Drogheda United’s Bid to Reverse Conference League Exclusion Fails

Drogheda United, a club in the League of Ireland, faced disappointment on Monday as the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed their appeal regarding their exclusion from the Conference League by UEFA, stemming from issues related to multi-club ownership compliance.

The FAI Cup winners from last season are owned by Trivela Group, a multi-club football enterprise that also holds a majority stake in Danish outfit Silkeborg. The controversy arose when both clubs qualified for the upcoming season’s Conference League.

Due to UEFA regulations, the higher-ranked Silkeborg remains eligible to participate in the tournament. Drogheda was notified last week of their exclusion, prompting them to appeal to CAS; however, they will be absent from European football for the first time since 2013.

Drogheda expressed that they made considerable efforts to collaborate with UEFA to implement the necessary ownership and governance changes to enable both clubs to compete. They also noted that rule modifications have been communicated and enforced inconsistently across multiple clubs.

CAS found that the change in assessment date had been effectively communicated by UEFA and concluded that Drogheda should have been aware of this change. Furthermore, they dismissed the club’s claims regarding alleged unequal treatment by UEFA.

“We strongly disagree with this decision and had hoped that principles of fairness and common sense would prevail,” read a statement from the club.

“We see this as unjust. Rules ought to safeguard opportunities, not hinder them. Nonetheless, we accept responsibility for the situation, and we apologise.”

In contrast, last season, UEFA permitted Manchester City and Girona to participate in the Champions League, as well as Manchester United and Nice in the Europa League, asserting that the clubs had taken steps to prevent any conflicts with existing regulations.

Currently, UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) is investigating Crystal Palace’s participation in the Europa League due to majority owner John Textor’s involvement with Olympique Lyonnais, who have also qualified for the competition.

Last month, CAS denied Club Leon’s appeal after the Mexican side was excluded from the Club World Cup by FIFA for failing to comply with multi-club ownership regulations.