UEFA demoted Crystal Palace to the third-tier Conference League on Friday because of the English cup winner’s ownership ties to French club Lyon through American businessman John Textor.
Textor’s 43% minority stake in Palace — even though he had limited decision-making influence there — while he owned Lyon outright, conflicted with UEFA rules on multi-club ownership designed to protect the integrity of its competitions.
UEFA said its club finance panel accepted Lyon’s entry into the second-tier Europa League instead.