League of Ireland Club Drogheda United's appeal on their exclusion of the Conference League by UEFA due to non-compliance with regulations for multi-club ownership was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday.
Drogheda, Fai Cup winners last season, are owned by the multi-club football organization Trivela Group, which also has a majority interest in the Danish side Silkorg, and the problem introduced when both clubs qualified for the conference competition of the following season.
UEFA regulations mean that the higher ranked team, Silkeborg, remains in the competition. Drogheda was informed of their removal last week and the Irish Club appealed to CAS, but will miss a return to European football for the first time since 2013.
Drogheda mentioned considerable efforts to work with UEFA to make necessary property and management changes to compete both clubs, together with rule changes that are inconsistently communicated and enforced in different clubs.
CAS decided that a change in the assessment date was correctly communicated by UEFA and the club should have known the change, and they also rejected the submissions of Drogheda about alleged unequal treatment by UEFA.
“We strongly disagree with this decision and had hoped and believed that the principles of honesty and common sense would prevail,” said a club statement.
“We believe that it is unjust. Rules must protect the opportunities, not prevent. We accept responsibility. And we are sorry.”
Last season UEFA Manchester City and Girona allowed to participate in the Champions League and Manchester United and nice to participate in the Europa League, and said that investors had implemented changes to prevent a conflict with the regulations.
UEFA's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) is currently investigating the involvement of FA Cup winners Crystal Palace at the Europa League, because of the involvement of the majority of owner John Textor at Olympique Lyonnais who also qualified for the competition.
CAS rejected a profession from Club Leon last month, after the Mexican club from the club World Cup was removed by FIFA after he had not met the regulations for the ownership of several club.