How European humiliation further toxifies Crystal Palace’s Conference League campaign | OneFootball

When the wind tore through Crystal Palace’s latest message of defiance against Uefa, knocking over a handful of the ultras propping the flailing banner up, it felt almost symbolic. That after a summer of perceived injustice, they are fighting a battle against something far bigger, an almighty force, that cannot be won.

A first European home night (proper) in the club’s history, there was still a slight air of animosity on what should have been a solely euphoric occasion. “We are the boys who will win your little game” was the statement branded onto a bright red banner that stretched across the width of the Holmesdale before kick-off - another shot fired at Uefa following their European demotion. Yet the spectacular tifo that accompanied it, now a fixture of matchdays at Selhurst Park, spoke to a change of tone among the Palace faithful. No longer were they focussing on ill-feeling. Ambition was prevailing.

The tifo, funded and created by the fans, depicted Palace’s European tour on a map you’d find atop a war table, showing where they intend to strike on the continent. The final point of attack was no longer Uefa’s HQ of Nyon. Leipzig, the stage of the Conference League final, is the intended destination.

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Crystal Palace fans displayed a tifo showing their potential route to the Conference League final (REUTERS)

Oliver Glasner’s men did not inspire to the same ferocity of the artwork. A bouncing Selhurst Park could not lift what was a flat Palace performance against AEK Larnaca, a Cypriot team of far inferior quality, despite Glasner fielding a near-full-strength team. Instead of a statement of intent for more silverware, Palace slumped to humiliation.

The Austrian made just three changes from the side that fought back to draw with Bournemouth on the weekend but struggled to break down their opposition. Opportunities were sparse for much of the first half, Jean-Philippe Mateta coming the closest with two efforts approaching the break. It wouldn’t be his night.

The hosts were promptly punished for a lack of creativity after the restart. Sloppy play from young centre-back Jaydee Canvot gifted an opportunity to Larnaca’s Marcus Rohden, who with an overload of luminescent shirts slipped through Riad Bajic to pummel home for a shock opener. The ball crashed into the back of the net before Dean Henderson could even hit the deck.

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Riad Bajic celebrates his goal against Crystal Palace (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)

Falling behind, combined with incessant time-wasting from the resilient visitors, soured the atmosphere in SE25. Groans, as well as X-rated chants against Uefa and Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis – the common Palace enemies – grew louder. Frustration had brought back the feeling of anti-establishment, something which dominated Palace’s Conference League play-off.

Palace were now fighting to get back into a game they expected to control outright and as chances came and went, desperation intensified. Just like against the Cherries, six yards proved a troublesome distance for Mateta, this time denied by the heroics of Larnaca stopper Zlatan Alomerovic to keep his side ahead. Jefferson Lerma later saw his header go agonisingly wide before Eddie Nketiah, in space and with the goal at his mercy, completely missed his half volley with 10 minutes to play.

Every whistle, every Larnaca injury, it all infuriated the home crowd. The game ticked into added time with the unfancied visitors clinging on for dear life, but it just wouldn’t land right for Palace. As Alomerovic climbed to clutch a looping deflected cross, a cheer as loud as heard for the goal sounded out from the some-500 travelling Cypriots in the away end. Their side were about to beat the FA Cup champions.

One more painful near miss, Daichi Kamada failing to get the telling touch at the back post to convert a last-gasp equaliser, was all but the final act. In a competition Palace feel they shouldn’t be in yet also believe they’re capable of winning, they’ve been dealt their first real shock of the season.

The final whistle came with a chorus of boos, but a saving grace for Palace - particularly the upper brass - is that this particular European evening likely won’t end in further punishment, at least beyond the sleepless night that may come from the result.

In their play-off first-leg clash against Fredrikstad back in August, anti-Uefa fury was at its height. Just 10 days earlier, Palace’s fate of Europa League demotion had been sealed by a failed appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. That evening at Selhurst Park, the fans brandished the words “Uefa Mafia” on a version of the European governing body’s logo with a Euro symbol replacing the map of Europe, just like the one seen at the Community Shield. It resulted in a €10,000 fine for the club, with Palace found in breach of bringing Uefa into disrepute and transmitting a provocative message that is not fit for a sports event under Articles 16(2)(e) and 11(2)(d) of their regulations regulations.

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Palace were fined for displaying a “Uefa Mafia” banner in their Conference League play-off (John Walton/PA Wire)

Of course, this fine did not impact the fans directly and there was thus a fear that further acts of provocation could lead to more drastic sanctions. The precedent for partial stadium closures has already been set by Uefa, who ordered the closure of one of Legia Warsaw’s stands in March 2024 after displaying a “provocative message of an offensive nature”. Rangers were threatened with the same sanction for producing an “anti-woke” banner earlier this year.

Had the ultras remained steadfast in their vocal fight against Uefa, continuing to explicitly challenge the integrity of the governing body, there was a risk of division at Palace between the fans and board. Instead, a “happy” medium seems to have been reached. Sources inside the ultras remained tight-lipped on whether any contact between club and fans had taken place in regard to this matter, but Thursday’s display against Larnaca was nevertheless more of a statement of intent than an attack on Uefa - a shift from previous outings.

But as Larnaca’s heroes basked in their triumph with their touring contingent, Palace are yet to add any real substance to said statement. The only upside of the Eagles’ drop to the Conference League was that the scope for actually winning the competition was far greater here than in the Europa League. Off this performance, continental silverware suddenly seems far more like a pipedream than a possibility.