Why Are Forest Set To Take Palace's Place In Europa League?

Crystal Palace had ne'er won a awesome trophy.

Never been successful Europe.

The scenes of axenic joyousness aft their 1-0 complete Manchester City astatine Wembley made for 1 of 2025's astir memorable shot stories.

They judge they earned their correct to play successful nan Europa League adjacent season. According to well-placed sources, location are factions astatine Uefa who person a akin opinion.

But little than 2 months on, nan aftermath has been tainted by acrimony, rivalries and, ultimately, Uefa rules astir multi-club ownership rules.

The upshot is Palace are retired of nan Europa League. And Nottingham Forest return their place. Palace are now successful nan Conference League wherever nan prize money and glory are importantly less.

Palace are now expected to return their lawsuit to nan Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Why did this happen? What does it show america astir shot ownership? What went connected betwixt Palace and Forest? And will it spark a deeper rivalry betwixt nan clubs?

There are 2 important points to see erstwhile trying to understand really Palace person travel to suffer their spot successful nan Europa League.

The first is Palace's statement that John Textor, who owns stakes successful them and successful Lyon, does not clasp decisive power astatine Selhurst Park.

In their dealings pinch Uefa, Palace person strenuously insisted that Textor, contempt his institution - Eagle Football Holdings - possessing a 43% stake, has nary important power astatine nan club.

Speaking to Talksport earlier this week, Textor said: "I don't person decisive influence. I don't and I didn't."

Textor is astatine nan centre of nan case. Uefa has deemed that Lyon and Palace can't some play successful adjacent season's Europa League because of his part-ownership of both. And truthful arsenic nan French nine vanished higher successful their league, they get nan spot.

The different important constituent to see is that Palace missed Uefa's 1 March deadline to change their ownership building to guarantee compliance pinch nan governing body's multi-club ownership rules.

In essence, that is why nan southbound London nine are successful this predicament.

Forest, too, missed nan cut-off but they had demonstrated to Uefa that they were successful nan process of complying pinch their rules. The rumor for them was that Evangelos Marinakis besides owns Olympiakos, who were were successful statement to suffice for adjacent season's Champions League. So Marinakis placed his Forest liking into a unsighted trust, and ceased to beryllium a "person pinch important control" of nan institution that owns nan club. In nan end, Olympiakos qualified, Forest didn't.

Had Palace successfully convinced Uefa that Textor had nary decisive power past nan 1 March deadline would person been irrelevant.

But Uefa person not accepted Palace's statement - and missing nan deadline has go nan club's downfall.

Forest are group to beryllium nan large beneficiaries of Palace's defeat. Indeed, location are immoderate questions down nan scenes astatine Palace arsenic to Forest's domiciled successful nan saga complete caller weeks.

For instance, BBC Sport has learned location was a missive sent by Forest to Uefa expressing concerns complete Palace's Europa League eligibility.

Forest will opportunity they person complied pinch nan rules erstwhile Palace haven't and frankincense merit their spot successful nan Europa League. It is simply a beardown argument.

Marinakis didn't want to spot his ownership of nan nine into a unsighted trust, but he did because he knew of nan imaginable consequences if he didn't.

Could we beryllium looking astatine nan commencement of 1 of English football's astir improbable rivalries?

Textor put further region betwixt himself and Palace towards nan extremity of past period aft agreeing a near-£190m woody to waste his liking to chap American businessman Woody Johnson.

The woody strengthened Palace's assertions that location has ne'er been immoderate collusion pinch Lyon.

At nan time, nan woody appeared a important improvement towards Palace maintaining their spot successful nan Europa League.

Yet location was an acceptance astatine Palace that while Uefa whitethorn look favourably connected Textor's exit, it wasn't going to beryllium capable connected its own.

Their hopes rested connected Uefa deciding that Textor hasn't held important power astatine nan club.

Palace fears grew nan longer they waited. They felt that if Uefa agreed pinch nan club's argument, nan bully news would person been communicated earlier now.

Their pessimism was intelligibly warranted.

Palace were fixed dream erstwhile Lyon were relegated from Ligue 1 successful precocious June because of their mediocre financial state.

The demotion, had it stood, would person meant Lyon not longer held a licence to compete successful nan Europa League - opening nan doorway to Palace.

But Palace optimism subsided arsenic Lyon lodged an entreaty against nan determination pinch France's shot watchdog.

Once nan entreaty was submitted, Palace began fearing nan worst amid scepticism arsenic to whether location was a will successful France to forcibly region 1 their astir prestigious clubs from nan apical formation fixed uncertainty complete tv revenue.

There were reports successful May that sports broadcaster DAZN terminated its five-year home broadcast statement pinch France's Professional Football League (LFP) for Ligue 1 aft conscionable 1 season.

DAZN paid a reported 400m euros for nan home authorities complete 5 years. In contrast, successful 2023, nan Premier League received £6.7bn for a four-year statement - which starts adjacent play - for Sky and TNT to show up to 270 unrecorded games a season.

There was a resultant interest that relegating Lyon would put Ligue 1 astatine disadvantage successful position of its world pull.

On Wednesday, nan French shot authorities upheld Lyon's entreaty and frankincense preserved their spot successful nan Europa League.

Ever since then, nan penning has been connected nan wall for Palace.