Crystal Palace is facing potential expulsion from the Europa League due to UEFA's ruling that has postponed the assessment of their multi-club ownership situation involving Olympique Lyonnais.

The club believed they secured their spot in the competition through their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May, but complications arose because outgoing shareholder John Textor also has an interest in the French club Lyon.

Textor has agreed to sell his stake in Palace to American billionaire Woody Johnson for approximately £200 million, but UEFA rules typically accept ownership changes only after a March 1 deadline, complicating matters for the club.

Palace's statement confirmed that Johnson's purchase is awaiting approval from the Premier League and expressed gratitude towards Textor for his contributions to the club.

UEFA has stated that updates on the situation will be provided in due course, emphasizing the ongoing complexities of the multi-club ownership issue.

The remaining owners of Palace have emphasized to UEFA that there are no multi-club issues, as they do not share recruitment or sporting infrastructure with Lyon or any other clubs in Textor's Eagle Football group.

Historically, UEFA has excluded clubs from competitions due to multi-club ownership issues, as seen with FC DAC 1904 in the Conference League.

Drogheda United, a League of Ireland club, recently lost an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over their exclusion from the Conference League due to similar multi-club ownership rule violations.

The outcome of this ruling could potentially be challenged at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by affected clubs, including Nottingham Forest, which qualified for the Conference League.

Despite the challenges, Crystal Palace remains optimistic about a favorable resolution regarding their Europa League spot.

Textor resigned from his leadership roles at Lyon on June 30, 2025, amid the uncertainty surrounding multi-club ownership.

To avoid conflict, Nottingham Forest's owner, Evangelos Marinakis, placed his shares in a blind trust to comply with UEFA regulations.