Crystal Palace had a dream finale to the season as they beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final to clinch their first piece of silverware.
That historic achievement also earned them a spot in next season’s Europa League, but they could be stripped of all their hard work due to UEFA rules.
According to the Guardian, the European governing body rejected an offer from the club’s major shareholders to place their stakes in a blind trust.
Palace’s largest shareholder, John Textor, also owns French club Olympique Lyon.
The Ligue 1 side finished sixth and will also play in the Europa League, but UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules forbid owners from having a controlling interest in more than one club in a single competition.
Textor was looking to side-step the rules by placing his stake in a blind trust, but his offer came too late to satisfy the governing body’s regulations.
To make matters worse, fellow Palace investor David Blitzer owns a controlling stake in Danish club Brondby, who qualified for the Europa Conference League.
Their success means the prospect of the FA Cup winners dropping into that competition is also not an option.
Textor and Steve Parish met with UEFA officials in Nyon earlier this week in a last-ditch bid to resolve the issue, but they missed the March 1 deadline to make any changes to their roles at the club.
Palace are the latest Premier League club to go through this conundrum after Man City, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.
Man City and United used blind trusts to comply with UEFA’s multi-club rules last season after their partner clubs, Girona and Nice, also qualified for the Champions League and Europa League, respectively.
Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis also transferred his shares when the Tricky Trees and their sister club in Greece, Olympiacos, were on track to qualify for the Champions League.
Textor was caught off guard by Palace’s late-season surge and their impressive FA Cup final win. He didn’t have much time to make the necessary changes, and Palace could now pay the price.
The American businessman is now willing to sell his 45 percent stake in Palace, but there’s only a slim chance he’ll be able to get it done before the Europa League draw in just over a week.
If Palace are kicked out of the Europa League, Forest could take their place, while Brighton & Hove Albion may be bumped up to the Conference League.
