On Thursday evening, it was confirmed in an official statement on Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace’s website that BlueCo, the consortium headed by Chelsea FC owner Todd Boehly, had bought Les Alsaciens. The Guardian have reported that BlueCo came to an agreement with Strasbourg’s previous board of 11 shareholders to purchase the club for £65m.
A key aspect of the deal which may point towards the direction that Strasbourg will take over the coming years is that Marc Keller will remain as club president – a role he has held since 2012. The former Strasbourg and West Ham player has an affinity with the players and fans alike, having stepped up as club president after the club went bankrupt in 2011 and having to rebuild from the fifth tier of French football.
The reaction from the fans of both Chelsea and Strasbourg has widely contrasted. On Chelsea’s side, the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Fans are eager to tap into the talent that the French football system has continued to produce over the last few decades. Not only that, but they see it as an opportunity for their own youngsters to flourish in what is perceived as a lower-quality league, providing crucial experiences for player development.
On Strasbourg’s side, the feeling is discernibly less positive. There is a precedence at the club for takeovers by American consortiums. Back in 1997, a consortium led by American lawyer Mark McCormack and the IMG Group bought the club with the promise to take the club to new heights. After five years of stagnation and disappointing results, the club was sold on, which sparked the downfall of the club, eventually ending in bankruptcy in 2011.
The multi-club model also poses some sporting challenges for the fans and players at Strasbourg. UEFA’s current rules restrict clubs with the same owner from playing in the same European competitions. This means that if Strasbourg were to challenge for European football as they did in the 2021-22 season, eventually falling short in the final few games of the season, they would have to hope that Chelsea do not qualify, or else they risk UEFA voiding their rightful qualification. Last season’s Coupe de France winners FC Toulouse are familiar with these constraints. Their club is owned by RedBird, who also own AC Milan. Le TéféCé’s participation, or not, in next season’s European competition, will be clarified before the end of the month.
Many fans in Strasbourg also point towards the situation at Troyes, fearing a similar fate. Troyes were acquired by The City Group, owners of 13 clubs globally including Manchester City, back in 2020, and after initially getting promoted out of Ligue 2 that very same year, the investment seems to have dried up, resulting in Troyes’ relegation back to Ligue 2 at the end of the 2022-23 season. No doubt many Troyes fans at the time of the takeover were optimistic about investment and harboured European dreams back in 2020, much like a small section of the Strasbourg fanbase are today.
It must be said that Racing Club de Strasbourg are not a ‘normal’ French club; The club is very much tied to the region of Alsace, and the regional identity that the club has at its very core is key to the fans and the ultras. Strasbourg, despite having a very mediocre season, only escaping relegation with two games to spare, had one of the highest attendance percentages in Ligue 1 this season, selling out all 19 games at home. Being on the eastern border of France, away trips tend to be long and arduous for those that travel. Despite all the challenges, on the 35th match day this season, Strasbourg sold out their away allocation at Troyes, almost 400km away, as well as most of the home end in their bid to support their team on its quest to survive relegation.
Back in May, Ultra Boys 90, one of the main Ultra groups occupying Strasbourg’s kop, put out a statement condemning the then-rumours of a takeover led by Boehly. Within the statement, the UB90 stated that one of their main fears was “becoming an affiliate or feeder club, completely dependent on another club.” The statement also reminded fans to think back to the ownership troubles of the early 2000s under McCormack and later under Jafar Hilali. The press release concluded with this statement:
“Let’s not beat around the bush. If Racing Club de Strasbourg were to be sold to someone who already owned one or more other football clubs, we would fight it with all our might, just as we did against Hilali. Together, let’s defend the unique club that we have built.“
UB90 are yet to comment on the takeover now that it has been officially confirmed by the club – but some level of fan-led resistance would be expected leading into next season. Images are already floating around on social media displaying fans holding banners such as ‘Boehly not welcome’. On the final day of the 2022-2023 season, during the match between Lorient and Strasbourg, there was a rarely-seen instance of mutual respect between the ultra groups of both clubs. As Strasbourg ultras raised a banner reading ‘Lorient n’est pas Bournemouth’ (Lorient is not Bournemouth), referring to Bill Foley’s takeover of the Breton club back in January. The ultras from Lorient raised a banner reading ‘Strasbourg n’est pas Chelsea’ (Strasbourg is not Chelsea).
There is perhaps food for thought for Ligue 1, the LFP, and UEFA. As custodians of the game, football’s governing bodies have a duty to consider the impact of the proliferation of multi-club models, their effects on historic clubs such as Strasbourg, and the kind of power dynamic that they introduce into the beautiful game.
