Crystal Palace have confirmed that Woody Johnson has completed his purchase of shares in Eagle Football.
American entrepreneur Johnson, who co-owns the New York Jets, became a partner and director of the Eagles alongside chairman Steve Parish, Josh Harris and David Blitzer, and was a signatory to the Premier League Owners' Charter.
“It is a great honour and privilege to become part of the ownership of Crystal Palace Football Club,” Johnson said on the Eagles website.
“This is a club with a rich heritage, tradition and deep roots in English football in south London, which I admired during my time as US Ambassador to the UK.
“Eagles fans have demonstrated outstanding loyalty, passion and unwavering dedication, and I am excited to have the opportunity to meet them and get to know them better.
“I have tremendous respect for Steve Parish and his leadership over the years.
“I look forward to working with him and the entire ownership team to build on the Club’s recent successes and create an exciting future for Crystal Palace.”
“This is not just an investment – it is a commitment to delivering on the vision of the club, its community and the culture around Selhurst Park.”
Johnson's arrival at Palace comes amid a dispute between the club and UEFA over which European competition the team will compete in next season following their FA Cup victory in May.
The Eagles were relegated from the Europa League to the Conference League after breaching UEFA's multi-club ownership rules but have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
UEFA has established that as of March 1, American businessman John Textor had control or influence over Palace and French club Lyon.
Textor said he had agreed to sell his Palace stake to Johnson, but the move came too late to satisfy UEFA's demands.
Parish said: “At this exciting time for Crystal Palace, we are delighted to welcome Woody as the owner of the football club and look forward to working with him to build on our recent historic success and move forward.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
