Simon Jordan points finger at Steve Parish over John Textor sale at Crystal Palace
Steve Parish has been criticised by Simon Jordan amid the ongoing uncertainty around the ownership situation at Crystal Palace.
The 2024/25 campaign proved to be a historic campaign for the Selhurst Park club, as Oliver Glasner continues to do a remarkable job in charge of the Eagles.
A 1-0 victory over Man City in the FA Cup final gave Crystal Palace their first ever piece of major silverware, sparking major celebrations in the process.
Ordinarily, winning that title would guarantee the club a place in next season’s Europa League, although there is uncertainty around that.
Crystal Palace in off-field fight for European place
Under UEFA rules, two clubs with the same owner are not allowed to compete in the same competition, which is posing a problem for the Eagles.
Crystal Palace now find their place in the Europa League under threat, due to the fact that John Textor – who owns a 43 per-cent share in the club – is also owner of French side Lyon, who are in that competition too.
As a result, the club are now scrambling to find a way to meet regulations in order to secure their place in Europe for next season.
Football Insider understands that Textor is willing to sell his shares in Crystal Palace for £170million to secure their place in the Europa League for next season, but that a sale could take many months.
Now, Jordan has taken aim at the Eagles’ chairman Steve Parish over the fact the club were not prepared for this eventually.
Speaking about Textor’s attempts to sell his stake on talkSPORT, the 57-year-old – who is a Crystal Palace fan and former chairman of the club – said: “Should he find a way to solve the problem that was ultimately created by the person put in power, that has been the main beneficiary of Crystal Palace’s success, which is Steve Parish.
“The fact of the matter is if John Textor has not been obstructive and hasn’t made it difficult, then it’s Parish’s job to put Textor in a position where ‘if we are successful, we can’t have your share’.
“Because they had his money, they were happy to have his money. He bought 43 per cent of Crystal Palace, and the beneficiaries of that were Parish and the football club, so they were happy to take his dough.
“So they can’t now have a complaint about the reality of him wanting to exit at a fair price in the market place, and they can’t then turn round and say ‘it’s your obligation to make it easy for us by taking a haircut on this’.
“Because it was their job to turn around and say ‘we’re in the FA Cup, we’re progressing, maybe we should be thinking about his ownership construct because it might come back and bite us on the backside’.
“That was Parish’s job and whether I’ve got rancour towards him is irrelevant, I’ve been very complimentary about the decisions.
“So with Textor’s situation, unless Textor has been a dog in a manger and said ‘No I’m not putting my shares in a blind trust, I’m not doing this because I don’t want to’.
“If he hasn’t done that, then Textor is under no obligation, whether you think he is morally, to take a cut on this deal, or do anybody a favour.”
Steve Parish and John Textor need a resolution quickly
Football Insider Verdict
One way or another, it feels vital that those in charge of the club find a way to ensure they can play in the Europa League next season.
Winning the FA Cup was a huge achievement for the Eagles, and it would be a big shame if they do not get the reward of being able to compete in Europe for the first time ever on the back of that.
Beyond that, being able to offer European football will be a major boost for the club as they look to attract potential transfer targets this summer.
It is also worth noting that Glasner is attracting attention for his work with Crystal Palace, and European football could help convince him to remain at Selhurst Park as well.
With that in mind, regardless of who is responsible, it is so important for the good of the club that a way can be found to get them into Europe next year.
Until they are able to do that, the worrying cloud that currently hangs over Selhurst Park is likely to remain where it is.