Crystal Palace had not won a major trophy in their history until this year and have now earned two in three months at Wembley

Sutton: European Demotion Could Unite Crystal Palace

Sutton: Conference League Could Galvanise Palace

Chris Sutton says Crystal Palace’s demotion from the Europa League to the Uefa Conference League could bring the club closer together and even inspire another trophy run.

The Eagles beat Liverpool on penalties to win the Community Shield on Sunday, but less than 24 hours later lost their Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) appeal against being dropped from the Europa League.

Palace had qualified by winning last season’s FA Cup, but were punished by Uefa for breaching multi-club ownership rules linked to American businessman John Textor, who owned a 43% stake in Palace until June and is also the majority owner of Lyon.

Sutton Urges Focus on Positives

“I don’t necessarily see it as having an effect on the players – this is the best period in the club’s history,” Sutton told BBC 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.

“On the footballing side, Palace just have to move on and get on with the season. In many ways, it may actually galvanise the club and bring them closer together.

“They’ve won an FA Cup, they’ve won a Community Shield. If you’re a Palace fan, you’ve got to focus on the positives.”

Smith: Palace Among Favourites to Win Conference League

Rory Smith, football correspondent at The Observer, agreed the ruling could work in Palace’s favour.

“I think there’s a very good chance this ends with Palace winning the Conference League – and they should not be in the Conference League, they should be in the Europa League,” Smith said.

“There is a very good chance, especially if they keep Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi, that they end up with another trophy next season.”