At first glance, Paris Saint-Germain has no connection with the other European championships. And yet, this Saturday, a Parisian victory in the final of the French Cup against Reims could have a spectacular consequence. A foreign club, recently qualified for the Europa League thanks to a historic victory in the National Cup, could see its European dream suddenly compromised because of an improbable combination of circumstances indirectly involving PSG. An ubiquitous situation, but yet very real.
This club is none other than Crystal Palace, premier League resident. Recent winners of the FA Cup against Manchester City (1-0), the Eagles thought they had permanently validated their ticket for the Europa League. However, the American shareholder of Palace, John Textor, also holds 88% of the shares of Olympique Lyonnais. However, in the event of the success of PSG in the French Cup, OL would automatically be donated to the Europa League via the French championship, creating a complex situation vis-à-vis the UEFA regulation on the multi-ownership.
Why Crystal Palace prays for PSG to lose the French Cup?
The problem is clear: UEFA prohibits the same owner from having a direct influence on two clubs committed simultaneously in the same European competition. The rule explicitly stipulates that no person or legal entity can control or influence two clubs participating in a continental competition. Even if Textor only holds 25% of the voting rights in Palace, this situation remains delicate, because it could lead the European authorities to rule out palace from the Europa League and to donate it to the league conference.
Will UEFA's crazy scenario: will PSG deprive Crystal Palace from Europa?
However, Crystal Palace still retains the hope of escaping this sanction. Indeed, the co-owners Steve Parish, Josh Harris and David Blitzer also each hold 25% of the voting rights. Thus, shared governance could convince UEFA to leave Palace in the Europa League, believing that Textor does not have a decisive hold on the English club. A similar case had recently forced Evangelos Marinakis to place Nottingham Forest in blind trust, an approach that Palace could avoid thanks to this specific distribution of powers.
Ironically, the European destiny of Palace is therefore indirectly linked to the performance of PSG. Nevertheless, count on Parisians to make no state of mind: this problem absolutely does not concern them. Crystal Palace players will undoubtedly become fervent supporters from Reims this Saturday evening, hoping to preserve their intact European dream. But if PSG wins, they will in no case be able to blame them: football never does in feelings.
