FAI Cup winners Drogheda United will not compete in the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League after losing their case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne today.
United, owned by the Trivela Group, qualified for the competition by winning last year's FAI Cup.
However, Danish side Silkeborg, which came under the Trivela umbrella shortly after the Drogs' triumph, also secured a place in the Conference League through their league position two weeks ago.
Under UEFA's multi-club-ownership rules, two sides with the same majority owner cannot enter the same European competition.
Silkeborg take priority due to their higher league position, under UEFA guidelines, and Drogheda were therefore excluded from tomorrow's first-round draw, the first club to suffer that fate.
It is a significant blow to the Boynesiders, with over €500,000 in prize money for reaching the Conference League on offer.
No other League of Ireland side can take their place due to UEFA licensing deadlines having passed.
Clubs in England have been attempting to get around the ownership rules by placing their ownership in a blind trust.
However, a CAS panel found that a change of deadline for blind-trust ownership from 3 June 2025 to 1 March 2025 had been properly communicated by UEFA and that Drogheda knew or ought to have known about this change.
A majority of the panel also rejected DUFC's submissions on alleged unequal treatment by UEFA.
A statement from Drogheda United said: "It is with great heartbreak and disbelief that we inform you we have lost our appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. We strongly disagree with this decision, and had hoped and believed that the principles of fairness and common sense would prevail.
"After months of engagement, constructive dialogue, countless hours of legal preparation, and multiple proposals based on frameworks that have been accepted in the past, we have come up short. Despite genuine and vocal support across the football world, the ruling did not fall in our favour. We are heartbroken by the outcome.
"We know that this decision will cause hurt and frustration across our entire community. Not just because of the decision itself, but because we know how much this meant to everyone associated with Drogheda United. We know how hard this team fought to earn a place in European competition. We know how transformational that opportunity would have been, not just financially, but emotionally for our players, our staff, and our community.
"We disagree with this decision. We believe it is unjust. Rules should protect opportunity, not prevent it. Especially for community-driven clubs like ours who fight every day to punch above their weight.
"Nevertheless, we accept responsibility. And we're sorry. But while we are saddened, we are also emboldened. We will not let this setback define us. Instead, we will use it as fuel. Our club has never been handed anything and we’ve earned every inch through grit, resilience, and unity. And we will continue to do so.
"We will push for reform so that no other community club finds itself in this position again. All parties can do better. And we will do our part to make sure we all do. We will share more in the coming days.
"But for now, our focus turns back to what we can control: the ongoing LOI campaign and our FAI Cup title defense (sic), beginning in July against Crumlin. There is work to be done, on the pitch and off it. We are here. And we are not going anywhere. We will continue to invest in all areas of the club, including plans for a new stadium. We want to be regulars in Europe.
"This club is on the rise. Our league is on the rise. And no single outcome will change that."
Drogheda host leaders Shamrock Rovers in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division tonight.
