Bradley Barcola Just Got Crystal Palace Banned From the Europa League (Yes, Really)
In a wild football plot twist that even Netflix couldn’t script, Crystal Palace have been kicked out of the Europa League and you can trace it all back to Bradley Barcola.
Yep, the 22-year-old winger, who moved from Lyon to PSG in August 2023, might’ve just (indirectly) ended Palace’s European dream before it ever began.
Let’s unpack the madness.
Barcola- PSG- Lyon- Not Relegated- Palace Banned
Here’s the short version. Lyon were drowning in debt, staring at administrative relegation to Ligue 2 by the DNCG, France’s football finance watchdog. The club owed a whopping €541 million and needed a serious cash lifeline.
Enter Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG had originally agreed to pay Lyon €45 million for Barcola over several years. But with Lyon on the brink, PSG stepped in with an early payment, essentially bailing them out at the eleventh hour. This emergency cash injection helped Lyon overturn their relegation on appeal, keeping them in Ligue 1 and more crucially, in UEFA competitions.
So what’s this got to do with Crystal Palace?
Ownership Rules and a Brutal Technicality
Lyon and Crystal Palace are both tied to John Textor’s Eagle Football Group. UEFA rules clearly state that no two clubs under the same “decisive influence” can play in the same European competition.
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Now that Lyon are back in Ligue 1 and eligible for Europe, they’re back in the UEFA mix. Which means Palace, FA Cup winners and Europa League qualifiers, are out. They’ve been bumped down to the Europa Conference League, pending appeal.
Steve Parish, Palace’s chairman, didn’t hold back.
“Probably one of the greatest injustices that has ever happened in European football,” he said, fuming to Sky Sports. “We’re devastated.”
So Who Takes Their Place?
Nottingham Forest are currently next in line for Palace’s Europa League spot, but UEFA’s waiting for any legal drama to play out before making it official.
In the background, Textor is reportedly selling his Palace stake to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson for £190 million but until that deal’s done, UEFA’s rules stand.
The Barcola Domino Effect
So to recap:
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- Lyon were set to drop
- PSG paid early for Barcola
- Lyon stay up
- UEFA bans Palace
- Forest could sneak into Europe
- And a 21-year-old winger indirectly sparked it all
No goals, no red cards, no VAR drama, just a bank transfer that may have changed the course of Crystal Palace’s entire season.
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