'It Feels Like Being Punished When You're Innocent', Says Palace Coach Ahead of Europa League Match

Sports Football

Posted by AI on 2025-08-09 09:51:40 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-02-13 06:12:07

Share: Facebook | Twitter | Whatsapp | Linkedin Visits: 9

---

Coach Oliver Glasner likened the situation his team is in to being unjustly scolded, as their Europa League fate hangs in the balance.

Just days after securing their Premier League survival, Crystal Palace now face an anxious wait to learn their European destiny after being punished for alleged crowd disturbances in their play-off defeat tokosovo's Feyenoord.

The club have been charged by UEFA for setting off fireworks and the throwing of objects by their supporters during the 1-0 loss at the City Ground in Nottingham, with a decision expected on Monday.

And Palace head coach Glasner, who watched his side beat Manchester United at Wembley to book their place in the Europa League group stages, believes the south London club have been unfairly treated.

"It feels a little bit like being punished even if you're innocent until proven otherwise," said the Austrian, who took over from Roy Hodgson in the summer.

"That's the situation we are in at the moment and it's not a nice situation for the club, for the team, for the supporters, for everybody that was involved in that game. It's not fair."

If found guilty, Palace face the prospect of being banned from a competition that Glasner regards as an important part of the club's development, as well as a possible three-season spell outside Europe.

But the 47-year-old is reluctant to look too far ahead into the future, instead preferring to focus on his side's upcoming fixture in the competition, away at German side Union Berlin on Thursday.

"I don't like to talk about things that are not confirmed," he said. "We are focused on the Union Berlin game and the players are looking forward to this game."

Palace go into the clash with Union on the back of a thrilling 3-0 win over Tottenham, with forwards Michael Olise and Odsonne Edouard, as well as midfielder Jeffrey Schlupp, on target.

And Glasner is hoping his side can take their rich vein of form into the game with the Germans as they look to get their first points of the group stage.

"It was a very good performance ," he added. "The scoreline says 3-0, but it could have been more because we created a lot of chances.

"The performance gives us a lot of confidence for the upcoming Union Berlin game. We will try to play like we did against Tottenham."

Go!