CRYSTAL Palace chief Steve Parish slammed “ludicrous”; Uefa for permitting “the biggest injustice in the history of football”; after the Eagles were booted out of the Europa League.
bosses confirmed that Palace had been demoted to the Conference League – opening the door for to replace them in its second competition.
Palace were deemed to have remained part of the same multi-club ownership group as French giants after the March 1 disengagement deadline.
And a seething Parish, who confirmed winners Palace will appeal to the n a bid to overturn the verdict, said: “We’re devastated, we’re devastated for the supporters, the players and the staff.
“Supporters of all clubs should be devastated for us. This is the dream. You win a cup, actually win something for the first time in your history.
“It’s like winning the lottery, going to the counter, and you don’t get the prize.
“It’s a bad day for football. Most right-minded football fans will see what a terrible injustice this is for the football club and one I dearly hope somebody can remedy.
“So this is just such an incredible travesty of justice. It’s a ludicrous decision.
“The question now is whether Uefa intervene and do the right thing, which they should.
“Or do they let this process play out and see probably one of the greatest injustices that have happened in European football?”;
It was only last month that businessman head of the Eagle Football Group that includes Lyon, in a £190m deal that has still to be ratified by the Prem.
Speaking to Sky Sports News in , Parish urged Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin to intervene on his club’s behalf.
He added: “Nobody in football wants to see this.
“And I don’t believe 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.
“As everybody knows, neither John nor anybody at Eagle Football didn’t have decisive influence over Crystal Palace.
“We’re not part of a multi-club organisation. Mr Ceferin stood on a platform of supporting small clubs.
“We stood together with the Super League because I wanted to maintain that dream. I didn’t want a competition where clubs like us were locked out.
“Maybe if we weren’t , if we were a different Club, we wouldn’t have even got this far.
“There’s always a way to overturn any injustice, if there’s a will. Uefa should really see the light on this one and find a way to get us in.”;
The decision has plunged the less than 48 hours after the August match dates were confirmed.
Uefa’s will force Prem bosses to rip up their schedule for the third weekend of the season.
The decision followed Lyon’s successful appeal on Wednesday against relegation from on financial grounds.
With Forest initially due to play their Conference League qualifying round first leg on Thursday August 21, their weekend game – ironically at Selhurst Park – had already been put back to Sunday, August 24.
But the impact of Uefa’s decision will be felt thenextweekend.
Prem bosses announced on Wednesday that Palace’s game atwould be played on Friday, August 29, with an 8pm kick-off.
Uefa regulations state that when clubs that are part of the same ownership umbrella, the team that finished highest in its domestic championship takes priority..
While the FA Cup winners normally earn an automatic slot in the , Lyon finished sixth in France while Palace were 12th in the Prem.
Palace stand to lose £3.9m up front in prize money and can win a maximum £18.4m from the Conference League, compared to a minimum £9.1m and potential £33.5m from a successful Europa League campaign.
Uefa will not confirm Forest’s promotion until after the outcome of Palace’s CAS appeal, which must be held and determined in the next five weeks.
But Parish claimed: “A lot of Forest fans have reached out to me and said that they don’t want to get access to the tournament this way.
“Forest are a fantastic club and they had their Black Swan event in the past. These things have an incredible effect on football teams.
“You get your one shot. This is our one shot of the Europa League in 164 years.
“I can’t believe that a football club, with that story, that history, one very similar to ours, would really want to be a part of taking this away from us.”;
