Crystal Palace fans have launched a fierce protest against UEFA following the club’s shocking exclusion from the 2025/26 Europa League.
Despite winning the FA Cup—a feat that typically guarantees European football—Palace were kicked out of the competition due to UEFA’s multi-club ownership regulations. The decision has sparked outrage among the club’s loyal supporters, who have labelled UEFA “morally bankrupt” and accused the governing body of crushing football’s core values of meritocracy and fairness.
Palace’s exclusion stems from the fact that American investment firm, John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings, holds significant stakes in multiple clubs, including French side Olympique Lyonnais. With Lyon also qualifying for the Europa League through their domestic performance, UEFA cited its Article 5 rules to determine which club would be allowed to participate.
Ultimately, UEFA opted to favour Lyon, citing sporting merit and historical coefficients. Palace, despite their historic FA Cup triumph over Manchester United, were the ones to lose out.
This has not gone down well with the Selhurst Park faithful. Over the weekend, hundreds of fans gathered outside the club’s stadium in South London, holding banners reading “UEFA: Killers of the Dream,” and “We Earned It On the Pitch.” Chants of “Shame on you, UEFA” rang out as fans expressed their disgust over the decision. Many fans wore replica shirts with the words “Europa Stolen” printed across the back.
Supporters’ groups, including the Holmesdale Fanatics, issued strong statements condemning UEFA’s decision. “
It is absolutely disgraceful that a team who achieved European qualification by winning one of the world’s oldest cup competitions can be tossed aside due to boardroom bureaucracy,” read one post on social media. “This decision is an affront to football and to fans across Europe who believe in fairness and achievement on the pitch.”
The protest has gained attention from figures within the football world as well. Former Palace manager Roy Hodgson and current first-team players have publicly voiced their disappointment. Hodgson called the ruling “an insult to English football tradition,” while captain Marc Guéhi said the squad felt “betrayed” by the system.
UEFA, for its part, has defended its decision, citing its existing regulations designed to preserve the integrity of European competitions. According to UEFA, if two clubs with the same ownership qualify for the same competition, preference is given based on higher UEFA coefficient rankings, a rule that unfortunately did not favour Palace.
However, critics argue that the ruling highlights a growing problem with modern football governance, where money and commercial interests increasingly supersede sporting integrity. They claim that instead of addressing the conflict of interest posed by multi-club ownership, UEFA is choosing to punish players and fans—those least responsible for these ownership structures.
For now, Crystal Palace will be forced to watch from the sidelines as Lyon take their place in Europe. But their fans have vowed not to let the matter die quietly. Petitions are circulating, legal advice is reportedly being sought, and pressure continues to mount on UEFA to re-evaluate its
ownership and qualification policies. Whether these efforts will change the outcome remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: the passion of Palace fans will not be s
ilenced easily.
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