Latest news with #EagleFootballHoldings
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Johnson completes purchase of stake in Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace have confirmed that New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has completed his purchase of John Textor's 43% stake in the has bought the shareholding of Eagle Football Holdings - the multi-club company owned by Textor - in a deal believed to be worth close to £ 78-year-old American has signed the Premier League's owners' charter after joining chairman Steve Parish, Josh Harris and David Blitzer as a partner and director of Crystal Palace."I am honoured and privileged to be joining the ownership group of Crystal Palace Football Club," Johnson told the club's official website."It is an organisation with a proud history, tradition, and deep roots in English football in south London, which I came to admire during my time as US Ambassador to the United Kingdom."Eagles fans have demonstrated extraordinary loyalty, passion, and unwavering dedication and I am excited to meet and get to know them." Parish added: "We are delighted to be welcoming Woody to the ownership of the football club."We very much look forward to working alongside him to build on our historic recent success moving forwards."More to follow.
The Guardian
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Uefa sermons on integrity
Football Daily has long believed that no good can come from the prefix 'multi'. Multi-storey car parks have been causing spikes in blood pressure ever since City & Suburban Electric Carriage Company opened the first anxiety maze at 6 Denman Street, London, in May 1901. Multiplexes are for watching films that have been dubbed over by some gobby ne'er-do-well crunching on a never-ending bucket of popcorn. Multiperspectivalism looks an interesting concept, sure, but we're too thick to understand it properly and now we've got a headache. And the multiverse? This one not causing you enough misery? Even this multipronged intro has outstayed its welcome. We could have just said that all connected with Crystal Palace are seeing the downside of football's increasingly popular multi-club model. Last week, Palace were demoted from Bigger Vase to Tin Pot because Lyon – who are owned by Eagle Football Holdings, the company of Palace's main shareholder John Textor, although he is in the process of selling his shares and we're boring ourselves now – are in the same competition. Lyon finished higher in their domestic league, which means Palace are currently wearing a Tin Pot parachute against their will. Their Bigger Vase place is likely to be taken by Nottingham Forest, whose benevolent concern for the greater good of football motivated them to inform Uefa of a potential breach of regulations by Palace. Forest's owner Evangelos Marinakis also owns Olympiakos, but that's different because … look, just click this for all the grown-up stuff. When Football Daily stumbled upon a video interview with Palace's chairman Steve Parish and saw the quote 'one of the great injustices', our first thought was to wonder why Alan Bates had changed his appearance so drastically. Parish has appealed to Cas – and The Rest is Football, and anyone else who fancies an interview – so this is likely to go on for a while yet. For a neutral teatime email there's particular sadness in seeing Palace finish last in the Uefa Multi-Club Loophole Stakes. When they beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May, one word was conspicuous by its absence from the immediate post-match analysis: Europe. All that mattered was that Palace had won their first major trophy at the tender age of 119, and gloriously to boot. A Bigger Vase spot was the reward, not the prize. We have sympathy, not least because a Uefa sermon on integrity is almost as hilarious as Bob Mortimer on Would I Lie To You? But this has been on the cards for one club or another since multi-club ownership became English football's latest money-spinne – sorry, English football's first opportunity to pioneer and deliver a consistent underlying approach to talent development, fan experiences, sports entertainment, commercial opportunities and community impact. Still, Palace v Forest on 24 August should be fun. No, you silly old romantic, not the football. We want cameras in the boardroom. These days, that's where the real action is. Join Sarah Rendell from 8pm BST for MBM coverage of Sweden 2-1 England (aet) in the Euro 2025 quarter-finals. 'It's soul-destroying. It is two minutes to midnight and it's just terrifying' – David Freer, a lifelong fan who has commentated on Morecambe games over 12 years for the Football League, on the Shrimps being days from collapse. Amid Jason Whittingham's ownership, there is a very real possibility they will be banned from playing in the National League, which kicks off in three weeks, and players allowed to leave for nothing if they're not paid by Friday. Re: Hamrun Spartans' shoot-out win over Zalgaris and it being 'the first time a Maltese side have made it beyond this round, becoming part of football history' (yesterday's Football Daily). I am sure I won't be the only football geek to point out that Malta was represented regularly in the European Cup's early decades – eg Floriana (beaten 10-0 at Portman Road) and Hibernians, who held the Busby Babes 0-0 in Valletta before going down 4-0 at Old Trafford' – Alan Cooper (and no other football geeks). I'm interested in the view that the north of England starts at Stoke (yesterday's Football Daily). If so, does the south of England also start at Stoke? Asking for a friend who claims to live in somewhere called 'the Midlands'' – Tony Rabaiotti. After your comment on Jordan Henderson joining yet another club playing in red and white (Tuesday's News, Bits and Bobs, full email edition), I couldn't help but think which other Premier League clubs in red and white kits he has to cross off before he goes full circle and rejoins Sunderland. Arsenal seem the logical next move, as it's just a short drift down the Regent's Canal away. But would he survive 'The Theatre of Dreams'? I sincerely hope Amazon will be there to film it all' – Yannick Woudstra. If you have any, please send letters to Today's winner of our prizeless letter o' the day is … Tony Rabaiotti. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here. It's not quite the same as the England men's players shoehorning song titles into media interviews in 1998 – Gareth Southgate possibly gave the game away with 'It's hardly Club Tropicana, Bob, it's been raining all day' – but the Lionesses have got an in-joke of their own at Euro 2025, with Chloe Kelly explaining the celebrations of Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones against Wales, with the pair clicking their fingers as they wheeled away. 'We have a little group of us, the finishers, the positive clique, we call it,' she explained. 'We said if one of us comes on to score then we should do that as our celebration. It might have been Maya [Le Tissier] that made the group chat. We get our pictures on an app and some of us didn't have the pictures of the clicking celebration and that's where the group chat came from, to send each other the pictures of it.' Sarina Wiegman will be hoping to see a few renditions in England's quarter-final against a tricky Sweden side who smashed Germany and are a model of tournament consistency. Manchester United had the highest number of fans arrested of all clubs in England and Wales last season, according to Home Office data. There were 121 arrests of United supporters, putting them ahead of Manchester City (94) and West Ham (77), with the Hammers also having the most fans with a banning order in force at the end of last season, up from 93 to 112. Italy are through to their first major women's semi since 1997 after Cristiana Girelli's 90th-minute header beat Norway at Euro 2025. The striker scored both goals in a 2-1 win to spark wild celebrations. 'We are doing this for our glory but the meaning is much deeper and we want to bring this to Italy,' she roared. The first £1m transfer in women's football has been completed after Olivia Smith confirmed her record-breaking move to European champions Arsenal. 'It's a privilege and an honour,' she beamed. 'It's my dream to compete for the biggest titles here in England. The atmosphere the supporters create at Emirates Stadium is incredible and I can't wait to have that behind me.' Bad news for Newcastle: Liverpool's late swoop for Hugo Ekitike appears to be gaining traction with the Eintracht Frankfurt striker said to prefer a move to Anfield. Ekitike has a €100m (£86.5m) release clause. And DR Congo are to pay Barcelona more than €40m in a sponsorship deal that will see a logo promoting tourism appear on some team apparel. The latest edition of our sister email is out, out, out. Read an extract from it, about Wafcon and the future of African football, right here. Emma Hayes wants to let the England squad know that beating Sweden in the Euro 2025 quarter-finals will be ruddy difficult. Tom Garry puts his focus on the Swedes and their lofty status in the women's game thanks to being a progressive nation. New season, new Manchester United? Absolutely not. Jamie Jackson looks at the plethora of issues still facing Ruben Amorim. Keeping hold of Alexander Isak, amid Liverpool's interest, will be a key test of Newcastle's ambitions, according to Louise Taylor. And do remember to get all the latest transfer tittle-tattle from the Rumour Mill. Nicolas Jackson to Old Trafford, anyone? It's the Open! Follow round one live. Away from the links, though, here's a look at Arsenal player Alex James considering his putt during a team training day at a course in Hatch End, north-west London, back in November 1929. Teammate Tom Parker, manager Herbert Chapman and David Jack look on.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Crystal Palace supporters hit out at UEFA in protest against Europa League demotion
Crystal Palace fans march to protest their demotion to the Conference League (Image: Bobby Manzi) Crystal Palace supporters took to the streets on Tuesday evening to protest UEFA's decision to expel the club from the Europa League. Led by fan group Holmesdale Fanatics (HF), hundreds marched from Norwood Clocktower to Selhurst Park, voicing their discontent with UEFA's ruling. Advertisement Protesters carried banners including a spoof "Corruption League" logo and a centrepiece reading 'UEFA: Morally Bankrupt. Revoke The Ruling Now.' 'UEFA Maffia' graffiti also appeared near Selhurst Park. A spokesperson for the HF stood on top of the walls outside the stadium to address the gathered protesters, who then set off pyrotechnics below him. He called for 'collective action' against 'UEFA's corruption' and added that the governing body would 'bend the rules for clubs like Manchester City'. (Image: PA) Former Match of the Day host Gary Lineker and Palace's FA Cup-winning captain Joel Ward both helped spread the word on their social media accounts. Advertisement The protest comes a month after fans celebrated Palace's historic FA Cup triumph along the same streets – the situations offer quite the contrast. How did we get here? The protest was sparked by UEFA's decision to demote FA Cup holders Crystal Palace to the Conference League for breaching regulations on multi-club ownership. Eagle Football Holdings, spearheaded by American businessman John Textor, owns a 43% stake in Crystal Palace alongside a majority share of French club Lyon. With both clubs qualifying for the Europa League, UEFA rules stipulate that clubs owned by the same person or entity cannot compete in the same European competition. Advertisement As a result, Palace will now enter the Conference League qualifying rounds instead of participating in the Europa League league phase, with Nottingham Forest, who finished 7th in the Premier League, taking their spot. Palace supporters on their march made their feelings towards Textor and Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis clear, chanting: 'F**k UEFA, F**k John Textor, F**k Marinakis.' Textor is currently finalising the sale of his stake in Crystal Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. Where next? The HF say that the protest is the first of numerous with a 'delegation of lads' planning a trip to UEFA's headquarters in Nyon. Advertisement The group are also fundraising for a display ahead of Crystal Palace's first home game of the season against Nottingham Forest next month. A petition calling on UEFA to reinstate Crystal Palace in the Europa League has garnered nearly 3,000 signatures since it was launched on Friday. Palace are exploring legal options, including an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but hope that senior UEFA officials will reconsider the decision before the matter reaches that stage. UEFA declined to comment.
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘It's not fair': Crystal Palace fans march in protest at demotion from Europa League
Furious Crystal Palace supporters have demanded that Uefa reverse its decision to demote the FA Cup winners from the Europa League to the Conference League next season as they staged a protest march outside Selhurst Park on Tuesday evening. It was confirmed last week that Uefa's club financial control body had concluded Palace breached its multi-club ownership criteria, with the south London club expected to appeal to the court of arbitration for sport (Cas) against a decision that their chair, Steve Parish, described as 'probably one of the greatest injustices that has ever happened in European football'. Parish also revealed that the New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has passed the Premier League's owners' and directors' test that should enable him to complete his purchase of John Textor's 43% stake in the coming days. However, with Uefa deeming that move came too late to save them, having ruled that Textor's Eagle Football Holdings Ltd had controlling stakes over both French club Lyon and Palace, a protest organised by supporters' group the Holmesdale Fanatics was attended by hundreds of fans who marched from Norwood High Street to Palace's stadium. 'Uefa: morally bankrupt. Revoke the ruling now,' read a large banner at the front of the march, with another reading: 'Football: created by the poor, stolen by the rich.' 'It's not fair that we've won the oldest Cup competition in the world and then been demoted from the Europa League,' said Palace fan Josh Harness. 'We earned the right to be there and all we can do is show our support for the club. The delay over the decision also means we can't start planning for next season yet because we didn't know what competition we were going to be in.' The group behind the tifos that were on display at the Wembley FA Cup semi-final and final against Aston Villa and Manchester City respectively, the Fanatics had said it was 'time to act' and called on supporters 'of all teams to join us'. 'Those who are disillusioned with the state of modern football, those who are tired of the authorities favouring a small cartel of larger clubs all in the name of profit and those who want to bring football back to the fans, where it belongs,' said a statement announcing the protest. 'We must come together for our voice to be heard around Europe. This will not be an isolated action, but the beginning of the campaign against those responsible for the moral and financial corruption that has plagued the modern game. Let us remind Uefa and the Cas that this ruling can, and should, change.' A petition that calls on Uefa to restore Palace to the Europa League has also been signed by almost 3,000 people since being posted on Friday. Uefa rejected an attempt by Textor and fellow American co-owner David Blitzer – the majority shareholder of Danish club Brondby, who have also qualified for the Conference League – to place their shares in a blind trust because they had missed the March deadline. Use of a blind trust has enabled other clubs with the same owners to play together in a Uefa competition. Sources at the European governing body confirmed that it had cleared both clubs to play in the same competition having deemed that Blitzer does not have a decisive influence at Palace. However, writing on X over the weekend, Parish questioned the logic behind the current system. 'Let's put this 'THEY missed the deadline' nonsense to bed. Let's say Me, Josh, David and everyone other than Eagle football had placed our shares in a 'blind trust' before March 1st. Three random people would have had control of the club since then but by Uefa's interpretation of the rules we would still be out of the Europa League.'
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'A bad day for football': Crystal Palace chairman slams UEFA for Europa League 'injustice'
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has hit out at UEFA's decision to demote the Eagles to the Europa Conference League. Palace's European fate after winning the FA Cup hung in the balance as UEFA investigated whether there was a conflict of interest between the south London club and Lyon, who shared co-owner consortium Eagle Football Holdings, headed by American businessman John Textor. Advertisement Textor sold his shares in Palace before also resigning from his position on the board at Lyon, who themselves won an appeal against the relegation to Ligue 2 over their financial situation. That appeal appears to have been awful news for Palace, who on Friday were relegated to the Conference League from their initial Europa League qualification, having secured their spot in Europe's secondary competition thanks to their FA Cup triumph. However, UEFA has ruled that Lyon will compete in the Europa League, while Palace will play in the Conference League. Current regulations state that when two sides owned by the same consortium qualify for the same competition, just the one can compete, with that spot going to the side that finished higher in their domestic league. Advertisement Last term, Lyon finished sixth in Ligue 1, and Palace finished 12th in the Premier League. Speaking to Sky Sports, an incensed Parish spoke of the 'terrible injustice' he believes has been placed on his side. 'We are obviously devastated,' he said. 'Most importantly for the supporters; supporters of all clubs should be devastated for it. 'This means something, you win a cup for the first time in your history and it's like winning the lottery and going to the counter and not getting the prize. 'It is a bad day for football, most right-minded football fans will see what a terrible injustice this is for the football club and one that I hope someone can remedy because I do believe that nobody in football wants to see this, I don't think UEFA want to see it. Advertisement 'Clubs that rightly qualify being locked out on the most ridiculous technicality that you could imagine.' Parish confirmed that the Eagles were considering taking an appeal to the Court of the Arbitration for Sport (CAS). 'We are looking at all options,' Parish said. 'Appealing is one option. I think we would much prefer if someone intervened, we believe it is possible for someone to do that. There are a number of really important points people need to consider. 'First of all there are no other rules around the license which has a deadline. There are still people resolving their issues now, people who have to put money into bank accounts by next week. That date in itself seems an incongruous thing to do. Advertisement 'This is a rule we cant comply with, a rule has been created that is impossible for the majority owners at Crystal Palace to comply with. A minority shareholder needed either to sell or place their shares in a trust - we had no power to compel them to do that so that part alone is completely incongruous.' The Eagles chairman protested that Textor did not hold sufficient power over the south London outfit to warrant a conflict of interest. 'John or anyone at Eagle Football Holdings didn't have decisive influence over Crystal Palace,' Parish continued. 'Everyone knows we are not part of a multi-club, no staff, no players, no loans, I don't know the phone numbers at Lyon. Advertisement 'Everyone can see what a massive injustice this is, we caught a trip with a law that wasn't put in there for us. No one will stick with this law, it's crazy. I don't understand why the panel has come to the law they have come to. 'We have proved to them with all reasonable doubt that John didn't have any decisive influence with the club and yet still they have come up with this decision.' Parish reasoned that his club had 'qualified rightfully' through their victory at Wembley, where they stunned Manchester City 1-0 thanks to Eberechi Eze's goal. 'We qualified rightfully, something incredibly difficult to do, the players and staff and fans won this cup,' he said. Advertisement 'We didn't steal it, we beat three teams above us including one of the greatest teams to have played and we didn't get the prize, it is such an incredible travesty of justice and every football fans should be worried when teams of the same name have played in the competition. 'Either you have these multi-clubs or ban them. They need to find a way to get through this, but we were not part of one, everyone knows my position, I generally don't think they are the right thing to do. There is a real crossroads here for UEFA to look at. 'Do they intervene and do the right thing, which I think they want to do, or do they let it play out and see probably one of the greatest injustices that have ever happened in European football? 'I don't want Lyon relegated, that is not what I want. I want to play them maybe and have some fun doing it. Advertisement 'The punishment does not fit the crime. I am very upset, I think it is a gross injustice. Other people might have a different point of view but I think if they have a think about it then they won't.'
