Why Reds' European destination is still up in the air

WHEN Nottingham Forest lost to Chelsea on the final day of last season, it left them having to settle for a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League.

- By SARAH CLAPSON

For much of the campaign, Nuno Espirito Santo's side had looked on course to finish in the top five and clinch a spot in the Champions League. Instead, their late dip in form resulted in Conference League qualification.

Since then, however, a question mark has emerged over which European competition the Reds will actually be in next term. Below is a look at the state of play:

What is the confusion?

Forest's European fate is tied to that of Premier League rivals Crystal Palace. The latter qualified for the Europa League when they won the FA Cup but their place in Europe has since been thrown into doubt.

Such a scenario would be beneficial for the Reds as they would be bumped up to the second tier of European competition. Should the Eagles get booted out of the Europa League, Nuno's men would be in line to take their place.

The uncertainty has centred around whether the south London side have fallen foul of multi-club ownership rules. Palace shareholder John Textor is also president of Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League after finishing sixth in Ligue 1.

Textor's situation

Textor is in the process of selling his shares in Palace. A sale to Woody Johnson, owner of the NFL's New York Jets, has been agreed but the Premier League are yet to ratify the deal and Johnson must yet pass the Premier League's owners' and directors' test.

On Monday, Palace announced Textor's 45 per cent stake in the club had been sold to Johnson, subject to Premier League and Women's Super League approval.