Crystal Palace's journey to the Europa Conference League final in Leipzig is a tale of extremes — from the historic high of lifting the FA Cup for the first time to the bitter low of being stripped of their Europa League place due to an ownership technicality, and then navigating a season of profound upheaval. Barely a year after securing that maiden major trophy with a 1-0 win over Manchester City at Wembley, Palace find themselves 90 minutes away from another piece of silverware in Germany. Yet the path has been anything but smooth, marked by a controversial UEFA ban, key player departures, and a manager announcing his exit mid-campaign.
The euphoria of the FA Cup triumph last May was swiftly tarnished when UEFA ruled that Palace’s shared ownership link with Lyon — via shareholder John Textor — breached multi-club regulations. Spearheaded by Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who audaciously pushed for Palace’s slot, the governing body expelled the club from the Europa League and relegated them to the third-tier Conference League. For a fanbase unaccustomed to controversy on this scale, it felt like a punch to the gut, especially as Forest — the eventual benefactors — took Palace’s place in the more prestigious competition.
The response was fierce. Owner Steve Parish launched a legal challenge while supporters, led by the Holmesdale Fanatics, staged protests including the memorable stunt of delivering a suitcase full of cash to UEFA headquarters. A new terrace anthem — “Fuck Uefa” — became the soundtrack of a campaign that would define their season. The appeal failed, meaning not only a demotion but also the ignominy of having to navigate the qualifying rounds just to reach the group stage. A Community Shield win over Liverpool on penalties briefly lifted spirits, but the imbalance between ambition and reality was already setting in.
The early Conference League fixtures exposed the squad’s thinness. A scratchy 1-0 aggregate victory over Norwegian minnows Fredrikstad in the playoff round was an eye-opener, with Ebere Eze’s pending move to Arsenal disrupting preparations. The team then embarked on an 18-match unbeaten run in all competitions, including a controlled 2-0 success against Dynamo Kyiv, but the novelty of a Thursday-Sunday rhythm soon took its toll. A last-gasp 2-1 defeat at Everton, courtesy of a Jack Grealish winner, snapped the streak and underscored the challenges of juggling domestic and continental commitments.
Behind the scenes, the foundations were crumbling. Manager Oliver Glasner, the architect of the FA Cup success, informed Parish that he would leave at the end of the season, citing a lack of squad depth. The news sent shockwaves through the club just as the transfer market began to dismantle the team. Marc Guehí, the club captain, was sold to Manchester City, and Jean-Philippe Mateta, Palace’s leading scorer, was on the brink of a move to Milan, with only a medical standing in the way. Meanwhile, Eze’s protracted switch to Arsenal finally materialized, stripping the side of its creative fulcrum.
Glasner’s frustration boiled over after a humbling loss to Sunderland when he delivered a scathing public assessment: “We feel that we are being abandoned completely. Selling our club captain one day before the game makes me really upset today.” The comment laid bare the internal strife and appeared to signal a club in freefall. The FA Cup defense had already ended ignominiously at National League North side Macclesfield, and the team looked rudderless. Yet, paradoxically, the European adventure provided a lifeline.
In the knockout stages, Palace rediscovered their grit. A playoff win over Bosnian side Zrinjski Mostar set up a rematch with AEK Larnaca, who had beaten them in the group phase. This time, a double from Ismaïla Sarr in the away leg secured a comfortable aggregate victory and a glamour tie against Fiorentina. The Italian side, with their storied European pedigree, were supposed to test Palace’s credentials. Instead, a devastating 3-0 home win at Selhurst Park in the first leg of the quarterfinal effectively killed the tie, with Palace fans finally shedding their “favourites” tag to produce their most complete performance of the season.
The semifinal against Shakhtar Donetsk provided a moment of instant history. Sarr needed only 21 seconds to score the fastest goal in Conference League history, setting the tone for a 3-1 win in Krakow. The tie was all but over, and the return leg at Selhurst Park became a procession. For the first time, the travelling fans — 15,000 of them — could genuinely start to dream of the final in Leipzig. The journey had come full circle: from facing a Ukrainian team in the group stage to overcoming another in the last four.
There is a poetic symmetry in the final opponent. Rayo Vallecano, hailing from a working-class pocket of Madrid, mirror Palace’s identity: a club overshadowed by richer city neighbours but fuelled by passionate support. Their red sash even evokes the Palace kit from the iconic 1970s FA Cup run. The two clubs are separated by a continent but united by a desire to write a new chapter in their histories. For Palace, victory would represent a first European trophy and a vindication of their resilience amid unprecedented chaos.
The implications are enormous. A win in Leipzig would secure not just silverware but a direct path to next season’s Europa League, offering a massive financial and sporting boost. Yet the underlying issues remain. Glasner is set to depart, and replacing him — along with the departed stars Eze, Guehí, and possibly Mateta — will define the summer. The squad that started the season has been hollowed out, and whoever takes over must oversee a significant rebuild. The club’s leadership, often criticized for a lack of ambition, now faces a pivotal moment to consolidate this historic run.
Despite all the turmoil — the fury at UEFA, the loss of pivotal players, the manager’s impending exit — Crystal Palace stand on the precipice of glory. It is a story of defiance and survival that has turned a topsy-turvy campaign into an unforgettable odyssey. As the fans descend on Leipzig, belting out their anti-establishment chants, they do so knowing their club has endured the very worst and is now one victory from the best. The Oblivion ride may have been traumatic, but the final loop could deliver the ultimate high.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.
