Premier League Crystal Palace club slams UEFA and international sports arbitration court

Premier League Crystal Palace Club issued a strong statement on the 12th, criticizing UEFA and the International Court of Arbitration for the ruling of their rulings on the Europa League qualification dispute, claiming that "rules and punishment measures have been used unscrupulously."

Crystal Palace Club said in a statement: "We should have celebrated the moment of winning the Community Shield at Wembley, the decision of UEFA, and the echo of the International Court of Arbitration for Sports, which shows that 'competitive results' have been made meaningless. When we beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup on that extraordinary day in May, our coaches and players qualified for the Europa League. However, this opportunity was deprived."

As the FA Cup champion last season, Crystal Palace could have participated in the Europa League this season. But UEFA believes they violated the "multiple club ownership" rule and ordered them to downgrade to participate in the next level of the Europa League. It is estimated that this change will bring an estimated loss of £20 million to Crystal Palace. They immediately appealed to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport. On the 11th, the day after Crystal Palace won the first Community Shield match in the club's history, the International Sports Arbitration Court issued a ruling, rejecting the Crystal Palace Club's appeal.

Crystal Palace Club wrote in a statement: "Some clubs, organizations and individuals seem to have privileges. This increasingly obvious and unhealthy impact has shattered the hopes and dreams of Crystal Palace fans. This is not a good omen for those teams in Europe who are ambitious and enterprising - especially when rules and punishments are used unscrupulously."

Crystal Palace Club stated that there are problems with the arbitration procedures of the International Court of Arbitration for Sport, and "the results of (arbitration) are actually pre-set." The statement also said: "We respect the arbitrators of the International Sport Arbitration Tribunal, but the design of the entire process seriously limits the possibility of a fair hearing. In our case, all disclosure requests for obtaining communication records of the relevant parties were dismissed; all witness testimony involving personnel were also refused; coupled with the lack of due proceduralism and respect for the law throughout the process, this means that (we) cannot challenge the relevant decisions normally."

Crystal Palace Club also urged UEFA to improve relevant regulatory areas: " Determine clear and consistent rules, clearly communicate and implement them reasonably; give reasonable rectification periods when there is uncertainty; adopt consistent penalties; treat all clubs equally and establish a sound appeal mechanism."

Crystal Palace Club believes that local courts in various countries must intervene in the trial procedures of sports lawsuits. "The European Court has made it clear that similar rulings in the future will be subject to stricter scrutiny by courts in various countries. Only then will fair and due process truly benefit every team."