Crystal Palace needs saving… Could Woody Johnson or Jimmy Butler be a hero?

Crystal Palace is in bother, however the English Premier League membership could possibly be saved by a number of heroes from completely different locations.

After defeating Manchester Metropolis on Might 17 to win the FA Cup, Crystal Palace earned its first-ever main trophy, and with that, an automated bid into the 2025-26 UEFA Europa League match. 

Nonetheless, the membership might not be allowed to compete within the Europa League as a result of one among its minority stakeholders, John Textor, additionally owns a majority stake within the Ligue 1 group Lyon. UEFA’s guidelines forestall two groups with the identical possession to play in the identical competitors except shares in a single membership are positioned right into a blind belief.

Textor failed to finish that a part of the clause by the March 1 deadline. However, he is keen to make up for it by placing his group’s stake in Crystal Palace available on the market. 

There’s a few teams that might vie for place to acquire Textor’s share. The main candidate is, reportedly, New York Jets’ co-owner Woody Johnson, who shares management of the NFL franchise together with his brother, Christopher. Johnson additionally has ties to England as he was the USA’ ambassador to the UK from 2017 to 2021. 

New York Jets proprietor Woody Johnson could possibly be eyeing a stake in English soccer group Crystal Palace. (Picture by Brooke Sutton/Getty Photographs)

One other potential candidate is, reportedly, a gaggle compiled of sports activities brokers and executives, however notably, the face of that group is Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler. Butler has shared his love for soccer, publicly, for a few years now and hosted gamers comparable to Neymar and Vinícius Júnior at Miami Warmth video games prior to now.

NBA celebrity Jimmy Butler is an enormous soccer fan, and is a part of a gaggle that might additionally spend money on Crystal Palace. (Picture by Aurelien Meunier – PSG/PSG by way of Getty Photographs)

No matter who finally ends up with Textor’s share of Crystal Palace, if the transaction is profitable, it could resolve the multi-club possession concern that threatens the group’s spot in subsequent season’s Europa League, and would permit them to compete for an additional main trophy.

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