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when the wind blows crystal PalaceLatest message of defiance against uefaIt felt almost symbolic to take down a handful of militants holding aloft the waving banner. After a summer of perceived injustice, they are fighting a battle against something greater, an all-powerful force that cannot be conquered.
The first European home night (proper) in the club’s history, there was still a slight animosity over what should have been a completely euphoric occasion. A bright red banner spread across the width of Holmesdale before kick-off read the statement “We are the boys who will win your little game” – another shot at UEFA After their European declineYet the spectacular tifo that came with it, now a matchday fixture at Selhurst Park, brought about a change of tone among the Palace faithful. Now his focus was not on bad feelings. The ambition was strong.
Funded and created by fans, Tifo maps Palace’s European tour on a map that you would find above a war table, showing where on the continent they intend to attack. The last point of attack was Nyon is no longer the headquarters of UEFAstage of leipzig conference league The final, desired destination.
Oliver Glassner’s people did not inspire the same intensity of artwork. A bouncy Selhurst Park could not lift a flat Palace performance against AEK Larnaca, a Cypriot team of very low quality, despite Glasner fielding an almost full-strength team. Instead of a statement of intent for more silverware, the Palace faced humiliation.
The Austrian made just three changes from the team that struggled to draw with Bournemouth at the weekend but struggled to break down their opponent. Chances were few for most of the first half, with Jean-Philippe Mateta coming closest with two efforts near the break. This wouldn’t be his night.
The hosts were immediately punished for their lack of creativity after the restart. Poor play from young centre-back JD Canavot gave an opportunity to Larnaca’s Marcus Rohden, who hit a stunning opener through Riyad Bazic with a brilliant shirt. The ball hit the back of the net before Dean Henderson reached the deck.
The atmosphere in SE25 was spoiled due to lagging behind and constant wasting of time on the part of inflexible visitors. Groans, as well as X-rated slogans against UEFA and Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis – common Palace enemies – intensified. The disappointment had brought back the anti-establishment sentiment which had dominated Palace’s Conference League play-offs.
Palace were now struggling to get back into a game they were expected to completely control and as chances came and went, frustration intensified. As against the Cherries, six yards proved a troublesome distance for Mateta, this time the heroics of Larnaca stopper Zlatan Alomerovic preventing him from putting his side ahead. jefferson lerma The latter saw his header go wide of Eddie Nketiah in space and, with the goal at his mercy, his half-volley missed wide with 10 minutes to play.
Every whistle, every Larnaca blow, it all enraged the home crowd. The game went into extra time and the unfancied visitors held on for dear life, but it just couldn’t go right for Palace. As Alomerovic rose to catch a looping deflected cross, the loudest cheer for goal from the approximately 500 traveling Cypriots at the away end was as loud as could be heard. His team was about to defeat the FA Cup champions.
Another painful near miss, Daichi Kamada failing to get a clear touch at the back post to convert a last-gasp equaliser, was all the final act. In a competition Palace feel they should not be involved in, yet are confident they are capable of winning, they have suffered their first real shock of the season.
The final whistle came to a rousing ovation, but the relief for Palace – especially those in the upper ranks – is that this particular European evening probably won’t end in any further punishment, at least beyond the sleepless nights that might come from the result.
In the first leg of the play-off against Fredrikstad in August, anti-UEFA fury reached its peak. Exactly 10 days ago, the fate of the palace Europa League demotion was sealed by an unsuccessful appeal to the Court of Arbitration for SportThat evening at Selhurst Park, fans used the words “Uefa Mafia” with the Euro symbol replacing the map of Europe on a version of the European governing body’s logo, as seen in the Community Shield. This resulted in the club being fined €10,000 (£8,700), with Palace being found to be in breach of defaming UEFA and broadcasting a provocative message that is not suitable for a sporting event under Articles 16(2)(e) and 11(2)(d) of their rules.
Of course, this fine did not have a direct impact on fans and thus there were fears that further actions of provocation could lead to more severe sanctions. The precedent for partial stadium closures has already been set by UEFA, which ordered the closure of one stand of Legia Warsaw in March 2024 after it displayed a “provocative message of an offensive nature”. Earlier this year Rangers were made a similar threat for creating an “anti-woke” banner.
If the extremists remained steadfast in their vocal fight against UEFA and continued to openly challenge the integrity of the governing body, Palace risked division between fans and the board. Instead, it seems that a “happy” medium has been reached. Sources inside the extremists are remaining tight-lipped about whether there was any contact between the club and fans regarding the matter, but Thursday’s display against Larnaca was more a statement of intent than an attack on UEFA – a change from previous outings.
But while Larnaca’s heroes celebrated their victory with their touring party, Palace have yet to add any real facts to the above statement. The only advantage the Eagles had of losing in the Conference League was that the chances of actually winning the competition were greater here than in the Europa League. After this demonstration, Continental Silverware suddenly seems more like a dream than a possibility.