Denied their rightful place in the Europa League, Crystal Palace have hit out at the governing body: ‘This growing and unhealthy influence… does not bode well… when rules and sanctions are unevenly applied in the most flagrant way’
After giving themselves a day for calm reflection over the decision handed down by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which confirmed Crystal Palace’s demotion to the UEFA Conference League, club chairman Steve Parish and his fellow directors today issued a furious condemnation of the game’s European governing body.
“Sporting merit has been rendered meaningless” said Palace in a club statement issued at lunchtime, after their appeal against their demotion from the Europa League was rejected yesterday.
The FA Cup-winners will play Europe’s third-tier competition this season, following a convoluted legal case regarding multi-club ownership.
Doubling down on the inevitable feeling that Palace have in some way been singled out because they are not one of the “big” clubs, Palace said that it was “almost impossible to receive a fair hearing” at CAS.
They highlighted how at their CAS hearing, they were denied the usual legal formalities of disclosure of evidence, as well as a refusal to allow witness testimony from those involved.
“The European Court of Justice has made it clear that rulings similar to this will be under greater scrutiny from national courts in future. Only then will fairness and due process be granted to every team,” Palace said, ominously, in the statement.
“It appears that certain clubs, organisations and individuals have a unique privilege and power.”
The Crystal Palace FC statement in full:
At a time when we should be celebrating our victory in the Community Shield at Wembley, the decision by UEFA and followed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport shows that sporting merit is rendered meaningless.
When we won the FA Cup against Manchester City on that momentous day in May, our manager and players earned the right to play Europa League football.
We have been denied that opportunity.
Denied: Palace’s players celebrating their FA Cup win in May
It appears that certain clubs, organisations and individuals have a unique privilege and power.
This growing and unhealthy influence has shattered the hopes and dreams of Crystal Palace supporters, and does not bode well for aspirational teams all over Europe competing to progress when rules and sanctions are unevenly applied in the most flagrant way.
Multi-club structures hide behind the charade of a “blind trust” while clubs such as ours, who have no connection to another club whatsoever, are prevented from playing in the same competition.
To compound the injustice, clubs that appear to have huge informal arrangements with each other are also allowed to participate and even possibly play against each other.
While we respect the CAS tribunal members, the process is designed to severely restrict and, in our case, make it almost impossible to receive a fair hearing.
The denial of all disclosure requests to obtain correspondence between the relevant parties, the refusal to allow witness testimony from those involved, and the general lack of formality and respect for law mean decisions cannot be properly challenged, leading to pre-determined outcomes.
UEFA’s decision has wider implications for the governance of the sport. A combination of poorly conceived regulations and their unequal application means our brilliant fans will be deprived of the chance to watch this team compete in the Europa League for the first time in our history.
This should be a turning point for football.
UEFA must fulfil its mandate to pass coherent rules which are properly communicated and applied, with reasonable cure periods to resolve uncertainty and consistent sanctions, treating all clubs equally with a proper appeal process.
The European Court of Justice has made it clear that rulings similar to this will be under greater scrutiny from national courts in future. Only then will fairness and due process be granted to every team.
Although we continue to take legal advice on the next steps, we will compete in the Conference League with the same determination and will to win that characterises this incredible club.
Palace must now focus on the season ahead, beginning with a Premier League opener at world club champions Chelsea on Sunday, while the club captain, Marc Guehi, and head coach, Oliver Glasner, are on contracts which expire in less than 12 months’ time.
A Conference League final in Leipzig, for the final match of the most successful manager in the club’s history, might be just too poignant even for the most devoted of Eagles fans.
Read more: Palace swizzled as Swiss sports court upholds UEFA decision
Read more: We’re South London and very, very proud of our FA Cup team
Read more: A dream becomes reality: Wembley shook and it was beautiful
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We just need to move on now, strengthen the squad and win the Conference League title next May
As a Palace supporter, I couldn’t give a tinker’s about this nonsense, although the legal balance seems to be unreasonable to say the least. But football-wise:
Sometime back we had the European Cup, for teams who had won their league. We had the Cup Winners Cup for teams who had won their domestic cup. And we had the UEFA Cup for the other best finishers (for which Palace would have qualified in 1991 had UEFA not changed their rules and allowed Liverpool back a year early from their ban).
Now we have the ‘Champions League’ which comprises about 70% of teams who are not champions. And we have 2 other competitions comprising sundry other teams chosen by some means which I can’t be bothered to look up. I hope Palace win their particular European bagatelle, because in years to come, nobody will know the difference or importance anyway.
I also hope that at some point the ‘Big Four’ sling their hooks and join a European league, where every week Team with Loads of Money A play Team with Loads of Money B, C, D etc.. Then our domestic football can hopefully reinvent itself as something interesting and exciting, rather than what we have today. Something that isn’t tainted with the UEFA or FIFA trademark, who have innovative ideas like playing the World Cup in one of the hottest countries in the world, or in a country where the hosts believe football is a game played predominantly with the hands, a meaningless ‘world club championship’ which nobody understands or cares about. Watch out in the next World Cup for the mandatory drinks break down they can fit in some ads.
In the meantime, I will continue to follow Palace from the armchair, whilst enjoying proper football at Carshalton Athletic.