Crystal Palace set to learn European fate after John Textor sold his shares | OneFootball

Crystal Palace could find out as early as today whether they’ll be allowed to play in the Europa League next season, according to the Daily Mail.

This comes after weeks of uncertainty due to UEFA’s strict multi-club ownership rules.

The South London club earned a historic spot in the competition after stunning Manchester City in the FA Cup Final.

But that fairytale win was quickly followed by question marks about their European eligibility.

Eagle Football Holdings, which owned a 43% stake in Palace, also owns French side Olympique Lyon, which creates a conflict of interest under UEFA’s rules.

Keen to help Palace keep their place in Europe, head of Eagle Football Holdings, John Textor, made a desperate move by selling his shares in the club to NFL’s New York Jets owner Woody Johnson.

Whether that’ll be enough to keep Palace’s European dream alive remains to be seen.

Palace officials have already held meetings with UEFA at their headquarters in Switzerland, and a decision was expected at the end of the month.

Another meeting has been scheduled for later today, and a decision is now expected either after the summit or on Monday.

According to UEFA rules, two clubs with the same ownership cannot play in the same competition.

Whenever that happens, the club that finishes higher in their domestic league gets the European spot, which gives Lyon the nod ahead of Palace.

Les Gones finished sixth in Ligue 1, so they’re in line to take the Europa League spot ahead of Palace, who finished 12th in the Premier League.

But Palace haven’t given up hope of playing in the Europa League next season. In fact, they’re confident that they could get a positive outcome from today’s meeting.

They argue that no facilities, players, or staff are shared with Lyon and that the new ownership structure satisfies UEFA’s regulations.

While Johnson now owns 43% of the club, he will have just 25% of the voting rights, which is similar to the arrangement Textor had.

The remaining shares are divided among chairman Steve Parish and American investors Josh Harris and David Blitzer.