Crystal Palace fans deliver suitcase of FAKE MONEY to UEFA headquarters in protest of Europa League demotion

Crystal Palace supporters have taken their outrage to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, delivering a suitcase filled with counterfeit money as a dramatic sign of protest.

The Eagles qualified for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup last term, only to be excluded from it for an alleged breach of UEFA regulations relating to multi-club ownership.

But Palace have appealed against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the verdict is expected to be delivered on August 11.

Were the decision to be upheld, Nottingham Forest would likely take their place in the Europa League, with Palace dropping into the Europa Conference League.

But fans have continued to make their voices heard long before that ruling is handed down. 

In their latest protest, a group of Palace supporters, part of the loyal fan group Holmesdale Fanatics, arrived at UEFA’s plush lakeside HQ armed with a suitcase stuffed full of fake cash.

The stunt was intended to mock what they see as a governing body driven more by financial interests than fairness. 

Alongside the suitcase was a letter addressed to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, demanding a reversal of the decision.

The fans then travelled to the CAS’s headquarters in Lausanne, holding up banners and accusing sport’s top brass of being ‘morally bankrupt’ and demanding the court to give them what they ‘earned’.

A post on X by the Holmesdale Fanatics read: ‘Members of the group travelled to UEFA headquarters to protest the club’s unjust expulsion from the Europa League. We gained access to the building to hand deliver a letter addressed to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin demanding a reversal of this moral injustice and Palace’s reinstatement to the competition.

‘Accompanying the letter, we symbolically presented UEFA with a suitcase of fake cash representing the contradictions between their supposed ‘fundamental values’ of integrity and fairness and the reality of their business methods and general conduct.

‘Following this, we then travelled to the CAS headquarters in Lausanne to remind their organisation that this ruling can and should be overturned. The protests against those responsible will continue. REINSTATE PALACE NOW.’

The problem arose because American businessman Textor held a stake in both Palace and French club Lyon. 

UEFA rules state that under such circumstances, Palace and Lyon could not participate in the same competition.

Palace argue, however, that Textor never had a decisive influence at Selhurst Park and have requested that CAS overturn the UEFA ruling.

Mail Sport revealed last Friday set to demand full disclosure of what they believe are bombshell emails and texts between UEFA and Nottingham Forest – which they believe could ‘prove’ double standards have been applied over their European demotion.

Eagles officials are of the firm view that correspondence exists between the two potentially showing that Forest, unlike Palace, were allowed to extend the March 1 deadline to comply with UEFA’s rules on multi-club ownership.

Palace bosses also believe Forest have written to UEFA to express their expectation that Palace should be demoted.

Furthermore, Palace say the only communication from UEFA was sent to a generic email address, and that they were issued with no reminders over a deadline. They are not a member of the European Club Association (ECA) and so would not have received the additional guidance from the ECA about the deadline. 

While Forest are not an ECA member, Olympiakos, who are also owned by Evangelos Marinakis, are. 

In April, beyond the original deadline, Marinakis diluted his control of Forest when it looked like both they and Olympiakos could qualify for the Champions League.