Crystal Palace expelled from Europa League due to dual ownership issue

Crystal Palace has been officially expelled from the 2025-2026 Europa League by UEFA due to dual club ownership issues.

The South London team — which recently won the FA Cup by defeating Manchester City 1-0 through Eberechi Eze’s goal two months ago — faces serious problems regarding their club ownership status.

The issue arose because John Textor — the American businessman who owns shares in Crystal Palace — is also registered as the majority shareholder at Olympique Lyonnais. Both clubs qualified for next season’s Europa League, which contradicts UEFA’s regulations on single ownership.

UEFA today announced the decision to relegate Crystal Palace to Europe’s third-tier competition — the Conference League for the 2025-2026 season.