Crystal Palace’s dreams of European football have been miraculously revived in the most unexpected fashion, after French side Olympique Lyonnais—co-owned by Palace investor John Textor—were hit with devastating sanctions, effectively clearing Palace’s path to UEFA Europa League participation.
In a turn of events that has rocked both English and European football, Lyon were officially disqualified from continental competitions following revelations of financial irregularities tied to their ownership structure and breach of UEFA’s licensing regulations. That blow has inadvertently handed Crystal Palace, a club thought to be caught in the crossfire of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules, a free pass into next season’s Europa League.A UEFA spokesperson said in a statement released late Monday night:
“Due to regulatory breaches by Olympique Lyonnais regarding UEFA’s club licensing and financial fair play framework, the club has been deemed ineligible for continental competition in the 2025/26 season. With the removal of the conflict of interest, Crystal Palace are now clear to participate.”
That statement has sent waves of jubilation through south London. Palace, who finished a stellar 7th in the Premier League last season under Austrian tactician Oliver Glasner, were initially set to be blocked from European qualification due to Textor’s majority interest in both clubs. UEFA’s strict multi-club ownership rule prohibits two teams with shared ownership structures from competing in the same European competition.
