‘We’re slaves eating the master’s leftovers’ – Inside Chelsea’s Strasbourg talent factory where loyal fans reject owners
OUTSIDERS looking in would think that RC Strasbourg and their fans are living the dream.
The Ligue 1 side are enjoying a season to remember – one of their best campaigns ever with some of the most promising young players on the planet strutting their stuff.
But not everything is as it seems. There’s trouble brewing, bubbling just under the surface, and ready to erupt.
As a Chelsea fan, when I went to visit the city of our sister club, I discovered that the incredible on-pitch performances are only Polyfilla in the cracks of the club’s identity.
Strasbourg Ultras fervently believe their beloved club is at risk of crumbling into nothingness at the hands of BlueCo, the consortium that also owns Chelsea.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning…
With one French Ligue 1 title to their name – after winning the 1978-79 crown – Alsace’s biggest football club was shockingly declared bankrupt in 2011.
But, since then, their story has been one of footballing authenticity, a true tale of the ‘dare to dream’ mentality that captures everyone who falls in love with their team from a young age.
They rose back through the ranks from the amateur fifth tier and back into France’s top division with ex-France international and West Ham midfielder Marc Keller as president.
It is the kind of footballing romance story that personified a city of people who took immense pride in their local team.
However, as in many a romance tale, a shock betrayal came from the leading man in the summer of 2023.
Keller sold the club to Behdad Eghbali, Todd Boehly and Co – leading to almost two years of confusion, disarray, lack of communication with supporters, and monumental change from those now in charge of the club.
As I strolled through the quaint and beautiful city of Strasbourg, I took a moment to sit on a wall and marvel at the river opposite me, when I was struck by what I saw on a lamppost.
Stickers covered it, reading one particular message loud and clear: “BLUECO OUT“.
Walking to the stadium on my first day, I noticed that these stickers occupied almost every lamppost, street sign, dustbin and bridge, alongside other variations such as ‘Non a la multipropiete’ which translated reads ‘Not a timeshare’.
I reached out to Alexandre, a spokesperson for the club’s supporters federation, to find out how the fans really feel.
He said: “I’m not worried about losing our identity, we’ve already lost it. It’s like you are eating the master’s leftovers, but you are a slave.
“Some people might say, ‘OK, well that’s better than what we were used to’ but some others would say, ‘I’d rather be free, broke but free’.”
“The beauty of European football is that you have teams from different countries competing against each other based on merit, not because you are part of an ownership.
“Chelsea use us as a feeder club, as a ‘B Team’ and to us that is very, very wrong.”
Alex explained to me that since August, the Ultras at Strasbourg have stayed silent for the first 15 minutes of every match, a phenomenon I witnessed in the flesh in their game against Nice.
As I waited in the press conference room, a key part of the BlueCo consortium Eghbali strolled right past me and into the ground – so there is no doubt he is aware of the message aimed at him and his business partners.
Alongside a permanent banner that read ‘BLUECO OUT‘, much like the protests in The Shed at Stamford Bridge, the supporters held up two enormous placards during the game that read: “Just because you bought our club doesn’t mean it belongs to you” and “B.E (Behdad Eghbali) we want a proper meeting, not a pub talk”.
It is a blatant message from the loyal supporters of a team that they have followed from the depths of the lower divisions: they are worried about losing their club, just as Chelsea fans were with the looming prospect of the European Super League.
They may be having success on the pitch, but when the cost of that success is the identity of your supporters, the people who make football what it is and make the club what it is, is it really worth it?
I got the impression from Alex that he enjoyed football more when they were in the fifth tier than they do now, because it was real, it was authentic, it was Strasbourg.
The football is good, but the big picture is bad
Strasbourg fan rep
Alex continued: “The history of this club from 2011-2023 was really brilliant, it was a brilliant story, we had so much fun.
“But the last two years have been a nightmare. The football is good, but the big picture is bad. Uefa, the FFF and the English FA are not doing their job on that, they should be fighting that.
“Clearlake capital, who own a majority stake in BlueCo are a private equity fund, and we know what they do when they realise they will not make money – they will put you in the bin.
“Maybe you have two or three years of good fun spending their money, but then you get put in the bin.”
A huge concern in French football is over TV rights – currently owned by DAZN.
The amount of money being thrown at a deal is getting less and less each year, which is making it far less profitable for clubs to exist in France.
In turn, of course, that makes it harder for BlueCo to pocket a nice return on their investment in Strasbourg.
While it may seem like all doom and gloom for the Ultras of the club, that is not the case.
They appreciate it’s not the fault of the players on the pitch who represent the team, and they are pleased to see how well the club is performing, as is most of the city.
Strasbourg currently sit sixth in the Ligue 1 table, but could still very easily finish runners-up to PSG, sitting just three points behind Monaco in second, with huge games against both of those sides still to come.
They have some of the best young talent in the world, and are undergoing a huge stadium renovation with an increased capacity to 32,000, a restaurant and a 1,500m sports bar to bring it into the 21st century.
They will no doubt have more of Chelsea’s talented youngsters on loan next season, the most exciting of which is Ecuadorian wonderkid Kendry Paez, but that will come at the cost of losing Andrey Santos and Djordje Petrovic.
In turn, that leads to fans feeling a disconnect with their club unlike many others in Europe.
It reminds me of being taken to McDonald’s when my dog died.
CIVIL WAR
One thing is for sure, it feels like it can’t go on like this for Strasbourg.
Perhaps BlueCo’s saving grace at the moment is how good the team are playing.
But when the results turn – as they always do in our beautiful game – the unrest in the city threatens the explosion of a very real civil war.
When I asked Alex what the supporters of the club really want, the answer was simple: They want clarity.
They want to know what BlueCo’s intentions are with their beloved team and to have a bit of communication from the people in charge.
As their stadium banner read, they want “more than a pub talk”.
The ownership team need to realise and take accountability for the fact that owning a football club is more than just a business.
They need to find a way to make this work for Strasbourg, and not just Chelsea.