Woody Johnson in Negotiations to Invest in Crystal Palace
The owner of the NFL’s New York Jets, Woody Johnson, is in talks to invest a considerable sum in Crystal Palace, according to sources close to the situation. This investment could be key to securing the team’s participation in the next edition of the UEFA Europa League.
The Crystal Palace, after winning the FA Cup, is in a delicate situation due to UEFA’s ownership rules. Johnson’s possible investment could be the solution to this problem.
Crystal Palace, who won their first major title by defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley, risks being excluded from the Europa League due to a violation of multi-club ownership rules.
Minority shareholder John Textor also owns a majority stake in Lyon of Ligue 1.
Although Textor does not have a daily involvement in the management of Palace, which is controlled by chairman Steve Parish and American investors Josh Harris and David Blitzer, UEFA rules prevent two teams with the same ownership from playing in the same competition unless the shares of a club are placed in a blind trust.Fuentes han revelado que Woody Johnson, propietario de los New York Jets, está negociando una participación mayoritaria en el Crystal Palace de la Premier League.Textor failed to meet the UEFA deadline of March 1st to place his shares of Palace or Lyon in said vehicle, more than two months before Palace secured qualification for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup.
However, sources have reported that Textor, whose Eagle Football Group also includes the Belgian club Daring Brussels and the Brazilian team Botafogo, is willing to sell his 43% stake in Palace, with Johnson being the main candidate to finalize the deal.
Johnson, 78, was the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2021 and made an unsuccessful bid to buy Chelsea after the previous owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, was sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Johnson has previously declared himself a Chelsea supporter. If Textor sells his shares in Palace, sources have said it would resolve the multi-club ownership issues that threaten the team’s place in next season’s Europa League.
