‘UEFA warned of John Textor issue months before Crystal Palace mess’
Crystal Palace majority shareholder John Textor was made aware of a crucial UEFA deadline but failed to act and the club’s European participation is now in jeopardy.
The Eagles qualified for the Europa League last season after beating Man City 1-0 in the FA Cup final.
Oliver Glasner secured Palace’s first ever major honour, and their first trip to the continent, but a problem then arose relating to John Textor’s ownership of Lyon.
The American businessman is the majority shareholder in both clubs, and with the Ligue 1 side also qualifying for the Europa League, both teams cannot compete in the same competition.
This is due to UEFA‘s rules on multi-club ownership. Other teams, such as Nottingham Forest, Man United, and RB Leipzig have avoided this issue with their owners putting ownership of other clubs into a blind trust.
The European governing body set a deadline of 1 March for teams to do so, but Textor failed to put his Palace shares in a blind trust.
The Eagles have been in dialogue with UEFA to find a workaround that would still allow them the opportunity to play in Europe next season.
But The Guardian have provided an update on the March deadline Textor missed, which could prove pivotal in UEFA’s decision-making process.
UEFA flagged March deadline over Crystal Palace and Lyon clash
Much of the argument made as to why Textor did not move his shares into a blind trust was on the basis of Palace being nowhere near European qualification.
The club started the season slowly and quickly fell behind the pack of teams chasing a place in the Conference League.
Meanwhile, having never won the trophy in their history before, they had just beaten Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup fourth round, before winning 3-1 against Millwall in the fifth round on the day of the deadline.
But according to the report, sources close to the situation say the issue of multi-club ownership was “flagged” by UEFA “long before the 1 March deadline”.
Crystal Palace seemingly in deep trouble with UEFA case
Football Insider Verdict
Initially, it looked as if Palace may be able to argue that the deadline looked as if it may not apply to them, given their slow start in the league.
But with it now being revealed Textor was well aware of the need to put his shares in a blind trust, and choosing not to, it is difficult to see how this ends well for the Eagles.
The American businessman is in talks with New York Jets owner Woody Johnson to sell his Palace shares.
However, there are no guarantees that will impact a decision from UEFA or the Court of Sports Arbitration (CAS), where this case seems to be destined to finish.
Given the precedent set by CAS on their decision to expel Club Leon from the Club World Cup and Drogheda from the Conference League, Palace look like they are in serious trouble.