It was that kind of mid-May afternoon when no one saw history unfolding. Crystal Palace—mid‑table, underdogs, the South London faithful bracing for another quiet season—found themselves at Wembley, ball at their feet against Manchester City. Then, Eberechi Eze’s sweet volley flew in, Dean Henderson pulled off a penalty save, and the stadium erupted. In a heartbeat, Palace had their first-ever major trophy. Historic goosebumps.
Cue confetti and disbelief—Crystal Palace, the club that hadn’t touched silverware in over 120 years, were suddenly Europa League bound. But as fans basked in glory, a shadow lurked behind the scenes: one of their shareholders, John Textor, also holds a stake in Lyon. And voilà—a UEFA rule about dual ownership in the same competition reared its head, threatening Palace’s European dream.
Palace scrambled to build a defense. They argued Textor’s stake is minority‑only, without operational control, and begged UEFA to see the oversight as a formality, not a veto. Appeals were made, deadlines cited, blind trusts discussed—but the March cutoff came and went. Now the club is under serious pressure to sort out ownership before Europe’s next season kicks off. And so, with UEFA watching, Palace is looking for a new owner.
Enter Woody Johnson—the New York Jets owner, and a long-time Chelsea supporter. Johnson is in talks over a $272 million investment in Crystal Palace, as per the reports. Yep, you read that right. Loud and clear. If the reports are accurate, Textor is expected to sell his 43% stake in Palace. And yes, Johnson is the leading contender. And get this, if the Jets owner manages to get a deal done, it will clear a path for Crystal Palace—the FA Cup winners—to participate in the next season’s UEFA Europa League.
This is a developing story. Stay Tuned!
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