In their appeal, Palace claimed that other clubs had been given preferential treatment to modify their ownership structures for admission to Europe after 1 March.
Palace highlighted the case of Nottingham Forest. Owner Evangelos Marinakis had diluted his control of the club in preparation for Champions League qualification for both Forest and Olympiakos.
In a similar situation, Chelsea owners BlueCo had issued millions of new shares in Strasbourg in case both clubs ended up in the same competition.
Palace claimed this was proof that some clubs had been given extra time by Uefa to sort out their structures.
This was thrown out by CAS, stating that there was no clause in Uefa’s regulations that permitted it.
It was not tested though, because these clubs did not end up in the same competition. If so, it would have presented an even bigger test of the regulations.
It makes Uefa’s communication with clubs this week all the more important because it appears to completely close off any loophole beyond 1 March.
Clubs in a multi-club ownership structure who think there is any chance of being in Europe must take the necessary steps to be compliant before this date. If they have not, Uefa will be back next summer to take action again.
This could impact clubs such as Manchester United and Nice, who are in the same ownership structure.
