UEFA ‘MAFIA’? Palace Hit With New Punishment After Europa Demotion

Crystal Palace have been hit with a new sanction by UEFA after their controversial demotion from the Europa League to the Europa Conference League earlier this season.

The Eagles, who earned a European spot by winning the FA Cup, were moved down a tier due to breaches of UEFA’s multi-club ownership rules. Nottingham Forest took their place in the Europa League following the ruling.

CAS Upholds Demotion

Palace appealed the decision, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld UEFA’s verdict. That forced Oliver Glasner’s side into the Conference League, where they beat Norwegian side Fredrikstad 1-0 on aggregate to qualify for the group stage.

‘UEFA Mafia’ Banner Leads to Fine

During their play-off tie at Selhurst Park in August, Palace fans unveiled a banner displaying the words “UEFA MAFIA” over the governing body’s logo. The same banner later appeared at Wembley during the Community Shield and at Stamford Bridge on the opening day of the Premier League.

UEFA has now fined Crystal Palace €10,000 (£8,670), citing a breach of regulations for bringing the organisation into disrepute and displaying an inappropriate message at a sporting event.

Glasner: “A Huge Achievement”

Despite the off-field drama, Glasner praised his squad for securing group-stage football:
“It is a huge achievement to go into the group stage. That was our second goal of the season after winning the Community Shield. With all of the noise around our demotion, achieving this so early is fantastic.”

The Austrian coach admitted improvements are needed in possession play but praised his team’s defensive discipline against Fredrikstad.

Group Stage Ahead

Crystal Palace will now face a challenging Conference League group that includes Dynamo Kiev, AEK Larnaca, AZ Alkmaar, Strasbourg, Shelbourne, and KuPS (Kuopion Palloseura).