UEFA demotes Crystal Palace from Europa League as Parish slams the UEFA verdict
UEFA has demoted Crystal Palace from Europa League after reaching a verdict that the London club would not be allowed to take part in the same competition as Lyon after reacting to questions raised by football lovers over John Textor having a stake in both clubs─Crystal Palace and Lyon─who are also set to participate in the competition.
In a private interview, Steve Parish, chairman of Crystal Palace, described the club’s demotion to the Conference League as “one of the greatest injustice” in the history of the European competition.
UEFA Demotes Crystal Palace From Europa League
Parish states that Palace are to appeal the ruling of the UEFA but anticipates that the president of the European governing body. Aleksander Ceferin, will meddle in the decision and restore the London club to Europa League─an entitlement earned by becoming victorious in the English FA Cup last season.
John Textor’s dealing with both Palace and the French outfit Lyon was adjudged to have gone against UEFA multi-club ownership rules, which state that clubs with same ownership cannot participate in the same competition.
UEFA Demotes Crystal Palace From Europa League
On Friday, UEFA declared that Palace’s demotion to the Conference League after Lyon, who were relegated from Ligue 1 due to financial constraints, were restored, so, reoccupying their position in the Europa League.
Parish, however, refuted the ruling and described the decision as “crazy rule” which Palace have been decided against.
“Obviously we’re devastated,” he told Sky Sports News in an exclusive interview. “We’re devastated for, most importantly, the supporters. I think the supporters of all clubs should be devastated for us because this is the dream.
“You win a cup, actually win something for the first time in your history. Somebody said to me it’s like winning the lottery, going to the counter and you don’t get the prize.
“I’m devastated for the players, for the fans, for the staff. It’s a bad day for football.
“I think most right-minded football fans will see what a terrible injustice this is for the football club, one that I dearly hope somebody can remedy because I do believe that nobody in football wants to see this.
UEFA Demotes Crystal Palace From Europa League
“I don’t think UEFA want to see this. Clubs that rightfully qualify for a competition being locked out of that competition on the most ridiculous technicality that you could imagine.
“We will appeal. I don’t want to prejudge [whether they’d win]. When I say we’ll appeal, we’re looking at all of the options at the moment.
“That obviously is one option. What we would much prefer is if somebody intervened in this process”
Nottingham Forest Cannot Take Palace’s Europa Spot ─ Parish
Chairman of Crystal Palace Steve Parish on expectation of Nottingham Forest occupying Palace’s spot in the Europa League: “Forest are a fantastic club. They won the league once. Like us, they had a kind of black swan event.
“They got into the European Cup. They won it and that allowed them to qualify again and win it again. These things have an incredible effect on football teams.
“You get your one shot. This is our one shot at the Europa League in our 164 years.
“I can’t believe a football club with that story, that history, very similar to ours, would really want to be a part of taking this away from us. I really don’t.
“A lot of Forest fans have reached out to me and said they don’t want to get access to a tournament this way.
“We believe it’s possible for Mr. Ceferin or somebody to do that. There are a number of really important points that people need to consider.
UEFA Demotes Crystal Palace From Europa League
“First of all, from what I can see, there’s no other rule around the licence that has a deadline. There are people still resolving their issues now, as we know.
“People who have to put money into bank accounts by next week and will have a test next week. So the date in itself seems an incongruous thing to do.
“Secondly, this is a rule we can’t comply with. A rule has been created that’s impossible for the majority owners of Crystal Palace to comply with.
“A minority shareholder needed to either sell or place their shares in trust. We had no power to compel them to do that.
“That part alone is completely incongruous. How can you pass a rule and sanction a club for a rule they couldn’t comply with?
“Obviously, as everybody knows, John or anybody at Eagle Football [Textor’s company] didn’t have decisive influence over Crystal Palace.
“Everybody knows this. Everybody knows we’re not part of a multi-club [ownership]. Everybody knows we have no staff, no players from Lyon, no loans, no transactions.
“We’ve caught a tripwire. We’re caught up in a rule that wasn’t put there for us.
“It will change. Nobody’s going to stick with this rule. It’s a crazy rule. I don’t understand why the panel have come to the conclusion they’ve come to.
“We’ve proved to them beyond all reasonable doubt that John didn’t have decisive influence over anything to do with the football club, yet still they’ve come up with this decision, which seems incongruous.”
UEFA Demotes Crystal Palace From Europa League
Multi-Ownership Laws Need Overhauling ─ Parish
Parish, in his interview, says that UEFA’s decision shows that the multi-ownership rules need an overhaul. However, he called on the governing body to act now to reinstate Crystal Palace into the Europa League.
“It’s such an incredible travesty of justice, something every football fan should be worried about when teams with the same name have played in these competitions.
“Either you have these multi-clubs or you ban them. They need to find a way through this. But notwithstanding that, we were never part of one.
“As everybody knows my position on them, I don’t think they’re generally the right thing to do. Other people disagree with me. That’s fine. But we have nothing to do with them.
“There’s a real crossroads here for UEFA to look at. Do they intervene and do the right thing, which is what I think they should do, which is what I think they want to do?
“Or do they let this process play out and see probably one of the greatest injustices that have ever happened in European football?”
UEFA Demotes Crystal Palace From Europa League
