Why Man City and Girona Were Allowed in Champions League as Crystal Palace Demoted

It was confirmed on Friday that Crystal Palace had been kicked out of the Europa League by UEFA due to failing to comply with multi-club ownership regulations. The Eagles had qualified for the tournament thanks to winning the 2024/25 FA Cup, but were removed from the competition as a result of investor John Textor also being on the board of French side Lyon, who retained their Europa League place after their Ligue 1 relegation was overturned.

While Palace are expected to take the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, many have been left questioning why the ruling was made against Palace when Manchester City and Girona – both part of the City Football Group – were allowed to compete in last season’s Champions League.

However, the difference between the two cases has now come to light, revealing why the Spanish side were allowed to embark on their fairytale European run, while Palace’s has been stripped away from them.

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The FA Cup winners are on the brink of missing out on European football next season.

Why Girona and Man City Were Both Allowed in the Champions League

There are some key differences between the two cases

Girona are one of several clubs that are part of the City Football Group, which also includes Istanbul Basaksehir, Club Bolivar, Bahia, Palermo, Troyes, Lommel SK, Mumbai City, Sichuan Jiuniu, Montevideo City Torque, Yokohama F Marinos, Melbourne City, New York City FC, and Manchester City.

The La Liga side shocked everyone when they secured a place in last season’s Champions League campaign after a stellar domestic 2023/24 season saw them mount an early challenge for the Spanish top flight title before settling for third.

To ensure Girona could participate in European tournaments alongside Manchester City, City Football Group had to make changes to its ownership structure. UEFA regulations required them to either lower their stake in Girona to below 30% by selling shares to an unrelated party or place their holdings in a blind trust managed by an independent UEFA-approved panel.

City Football Group opted for the latter, announcing that their shares in Girona FC were placed into an independent blind trust effective from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. This move brings them into compliance with UEFA rules for the current season, but if both teams qualify for Europe again next year, the matter will need to be addressed once more.

Had Textor done a similar thing with either his Palace or Lyon stakes, then the Premier League side would likely have been allowed to compete in the Europa League this coming season, but the deadline to do so and comply with UEFA’s regulations was March 1st.

Palace did not learn of their qualification into the Europa League until the 17th May, with Textor himself claiming he was aware of the possibility of a problem immediately after the Eagles came out on top against Manchester City in the FA Cup.