Crystal Palace have had a busy and intense return to club football after the international break with games against newly-founded rivals Nottingham Forest and direct rivals Brighton and Hove Albion within a week of each other.
In a twist of fate, they also drew Olympique Lyon in the UEFA Europa League group stage which fell between those matches.
Lyon have also been touted as somewhat rivals after last season’s multi-club ownership (MCO) ruling meant the Les Gones usurped the London team’s place in last year’s competition.
This was due to then owner John Textor being ruled to have a ‘conflict of interest’
Textor owned enough of both Palace and Lyon that it was ruled both teams could not be in the same European competition as each other.
This meant the Eagles were demoted to the UEFA Conference League as they had a lower league finish than Lyon.
Textor, the former chairman and CEO of Eagle Football Holdings has now become an even more hated figure in Lyon than in south London after nearly sending the French giants into liquidation.
Textor was forced to step down from his position on the Lyon board in June of last year just a week after selling his shares at Palace due to the massive debt he had put the historic French club in.
The main ultra group, the ‘Bad Gones’, even took to the streets with ‘Textor Out’ banners appearing across the city.
Furthermore, they were relegated to France’s second division but this was later overturned on appeal and despite all this kept their place in the Europa League for the 25/26 season at Palace’s expense.
The fixture in the East of France also had an added intensity with Palace manager Pierre Sage previously managing the seven-time French champions.
Palace fell to a 3-2 defeat in Lyon on Thursday night in the UEFA Europa League but fans seemed to have mutual respect out of a shared hatred for their former owner.
Palace fan Jake Mitchell, 20, said: “The mutual hate of Textor has brought the clubs to being friends not rivals.
“He was never a good fit for Palace and he seems like a shady person.”
Another pantomime villain in this story is Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis. He added fuel to this rivalry, initially when writing a letter to UEFA expressing his concern that Palace could be in breach of MCO rules.
Many believe he played a part in the Eagles’ demotion to Europe’s third competition in 2025.
It was also announced around a year later that he would sue Crystal Palace around a banner held up by Palace fans during a match.
The rivalry with the East Midlands outfit was also rekindled this summer with ex-Palace manager Oliver Glasner and key player Daniel Munoz both leaving for Nottingham Forest.
Both were welcomed back in Forest’s 3-1 defeat at Selhurst Park however some fans believe that both men’s legacies have been tainted due to their affiliation with the Reds whilst others believe the rivalry died after Palace lifted the Conference League whilst Forest fell short in the Europa League semi-final.
Palace fan Finn Cartwright, 19, who had travelled from Croydon to Lyon said: “Rivalries are good to intensify football matches but the rivalry will fade over time.”
Football is nothing without a competitive edge and derby match ups so keeping rivalries alive whether traditional or newly founded is key to supporters up and down the football pyramid.
However long the rivalry between Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace stays relevant for is good for their supporters and the league, no matter how bizarrely it was first established.
Featured Image Credit: Jack Percival
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