Wisbech Eagle
Member
- Location
- Truro Cornwall
- Country
England
Without seeing the detailed reasoning that UEFA have provided to Palace (only a summarised Press Release has been made public) it’s impossible to know what caused them to reach their view, but if it is a 30% threshold then we will win!Surely CAS need to look at the intention behind this part of the UEFA rules which is to prevent a situation where collusion/match fixing can occur.
They decided to refer to criteria that defines when someone is in such a position and they have in our case at least, referred to share ownership and a certain level of share ownership.
On that basis we certainly are in breach if they consider over 30% is the threshold, however they have completely ignored the fact that firstly Palace do not consider themselves to be part of an MCO club and secondly, the management set up within Palace prevented Textor from having decisive control within the club and therefore their objective of preventing a position where a result could be influenced has already been met.
This has to be their primary concern otherwise it’s just a rule for rules sake and is not universally appropriate. Mitigation of potential risk in any match between Lyon and Palace has already been met and I would hope CAS considers this point favourably.
Just one of the arguments, however in my opinion an important one nonetheless.
If you read their regulations it’s very clear that this is not the threshold, despite all the reports to the contrary. Rule 5.01 being the relevant section. Here it is:-
Article 5 Integrity of the competition/multi-club ownership
5.01
To ensure the integrity of the UEFA club competitions (i.e. UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League), the club must be able to prove that as at 1 March 2025 the below multi-club ownership criteria were met and the club must continue to comply with the below criteria from that date until the end of the competition season:
- No club participating in a UEFA club competition may, either directly or indirectly:
- hold or deal in the securities or shares of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition;
- be a member of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition;
- be involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition; or
- have any power whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of any other club participating in a UEFA club competition.
- No one may simultaneously be involved, either directly or indirectly, in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition.
- No individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition, such control or influence being defined in this context as:
- holding a majority of the shareholders’ voting rights;
- having the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of the club;
- being a shareholder and alone controlling a majority of the shareholders’ voting rights pursuant to an agreement entered into with other shareholders of the club; or
- being able to exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making of the club.
We can ignore items 1 and 2. The club itself does not conflict with those requirements.
Item 3 concerns individuals, in our case, Textor. Subsections, 1,2 and 3 do not apply. Only subsection 4 could. 30% ownership does not appear. Only “decisive influence” does as the threshold.
It has been suggested that the 30% figure appears elsewhere in UEFA guidelines to determine when share ownership becomes decisive but it is not in the regulations.
In Textor’s case although he indirectly held 43% of the shares he held only 25% of the voting rights and his frustration at not having any decisive influence is well documented.
My conclusion is therefore that we do not conflict with subsection 4. either and that UEFA must have incorrectly interpreted their own regulations.
Further, that as we have never transgressed the regulations there was no need for us to react to, or acknowledge any communication from UEFA regarding a 1st March deadline.
I think we have a very strong case. Without any references to either Forest or Lyon.