•Crystal Palace owner John Textor
UEFA have demoted FA Cup champions Crystal Palace to the Conference League, with Nottingham Forest to take their Europa League slot.
According to UEFA, Palace were sanctioned after breaching its rules on multi-club ownership, reports AFP.
The rule states that clubs with the same owner are barred from competing in the same UEFA competition if an individual or ownership group is considered to have a decisive influence over more than one of those teams.
Nottingham Forest are expected to replace them in the tournament, although the Court of Arbitration for Sport has yet to decide.
John Textor, Crystal Palace’s largest shareholder and the owner of Lyon, had till March 1 to resolve the multi-club ownership issues.
However, Textor recently agreed a deal to sell his Palace shares to the US billionaire Woody Johnson, but the move has not been completed and was deemed to have come too late.
Lyon were also expected to face similar sanctions but won their appeal against relegation to Ligue 2 this week, clearing them to take their place in the tournament.
The Crystal Palace officials have revealed that they will appeal the demotion at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
