Glasner’s Crystal Palace wins Conference League, caps 12-month trophy run
The Story
Oliver Glasner led Crystal Palace to a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final in Leipzig, his final game in charge. The win capped a 12-month period in which Palace also won the FA Cup and Community Shield, marking unprecedented success for the club. The season included tensions between Glasner and chairman Steve Parish over player transfers, a mid-season winless run, and Glasner’s announcement that he would leave at the end of the campaign.
Key Facts
- Glasner’s final match was a 1-0 Conference League final win over Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig.
- The victory came at the end of 12 months that included FA Cup and Community Shield titles.
- Parish first met Glasner in late 2023 after Dougie Freedman arranged the meeting.
- Roy Hodgson was manager at the time and departed the following February.
- Uefa demoted Palace from the Europa League to the Conference League because of multi-club ownership rules involving John Textor’s stakes in Palace and Lyon.
- Parish called the decision “probably one of the greatest injustices that has ever happened in European football”; an appeal to CAS was unsuccessful.
- Palace defeated Premier League champions Liverpool in the Community Shield at Wembley.
- Eberechi Eze left for a record fee to join Arsenal.
- Marc Guehi was set to move to Liverpool until Palace pulled the plug after a deal for replacement Igor Julio fell through.
- It was reported that Glasner threatened to quit if Parish sanctioned Guehi’s move.
- Palace had a 12-game winless run across all competitions between December and January.
- Palace was knocked out of the FA Cup by non-league Macclesfield in early January.
- Glasner announced he would leave at the end of the campaign after Palace agreed to sell Guehi to Manchester City.
- Glasner later criticized the club’s decision-makers for “completely” abandoning his side.
- BBC Sport understands that the idea of sacking Glasner hardly entered Parish’s mind.
- The Conference League victory guarantees Palace a place in next season’s Europa League.
- Glasner said: “It is a good chapter to read in the Crystal Palace book.”
Conflicting Reports
The article reports that Glasner threatened to quit over the Guehi transfer, and he later publicly criticized the club’s decision-makers after Guehi was sold to Manchester City. The article also contrasts Glasner’s and Parish’s public remarks during the season.
Still Unclear
No open questions identified in the source article.
Misconceptions
No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.
Key Figures
- Steve Parish – Crystal Palace chairman
- Oliver Glasner – manager
- Dougie Freedman – former sporting director
- Roy Hodgson – former manager
- Adam Wharton – Palace midfielder
- John Textor – American businessman with stakes in Palace and Lyon
- Eberechi Eze – player who left for Arsenal
- Marc Guehi – defender and captain
- Igor Julio – Brighton player
- Ellie Killick – Crystal Palace fanzine Eagle Eye View contributor
