The battle for a spot in next season’s Europa League is heating up off the pitch, as Nottingham Forest have formally requested UEFA to clarify Crystal Palace’s eligibility amid concerns over potential breaches of multi-club ownership regulations.
Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League and earned a place in the Europa Conference League play-offs, could be set for an unexpected promotion to the Europa League if UEFA rules against Palace.
At the heart of the controversy is American businessman John Textor, whose holding company, Eagle Football, owns a 43% stake in Crystal Palace and a 77% controlling interest in French club Olympique Lyonnais. Both clubs have secured places in the 2025–26 Europa League — Palace by virtue of their historic FA Cup triumph over Manchester City, and Lyon via their league position in France.
UEFA’s regulations are clear: no individual or legal entity is permitted to hold a majority of shareholder voting rights in two clubs participating in the same European competition. These rules are designed to prevent potential conflicts of interest or collusion between affiliated clubs.
Forest’s appeal, as reported by BBC Sport, was submitted ahead of UEFA’s revised March 1 deadline for resolving ownership structure issues — a date brought forward from June 1 to ensure proper vetting could be completed before the early qualifying rounds in July.
Palace, however, have pushed back against any suggestion of impropriety. The club insists it operates entirely independently of Lyon, despite the shared ownership through Eagle Football. In their defence, Palace stated that there has been no overlap in personnel, no shared coaching staff, no collaborative strategies, and no common scouting or commercial deals between the two clubs.
The South London side argue that their qualification was earned fairly on the pitch, with their FA Cup win a moment of pure footballing achievement rather than the result of any ownership manoeuvring.
Interestingly, Nottingham Forest have managed to avoid similar scrutiny. Their owner, Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Olympiakos in Greece and Rio Ave in Portugal, diluted his stake in Forest to comply with UEFA regulations. At one point, both Forest and Olympiakos were on track to qualify for the Champions League, which could have triggered a similar eligibility review.
As the start of the Europa League and Conference League qualification rounds looms in July, UEFA faces a critical decision. Should Palace be ruled ineligible, Nottingham Forest could find themselves stepping into a Europa League spot — a significant boost for a club eager to return to Europe’s second-tier competition.
For now, all eyes are on UEFA’s ruling, which could have wide-reaching implications not just for Palace and Forest, but for the future of multi-club ownership in European football.
