“We Celebrate” – Glasner Prefers Community Shield to Europa League Spot

Crystal Palace Manager’s Stance

Crystal Palace’s manager, Oliver Glasner, stated he wouldn’t trade their recent Community Shield victory for a chance in the upcoming Europa League season. The FA Cup champions secured their second trophy in a span of three months by defeating Premier League titleholders Liverpool in a thrilling penalty shootout, ending the match at Wembley in a 2-2 draw.

Upcoming Decision on European Competition

The club is set to learn on Monday if they will be eligible to compete in the Europa League for the 2025-26 season. However, Crystal Palace has been relegated to the UEFA Conference League due to violations involving multi-club ownership rules. This situation arises as John Textor, an American businessman, holds shares in Crystal Palace while being the majority owner of Lyon, a club that has also secured a Europa League spot.

An appeal against this relegation has been lodged with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). This appeal targets UEFA, which enforced the penalty, as well as French club Lyon and Premier League counterpart Nottingham Forest, with a ruling expected soon.

When asked if he would trade the Wembley triumph for a successful appeal, Glasner responded firmly, “No. The players were not intimidated by external distractions. Tomorrow we have no control over, so we celebrate tonight, have lunch tomorrow, and then it’s training. We can’t dwell on it.”

“It Would Devalue the Competition”

Dean Henderson, the hero of the penalty shootout, expressed that the club’s drop from the Europa League to the Conference League would diminish the competition’s value. “As we saw today, we don’t dwell on it,” Henderson remarked during an interview after the match at Wembley. “Winning the FA Cup justifies our place in the Europa League.

From a football standpoint, we deserve a spot in the Europa League. It would sadly diminish the competition if we were excluded. Achievements on the field should be recognized, and I believe every neutral fan would concur with that.

Let’s hope our chairman, Steve Parish, who has fought hard against this issue, can help us secure the rightful place we have earned in the Europa League. Crystal Palace fans have been waiting over 120 years for their first trophy and a chance to experience European football. Taking that opportunity away is unjust, and I’m confident this will be rectified.”