Hundreds protest as Nottingham Forest await Europa League decision

Crystal Palace fans staged a protest outside Selhurst Park on Tuesday evening following UEFA’s ruling to demote the club to the Conference League.

Hundreds of supporters marched from Norwood Clocktower to Palace’s stadium carrying banners, with one at the front declaring “UEFA: MORALLY BANKRUPT. REVOKE THE RULING NOW”.

Palace qualified for this season’s Europa League courtesy of their shock win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May, which secured a historic first major trophy.

But they missed a March 1 deadline to demonstrate that American co-owner John Textor, also a part-owner at Lyon, had no control or influence over more than one club in the same competition.

UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) decided Textor’s interest in both clubs meant only one could enter the Europa League, with Lyon’s higher league position edging out Palace.

Palace are weighing up their options in response and admitted they could appeal UEFA’s verdict at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Textor has agreed to sell his shareholding in Palace to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson. He has also stepped down as Lyon president, but remains co-owner.

Nottingham Forest are expected to replace the Eagles in the Europa League after finishing seventh in the Premier League last season although this has not yet been confirmed by UEFA.

Palace chairman Steve Parish declared it “a bad day for football” and “a terrible injustice” after the club were demoted to the Conference League having fallen foul of UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership.

A petition urging UEFA to reconsider and reinstate Palace back in the Europa League has been signed by more than 3,000 people since being created on Friday.

Get breaking Forest news sent direct to your phone

Join our Nottingham Forest WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click here and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the NottinghamshireLive Reds writers.

We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Reds stories. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click 'Exit Group'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you are curious, you can click here to read our Privacy Notice.