SCOLD EAGLES

Palace issue blistering statement on UEFA

- BY NEIL MCLEMAN X@NeilMcLeman

CRYSTAL PALACE have called for their demotion to the Conference League to be a "turning point for football" in a blistering attack on UEFA and Nottingham Forest.

And the FA Cup holders claimed losing their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) this week "shows that sporting merit is rendered meaningless".

The Selhurst Park club (left, chairman Steve Parish) will now play in the third-tier European competition, with Forest taking their place in the Europa League.

Palace have lost out after UEFA ruled they had breached multi-club ownership rules because former shareholder and Lyon owner John Textor still owned 43 percent of the club by a March 1 deadline.

This verdict was upheld by CAS in Switzerland on Monday.