What Are UEFA’s Rules On Multi-Club Ownership? Crystal Palace In Danger Of Europa League Expulsion 654a35

FA Cup winners Crystal Palace risk being kicked out of next season’s Europa League – but what are the UEFA club ownership rules?

On Tuesday, Palace attended an emergency summit as they desperately try to avoid being expelled from Europe next season.

The Eagles stunned Manchester City to win their first major trophy and lift the FA Cup.

Usually, that would guarantee entry into the Europa League for next season.

But Palace co-owner John Textor is also the majority shareholder at French club Lyon, who have also qualified for the competition.

Below, we’ve taken a look at the current UEFA ownership rules, and explained what might happen to Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace Fall Foul Of UEFA Ownership Rules 1v4gg

According to UEFA’s regulations, no two clubs with the same ownership can take part in one competition.

This means Palace and Lyon cannot both play in the Europa League.

A possible solution would have been to see Palace drop down to the Europa Conference League.

Crystal Palace’s Europa League hopes may hinge on Lyon decision

If Uefa deems French club are in breach of a settlement agreement and disqualifies them, FA Cup winners should be free to play in Europe

Story by @martynziegler⬇️https://t.co/7OHxGADK4Z

— Times Sport (@TimesSport) June 4, 2025

But Danish side Brondby are also in this predicament, and are owned by another Palace co-owner in David Blitzer.

UEFA’s rules state that in situations such as this, the club with the higher league finishing position must take priority.

As such Palace are at risk of having their European hopes crushed before they’ve begun.

What’s worse, the next English team in line for a continental place are rivals Brighton, who could take Palace’s spot.

UEFA Rules On Multi-Club Ownership Force Teams To Act g675i

The UEFA multi-club rules have not just affected Crystal Palace.

Other sides in the top flight have needed to jump through hoops to ensure they can compete in continental competitions.

Both Manchester clubs have taken action, along with Nottingham Forest. Chelsea and Aston Villa have also encountered problems.

Palace have no made a statement on the situation, but it is understood they are confident a solution will be reached.

It is believed that the club’s position will be to argue that no facilities, assets or players are shared between Lyon and Palace, with no relationship between the clubs.

Furthermore, Textor does not make decisions at Palace, with only 25% of voting rights.

It is not yet clear if this will be enough to convince UEFA, though. Textor could opt to sell his stake as quickly as possibly, but this looks unlikely unless a huge offer comes in.

Other Clubs Affected By UEFA Ownership Rules n1b42

As mentioned, UEFA’s ownership rules stipulate that no entity can have control or decisive influence over multiple clubs in UEFA competition.

This goes beyond just ownership, and can include management and sporting performance too.

Clubs with the same owners are allowed to participate in different UEFA competitions, though.

In some cases, owners have been forced to place shares into a blind trust, or sell part of their stake to comply with the UEFA ownership rules.

Below are a few examples of other clubs affected by this issue.

Aston Villa and Vitória Sport Clube: 6c6810

Villa and Vitoria were under scrutiny ahead of the 2023-24 season, but were allowed to participate after making some changes,

Likewise, Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise were cleared by UEFA, but were under investigation at one stage.

AC Milan and Toulouse FC: 3h2x4a

Multi-club ownership rules meant AC Milan and Toulouse underwent a review in 2023/24.

Manchester City and Girona FC: 1g1s11

Owned by the City Football Group, both Girona and Manchester City faced issues.

At one stage, it looked like Girona wouldn’t be allowed to compete in the Champions League, but UEFA offered divestment solutions to mitigate the problem.

Manchester United and OGC Nice: 6c202v

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group owns both Manchester United and Nice.

This had led to increased scrutiny over their compliance with UEFA ownership rules.

Chelsea and Strasbourg: 122a5n

According to the BBC, Chelsea and Strasbourg parent company BlueCo has needed to make changes to ensure it followed the rules.

Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos: g4v2m

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is also involved with Olympiacos, causing a potential issue if they ever qualify for the same European competition.

What Will Happen If Crystal Palace Are Kicked Out Of Europe? 5d6v73

Should the worst happen for Palace, it will affect a number of Premier League sides. But which sides will benefit if Palace lose their Europa League place?

Nottingham Forest would take their place in the Europa League – with bitter rivals of the Eagles, Brighton claiming the Conference League spot.

🚨🦅 CRYSTAL PALACE COULD BE KICKED OUT OF EUROPE!

UEFA rules say clubs with the same owner can’t play in the same competition.

🟠Nottingham Forest move up to EUL
🟢Brighton get UECL spot

🇫🇷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿Lyon & Palace both qualified for the Europa League — but Lyon finished higher so are… pic.twitter.com/CuBwAcZJef

— UEFA Obscura (@UEFAObscura) June 3, 2025

It would also be a killer blow for Palace’s finances and recruitment plans.

With no European football to tempt new gs with, Oliver Glasner would find it much harder to keep his stars and secure new ones.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a UEFA spokesperson said: “Please be informed that decisions regarding multi-club ownership cases for the 2025/26 season will be announced in due course during June.

“We do not comment on individual club cases until an official decision has been made.’