'One of the greatest injustices' - Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish fumes at UEFA ruling after the FA Cup winners are demoted to the Conference League

The Eagles had secured Europa League qualification after lifting the FA Cup, the first major trophy in the club’s history. But that triumph has now been overshadowed by UEFA’s ruling that deemed a conflict of interest due to the involvement of investor John Textor in both Crystal Palace and French club Lyon.

According to UEFA's regulations, no two clubs with shared ownership structures can participate in the same European competition. The deadline to resolve such conflicts was set for March 1. Following Lyon’s reinstatement to Ligue 1 after their relegation was overturned, the French club claimed a Europa League slot, pushing Palace out of the competition and down into the Conference League.

Reacting to the ruling in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, Parish expressed disbelief at what he sees as an arbitrary and unjust interpretation of a rule that he argues the club was powerless to comply with.

He said: "Obviously, we're devastated. We're devastated for, most importantly, the supporters. I think the supporters of all clubs should be devastated for us because this is the dream. You win a cup, actually win something for the first time in your history. Somebody said to me it's like winning the lottery, going to the counter and you don't get the prize. I'm devastated for the players, for the fans, for the staff. It's a bad day for football.

"I think most right-minded football fans will see what a terrible injustice this is for the football club, one that I dearly hope somebody can remedy because I do believe that nobody in football wants to see this. I don't think UEFA want to see this. Clubs that rightfully qualify for a competition being locked out of that competition on the most ridiculous technicality that you could imagine. We will appeal. I don't want to prejudge [whether they'd win]. When I say we'll appeal, we're looking at all of the options at the moment. That obviously is one option. What we would much prefer is if somebody intervened in this process."

In defence of Palace’s independence, Parish was adamant the club and Lyon are entirely separate in practical terms.

"Obviously, as everybody knows, John or anybody at Eagle Football [Textor's company] didn't have decisive influence over Crystal Palace," he said. "Everybody knows this. Everybody knows we're not part of a multi-club [ownership]. Everybody knows we have no staff, no players from Lyon, no loans, no transactions. We've caught a tripwire. We're caught up in a rule that wasn't put there for us.

"It will change. Nobody's going to stick with this rule. It's a crazy rule. I don't understand why the panel have come to the conclusion they've come to. We've proved to them beyond all reasonable doubt that John didn't have decisive influence over anything to do with the football club, yet still they've come up with this decision, which seems incongruous."

While Crystal Palace are exploring their legal avenues to appeal the decision, Parish made it clear that he would prefer UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin or another senior official to step in and correct what he views as a wrong.

"We believe it's possible for Mr Ceferin or somebody to do that. There are a number of really important points that people need to consider," he added.

"First of all, from what I can see, there's no other rule around the licence that has a deadline. There are people still resolving their issues now, as we know. People who have to put money into bank accounts by next week and will have a test next week. So the date in itself seems an incongruous thing to do.

"Secondly, this is a rule we can't comply with. A rule has been created that's impossible for the majority owners of Crystal Palace to comply with. A minority shareholder needed to either sell or place their shares in trust. We had no power to compel them to do that. That part alone is completely incongruous. How can you pass a rule and sanction a club for a rule they couldn't comply with?"

As the dust settles on one of the most dramatic off-field rulings of the summer, Palace remain hopeful that the decision will be reversed or amended. Until then, the club’s Europa League dreams are on hold and its leadership remains adamant that a serious error has been made - one that not only affects their supporters and players but also undermines the integrity of European football. For Parish, it’s not just about regulations. It’s about fairness and the belief that sport should reward achievement, not punish it through bureaucracy.