The group behind this action is Holmesdale Fanatics, a famous fan force with a strong working spirit of Crystal Palace. They sent a letter directly to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, asking to restore the team's place in the Europa League.
According to this group, the counterfeit suitcase represents a conflict between UEFA's claims of integrity and fairness with the actual way of doing things and operating mechanisms. On the shore of Geneva Lake, they raised the flag: UEFA: moral degradation. Repeal the verdict immediately".
After leaving UEFA headquarters, the group continued to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne to increase the pressure. Here, they put up a banner with the content: CAS - Lets give back what we deserve.
Crystal Palace qualified for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup last season. However, UEFA unexpectedly moved the team down to participate in the Conference League, a third-tier tournament in Europe.
The reason given is that Eagle Football Holdings - a company of American billionaire John Textor, a major shareholder at Crystal Palace also owns the French club Lyon. UEFA believes this violates the regulation prohibiting two clubs under the same owner from participating in the same tournament.
Crystal Palace has filed a complaint with CAS. If approved, Lyon or Nottingham Forest will lose their place in the Europa League. CAS is scheduled to announce its final verdict on August 11.
Previously, Textor had sought to sell its stake in Eagle Football Holdings to billionaire Woody Johnson for $216 million to resolve ownership conflicts. However, due to the deal not being completed before the UEFA deadline of 3/3, Crystal Palace were still out of the tournament.
