A team who secured a trophy to help them qualify for European competition next season have been barred from competing after having an appeal rejected.
The team in question failed to win their appeal against the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) due to dual-ownership rules.
Irish Premier Division side Drogheda United were forbidden from competing in next season’s Conference League after Danish side Silkeborg qualified – with both teams being owned by the US-based Trivela Group.
As Drogheda are the lower-ranked team of the two having finished ninth in the League of Ireland Premier Division while Silkeborg were seventh in Denmark’s top tier, UEFA rules mean the Irish outfit will be excluded.
In a statement, Drogheda, who won the FAI Cup as a semi-professional team last November, said: ‘We strongly disagree with this decision, and had hoped and believed that the principles of fairness and common sense would prevail’.
‘After months of engagement, constructive dialogue, countless hours of legal preparation, and multiple proposals based on frameworks that have been accepted in the past, we have come up short.
Irish Premier Division side Drogheda United won the FAI Cup as a semi-pro team in November
But they have now been banned from competing in the Conference League next campaign
‘Despite genuine and vocal support across the football world, the ruling did not fall in our favour. We are heartbroken by the outcome.’
‘Rules should protect opportunity, not prevent it,’ their statement added.
‘Especially for community-driven clubs like ours who fight every day to punch above their weight.
‘Nevertheless, we accept responsibility. And we’re sorry. But while we are saddened, we are also emboldened.
‘We will not let this setback define us. Instead, we will use it as fuel. Our club has never been handed anything and we’ve earned every inch through grit, resilience, and unity. And we will continue to do so.’
Their setback in missing out on a European tournament comes with Premier League side Crystal Palace’s participation in the Europa League in doubt.
By virtue of winning their first major trophy in history when beat Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final last month, the Eagles appeared to have booked an automatic spot in Europe for the first time.
That could spell bad news for Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace, whose participation in the 2025-26 Europa League is in doubt
However, UEFA is yet to decide on whether they will be allowed to compete given that the south London side are owned are part-owned by American businessman John Textor, who also has a 43% stake in Lyon.
The French side qualified for the Europa League courtesy of a sixth-place finish in Ligue 1, which they achieved with victory on the final day of the season.
Recent seasons have seen Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa all allowed to play in European competition despite concerns over multi-club ownership with these clubs.
