Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has confirmed the club will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as they ramp up their legal challenge against UEFA’s decision to demote them from the Europa League to the Conference League next season.
The decision came due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership rule, stating that one owner cannot have “decisive influence” over two clubs that are in the same competition.
In Palace’s case, the owner in question is not Parish but American businessman John Textor, who owns 44.9 per cent of the club while being the majority owner of French side Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League.
Learning of the complications with UEFA, Textor agreed to sell his share in the club to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson in a deal that is subject to Premier League clearance.
Getty | Lyon owner John Textor sold his shares in Crystal Palace, but it still didn't clear the way for Europa League qualification
In addition to this, Parish and Textor claim that the American never had decisive influence in the first place, with Parish instead holding that responsibility.
For this reason, the Eagles feel confident that an appeal should rule in their favour.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Parish explained the club’s position: “We are still fighting. There’s an appeal process, so we go to CAS, which is the court for arbitration, and, you know, we’re very hopeful. We think we’ve got great legal arguments.
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YouTube - The Rest Is Football
|Steve Parish spoke top Gary Lineker on The Rest Is Football podcast about their decision to appeal
“We don’t think this is the right decision by any means. We know unequivocally that John didn’t have decisive influence over the club.
“We know we proved that beyond all reasonable doubt because it’s a fact.
“We feel that there are a lot of very genuine mitigating circumstances and more than enough wriggle room to put us in the competition.”
In a recent interview with TalkSPORT, Textor explained his position at the club: “Parish is making decisions. He’s bringing us players. He involves us, but he doesn’t really listen to us. He does, but a suggestion from time to time is not the same as decisive influence.”
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Parish recently described the decision as “the greatest injustice in the history of football”, as his passionate and emotional appeals continue.
The south London club believe there have been inconsistencies with the rules.
For example, Manchester City and Girona, who are owned by the ‘City Football Group’, both competed in the Champions League this year.
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TalkSPORT | Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor also spoke to TalkSPORT's Simon Jordan on the issue
Additionally, Manchester United, in which Sir Jim Ratcliffe holds a 29 per cent share and oversees all football operations, competed in the Europa League against Nice, which Ratcliffe also has a majority share in.
Palace’s initial qualification came through their historic FA Cup triumph against Manchester City in May - a first piece of silverware in their 160-year history.
It would have been the first time the club had ever competed in the Europa League, and Parish insisted that the decision, which would crush Palace fans' lifelong dreams, would not be a good look for the organisation.
“It does look bad,” the 59-year-old continued. “This is the dream, right? This is what keeps football alive. This is why everybody goes, because they think one day they might win a cup, and they might qualify for Europe.
“These things can be defining moments for a club and completely change the course of history forever.”
The Englishman, who is a lifelong Eagles fan, concluded by hoping they will get the “right answer” from CAS, with the appeal process expected to take 10 days.