Sun: Woody Johnson, the new major shareholder of Crystal Palace, may quickly sell 43% of its shares

The Sun reported that Woody Johnson, the new major shareholder of Crystal Palace, may face a Josh Harris acquisition offer.

78-year-old American businessman Woody Johnson recently became the largest shareholder of Crystal Palace, buying a 43% stake in the club held by John Tector. However, if the price is right, Johnson may be willing to sell the shares quickly. Johnson has not disclosed his specific plans at Crystal Palace, and his involvement may be to help fellow Tector, who needs to withdraw from Selhurst Park due to multiple club ownership issues.

Josh Harris currently holds an 18% stake in Crystal Palace and is eager to expand his influence in the club. Although Steve Parish only owns a 10% stake, he is currently the club's actual decision-maker. One obstacle for Harris is that merging Johnson's shares with himself would violate Crystal Palace's rules. Under existing rules, no individual shall own more than 50% of the shares unless the club votes to change this provision.

On Monday, Crystal Palace failed to successfully appeal to resume its UEFA Europa League qualification. The club then issued a tough statement: "As we were supposed to celebrate winning the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium, the decisions of the UEFA and the International Court of Sport Arbitration showed that sporting results became meaningless. When we beat Manchester City to win the FA Cup in May, our coaches and players were qualified to compete in the UEFA Cup, but we were denied the opportunity."

"Certain clubs, organizations and individuals seem to have unique privileges and powers. This growing and unhealthy Kang's influence has shattered the hopes and dreams of Crystal Palace fans and has had a negative impact on teams aspiring to improve across Europe, as rules and sanctions are applied unfairly. The multi-club structure is hidden under the disguise of ‘blind faith’, while clubs like us who have no connection with other clubs are prohibited from participating in the same event. What is even more dissatisfied is that clubs that seem to have huge informal agreements between each other are also allowed to participate or even potentially play against each other. ”

source:7m pc