requested that CAS overturn the UEFA ruling. Mail Sport revealed last Friday set to demand full disclosure of what they believe are bombshell emails and texts between UEFA and Nottingham Forest – which they believe could 'prove' double standards have been applied over their European demotion. Eagles officials are of the firm view that correspondence exists between the two potentially showing that Forest, unlike Palace, were allowed to extend the March 1 deadline to comply with UEFA's rules on multi-club ownership. Palace bosses also believe Forest have written to UEFA to express their expectation that Palace should be demoted. Furthermore, Palace say the only communication from UEFA was sent to a generic email address, and that they were issued with no reminders over a deadline. They are not a member of the European Club Association (ECA) and so would not have received the additional guidance from the ECA about the deadline. While Forest are not an ECA member, Olympiakos, who are also owned by Evangelos Marinakis, are. In April, beyond the original deadline, Marinakis diluted his control of Forest when it looked like both they and Olympiakos could qualify for the Champions League.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Crystal Palace ultras deliver suitcase of fake money to Uefa HQ in protest to Europa League ruling
Aggrieved Crystal Palace fans have taken their protests directly to Uefa 's doorstep, flying out to the governing body's Switzerland headquarters to fight against their club's demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League. Palace had qualified for the Europa League through their stunning FA Cup victory over Man City, a historic first major trophy in the club's history. However, Uefa has ordered the Eagles to play in the third-tier European competition for breaching multi-club ownership rules. The club crucially missed a March 1 deadline to demonstrate that American co-owner John Textor, also a part-owner at Lyon, had no control or influence over more than one club in the same competition. Uefa's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) decided Textor's interest in both clubs meant only one could enter the Europa League, with Lyon 's higher league position of sixth edging out Palace, who finished the Premier League campaign in 12th. Nottingham Forest are expected to benefit from the Eagles' demotion, replacing them in the Europa League following their seventh-place league finish. After hundreds of supporters made their feelings clear in an initial protest outside Selhurst Park, The Independent understands that members of Palace ultras Holmesdale Fanatics - who organised the first march - today travelled to Uefa's HQ in Nyon, Switzerland to combat the perceived injustice head-on. It was revealed in a statement that they gained access to the building to hand deliver a letter addressed to Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin, which demanded a reversal of 'this moral injustice' and Palace's reinstatement into the Europa League. The group also presented Uefa with a suitcase of fake money, which represented 'the contradictions between their supposed 'fundamental values' of integrity and fairness, and the reality of their business methods and general conduct'. Uefa declined to comment when approached by The Independent. Following the protest in Nyon, they travelled to the Lausanne headquarters of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reiterate their desire to have the ruling overturned. This came less than two hours before CAS confirmed that Palace had lodged an appeal against Uefa, Forest and Lyon regarding the alleged breach of multi-club ownership regulations. The appeal procedure will be expedited with a decision expected on or before August 11.
The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Switzerland hoping for festival of football as hosts get Euro 2025 party started
In any downtime from ensuring Euro 2025 passes smoothly, Uefa staff can take a short walk to watch Nyon's summer jazz festival in full flow. Rive Jazzy is in its fourth decade and there should be something for everyone. The Greasers will be on stage to set a tone before England face Wales on 13 July; this Friday anyone with a penchant for swing can turn up at Place du Molard to enjoy harmonies by the Hot Shooters. The more pressing hope is that there will be plenty of those on Switzerland's football pitches across the next 25 days. At its elite level, the women's game has never before been blessed with the depth of quality it can showcase this month. There is justified optimism that no weak link will stick out like a sore thumb among the 16 contenders in this European Championship; at the top end a valid expectation exists that, while Spain are obvious favourites, at least three or four others are highly equipped to test that status vigorously. It will play out on a sweltering, but reassuringly stable, stage whose surface-level figures promise steady evolution from the exuberance of Euro 2022. The fans have bought in: atmospheres will be lively and, crucially, inclusive. Ticket sales have topped 600,000, comfortably a record, and 22 of the 31 games are already sold out. While immersion in a delirious 87,000 Wembley crowd at the final three years ago sparked some regrets that Switzerland cannot offer a similar theatre, one of the organisers' priorities was to avoid the oscillations seen back then. This time there will be no attendance higher than the 35,689 able to fill St Jakob-Park, the Basel venue whose assignments include the final and Switzerland's opening game against Norway on Wednesday, but nor should there be any analogue of the 3,859 who watched Belgium draw with Iceland at Manchester City's Academy Stadium. It is unlikely any grounds will be less than one third full, as St Mary's was when Northern Ireland faced Austria and Norway. The idea goes that this will be an event less given to sweeping statements, instead oozing sustainability and speaking confidently on its own terms of the standards on display. If there are fewer extremes felt in the stands, those seeking different barometers of progress will expect similar from the matches. Thrashings help nobody. Uefa insiders are particularly keen to see evidence of the tighter competitive balance they believe has been facilitated by increased investment and a successful Nations League, so there is particular interest in how the newcomers Wales and Poland fare among what is otherwise a familiar lineup. Should they, as a minimum, keep scorelines respectable in fiendish groups it will be tempting to wonder how those who fell just short might have fared. Can women's football make a convincing claim to follow the men in expanding to a 24-team tournament? The surfeit of regular qualifiers is a valid criticism but Uefa requires confidence that others are ready to step up. Its 'Unstoppable' strategy, which has catalysed investment across the continent, launched last year and now federations must do their bit. As one seasoned figure in the sport puts it: if Portugal can replicate their over-productivity in the men's game with a competitive women's programme, then what is stopping Croatia? These may be macro questions when the action is so close, but the sense of an inflection point is inescapable. Lise Klaveness, the Norwegian football federation's president, put it well last month when emphasising the need 'not to let the head move away from the body'. In other words, a top stratum that now regularly produces scintillating spectacles must not leave everyone else for dead. A €41m (£35.2m) prize pot, far removed from the €16m on offer in 2022, speaks well of the authorities' intentions and is testament to those voices who have lobbied hard for greater spoils; so does a doubling of the pot available to compensate clubs for releasing their players. The difficulty may lie in ensuring that money does not widen the gap between the haves and have-nots. It is a valid concern, especially in an era when external parties are happy to test the game's fabric by ploughing millions into events such as the World Sevens tournament that debuted in May. Euro 2025 is essentially a loss leader for Uefa, which projects a net €20-25m deficit. That cannot hold forever and some figures question whether maximum value is being extracted from a sport whose investment potential appears nowhere near exhausted. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion The games should, at least, provide their own advertisements. Wednesday's meeting at St Jakob-Park will be followed in official fan zones across the country; the two in Basel expect half a million visitors to pass through by 27 July and an additional space has been created on Theaterplatz. Norway sounded a warning shot by winning a Nations League tie 1-0 in St Gallen a month ago but the hosts, under Pia Sundhage, should reach the quarter-finals. The country's considered, but palpable, enthusiasm could then boil over. The wider conversation will outlast the show, but women's football is perfectly placed to offer a month-long exposition of its burgeoning health. Even if the music beside Lake Geneva retains some allure, the tune being played in those eight venues across Switzerland should prove irresistible.
The Sun
27-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Crystal Palace forced to wait on crunch Europa League decision from Uefa chiefs with new date revealed
CRYSTAL Palace will have to wait until at least Monday to discover if they have been cleared to play their first European campaign. Palace's 'Multi Club Ownership' issues were among a number of similar matters being considered by Uefa finance chiefs. 2 2 But the meeting at Uefa headquarters in Nyon has so many cases to consider that final verdicts will not be announced until after the weekend. Palace legal beaks and executives pleaded their case to Uefa's Club Financial Control Body, with their arguments strengthened by Lyon's relegation from France's top flight over the club's soaring debts. The Selhurst club have been made to wait for the green light since their FA Cup Final win over Manchester City because Lyon are owned by the Eagle Football group owned by US businessman John Textor, who had a 44.9 per cent stake in Palace despite being kept at arms length by Steve Parish and Americans Josh Harris and Dave Blitzer. Despite his limited role at Selhurst Park, Uefa were concerned that Textor's ownership stake breached regulations stating that clubs which are part of a shared ownership group cannot compete in the same competition. Those rules saw Manchester United owners Ineos park their shares in French side Nice in a blind trust to allow both to play in the Europa League last season, with Chelsea owners BlueCo withdrawing from their hands-on role at Strasbourg. And Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis stepped back from any official role at the City Ground in April, to meet the Uefa requirements, when he hoped the East Midlanders would qualify for the Champions League alongside Greek side Olympiacos. Palace, though, did not make any changes to the ownership structure ahead of the Uefa deadline for next season - a situation complicated by Blitzer's ownership of Danish side Brondby, who qualified for the Conference League. And as Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1, compared to Palace's 12th-placed ranking in the Prem, they take priority over the South East London side. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Despite that, the FA have backed the Eagles and Palace's cause was also aided by Textor's announcement that he is selling his Palace shares to New York Jets owner and former US ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson in a £190m deal. That sale still has to be cleared by the Premier League, although it is not expected to be held up. Crystal Palace could be KICKED OUT of Europa League before a ball is even kicked Textor now faces being ejected from the Lyon hotseat as well, with investment fund Ares, who loaned the US businessman £330m to fund his takeover in 2023, seeking to install new leadership. Lyon's relegation means they would not be nominated to take up their Europa League place, although the club are appealing against the decision of French football's financial regulator. But if Lyon were to win their appeal after being excluded from the official entry list, Nyon chiefs anticipate they are likely to apply to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to be reinstated. That would probably be at the expense of Strasbourg, who finished seventh in Ligue 1 and are expected to be nominated in Lyon's place. However, insiders anticipate that Palace would not be retrospectively prohibited from competing if Uefa has cleared their entry. Meanwhile, Irish side Drogheda has been expelled from the Uefa Conference League. This is due to multi-club ownership rules in a similar circumstance to Palace.
