Drogheda lose out after CAS appeal fails
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed an appeal by League of Ireland football club Drogheda United against UEFA’s decision to expel the club from the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League.
The European governing body had decided that Drogheda United had not complied with its regulations on multi-club ownership.
Drogheda United and Danish club Silkeborg IF, both owned by US-based investment group Trivela, had both qualified for the competition.
Under UEFA rules on multi-club ownership, however, two teams under the same ownership cannot play in the same competition, with the spot going to the club that had the highest league position - Silkeborg in this case.
‘Properly communicated’
said that an arbitration panel decided by majority, after a hearing yesterday (16 June), to dismiss Drogheda’s request to annul the UEFA decision.
“The panel considered the evidence and found that, despite a change of assessment date from 3 June 2025 to 1 March 2025, such change was properly communicated by
UEFA,” the court stated, adding that the Irish club “knew or ought to have known about this change”.
Most of the panel also rejected Drogheda United’s allegations of unequal treatment by UEFA.