Crystal Palace tipped for Conference League glory but handed £2.5m prize money blow

Crystal Palace will play in the Europa Conference League next season, having been demoted from the Europa League, but former Sunderland and Celtic boss Martin O’Neil believes the London outfit can lift the trophy in that competition.

Nottingham Forest will take the Eagles’ place in the Europa League with Crystal Palace losing their spot due to breaching multi-club ownership rules. American businessman John Textor owned a 43% stake of the club until he sold it in June, and is the majority owner of Lyon.

The French outfit have also qualified for the Europa League, which put Crystal Palace in a complicated situation. The Premier League team had until March, 1 2025 to show proof of multi-club ownership restructuring to Uefa but missed that deadline.

Crystal Palace condemned to Europa Conference League

An appeal was submitted by Crystal Palace in July but it has now been confirmed that it will not be successful. O’Neil was quizzed on talkSPORT about how he would have reacted to the situation in Oliver Glasner’s place.

The former Premier League boss said: “There was a chance that they wouldn’t get through because they hadn’t abided by the rules. Simon has made the point that the rules might be silly but they are there and they knew about them. If you’re to believe Textor, who thought the minute the cup was raised at Wembley, oh we’re in trouble here, that may or may not be the case.

“From the managerial viewpoint, they are in Europe and it’s a competition they have a chance of winning. They can win it. Premier League times have shown that in Chelsea and West Ham. Simon makes the point that they’ll be in Europe twice if that’s the case, they’ll be in the following year. If I’m the manager, I’d have liked to be in the Europa League.

“The Europa League doesn’t mean a great deal to me, if I was managing now. You’re under pressure now to go and win it. If I was Glasner I’d have preferred to be in the Europa League but I don’t have a say in it.”

Europa League vs Conference League prize money

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan was also on the radio and called for sympathy for the Crystal Palace owners, despite their huge mistake. A triumph in the Europa Conference League would see the club qualify for the Europa League next season, but offers half of the prize money.

Jordan said: “Glasner will get on with the reality of the circumstances and so will the fans. Messes happen all the time. They [club owners] made a mistake, anyone else made mistakes in life? It’s a costly mistake but it’s the same ownership that has facilitated remarkable outcomes for Crystal Palace.

“They’ve made a mistake but all of the achievements that they’ve gotten over the last 15 years in stabilising Palace as a Premier League football club, in creating outcomes with two FA Cup finals and creating more success than this football club has ever had in its history, cannot be a reason to eradicate all that because they’ve made a mistake. Managers make mistakes, owners make mistakes, every walk of life.”

GiveMeSport carried a breakdown of the prize money available in the Europa League and the Europa Conference League last season. The winners of the former competition bagged £5 million with £2.5 million going to the victors of the latter.

The difference in prize money kicks in early and missing out on that cash could be painful for Crystal Palace, who have endured a slow summer of transfer action. Qualification for the Europa League league stage was awarded with £3.6 million last term with the equivalent in the Conference League amounting to just £2.6 million.

In other news, Chelsea boost as Oliver Glasner confirms Crystal Palace injury blow.