Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner is feeling “confident” about the Eagles’ chances of winning their appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) regarding their eligibility to compete in the Europa League.
UEFA, the governing body of European football, has relegated Palace from the Europa League to the Conference League due to violations of multi-club ownership regulations.
The club is appealing UEFA’s decision, which awarded their Europa League spot to Nottingham Forest. The CAS hearing is scheduled for Friday, with a ruling expected by Monday—just a day after Palace faces Premier League champions Liverpool in the Community Shield at Wembley.
According to Sky Sports News, Palace is confident that they possess strong evidence to support their appeal. Although the club missed the March 1 deadline to amend their ownership structure, they have obtained legal documents indicating that the true deadline was April 30.
This new information has invigorated Palace’s hopes of a successful appeal. Glasner expressed optimism, stating, “We focus on what we need to do on the pitch while awaiting final decisions. We are still confident about our appeal and expect to play in the Europa League,” adding that by August 11, they will be preparing for their upcoming European matches.
Conference League Play-off Opponents Announced
While waiting for a decision about their European fate, Palace remains in the Conference League and recently learned that they will face either Fredrikstad from Norway or Denmark’s FC Midtjylland in the play-offs.
Palsace will meet the winner of the qualifying round between Fredrikstad and Midtjylland at Selhurst Park on August 21, with the return leg a week later. On July 11, UEFA confirmed that Palace was demoted after establishing American businessman John Textor’s influence over both Palace and French club Lyon, violating UEFA’s ownership rules.
Textor has since sold his shares in Palace to Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets. Chairman Steve Parish previously described the club’s demotion as “one of the greatest injustices” in European football, adamantly dismissing claims of shared ownership with Lyon and expressing disappointment for the supporters and players.
