Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterFour Four TwoGet FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribedYour newsletter sign-up was successfulWant to add more newsletters?Five times a weekFourFourTwo DailyFantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more.Signup +Once a week...And its LIVE!Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off!Signup +Join the clubGet full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in.Subscribe to our newsletterCrystal Palace's demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League was one of the longest-running sagas of last summer.The Eagles' historic FA Cup triumph sealed their place in Europe but they were punished for breaching multi-club ownership rules as one of their shareholders, John Textor, was majority owner of French side Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League.It meant that Nottingham Forest took Palace's place in Europe's second biggest club competition, with the south London club unsuccessfully appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against their demotion to the Conference League.Article continues below You may like Aston Villa face potential European ban despite 'settlement agreement', says financial expert What Premier League's disastrous week in Europe means for fifth Champions League place Premier League clubs consider joint legal action over Chelsea 'secret payments' ruling: report Premier League club face European headache over ownership rulesUEFA rules state that clubs owned by the same person or entity cannot compete in the same European competition.And with the number of multi-club ownership groups only increasing, more teams could fall foul of the regulations that cost Palace a spot in the Europa League.According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Everton could find themselves in the situation that Palace were in 12 months ago.The Toffees are owned by The Friedkin Group, led by chairman Dan Friedkin, which also holds a majority stake in Italian giants Roma.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Both clubs are targeting European qualification this season, with Everton eighth in the Premier League but only three points behind fifth-place Liverpool, meaning they could still seal a place in any of the three continental competitions.Roma, meanwhile, are sixth in Serie A, which as things stand would see them qualify for the Conference League, but they are just three points shy of the Champions League positions.It means the two clubs could yet avoid each other, but La Repubblica reports that if both qualify for the same competition, one will be demoted.The report adds that the situation is "under close scrutiny" at UEFA, whose rules strictly prohibit two teams with the same owner meeting in European competition.The deadline for clubs with the same owners to provide proof of restructuring at board level, such as by relinquishing a majority stake in one of the clubs they own, is thought to be March 1.La Repubblica claims there is no sign of the Friedkin Group considering this, but it adds that if both clubs qualify for the Europa League then Everton would keep their place in the competition.TOPICSEvertonRomaUEFA Europa LeagueJames RobertsFreelance writerJames Roberts is a freelance sports journalist working for FourFourTwo. He has spent the past three years as a sports sub-editor for various national newspapers and started his career at the Oxford Mail, where he covered Oxford United home and away.
