RC Strasbourg : The fight for Europe’s top table amidst the fight for the Racing identity

Despite having not played in the European Cup/UEFA Champions League since 1979-80, Strasbourg currently sit sixth in Ligue 1, one point off fourth position which would see them into the top tier of European football. However for Le Racing, despite the brilliant domestic season they are having, not all is well as it seems.

The main reason for this is the disconnect between the fans and the ownership, BlueCo, who also own Premier League club Chelsea. 

History: A club no stranger to instability 

RC Strasbourg has always been tied to the region of Alsace, an area that was part of the German Empire all the way up till the end of World War 2, when its name changed from 1.FC Neurdorf to Racing Club de Strasbourg in reference to French sports club Racing Club de France, a sign of affiliation towards Francophile (love towards French history). 

The club won their first official trophy in 1950-51, winning the French Cup. They are one of only six clubs to have won every title in France (League in 1979, Coupe de France three times and Coupe de la Ligue four times). 

Since being relegated to the fifth tier in 2010, they’ve bounced back to fighting towards the top of Ligue 1, although throughout their history, off field controversies have continued to have an effect and the current ownership of BlueCo is one of those.

BlueCO: How did the ownership come about?

Firstly, who is BlueCO? BlueCo is a consortium led by Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter, and Hansjörg Wyss. It was formed in 2022 as the investment group that took over the ownership of Chelsea Football Club. On 22 June 2023, BlueCo reached an agreement to become shareholders of French club RC Strasbourg. 

The agreement would see BlueCo invest in Strasbourg's first teams and academy. 

It was reported that the consortium had close to a 100% ownership stake in the club, having paid €75 million. 

In a club statement, president Marc Keller, who sold the club to BlueCo said, 

“This is an important day for Racing. We were aware that we had reached the ceiling of our model, and if we wanted to continue driving Racing forward and projecting it into a new dimension, we necessarily needed to be accompanied by a solid structure capable of supporting our development and our ambition.” 

BlueNO: The RC fan protests against the ownership 

It’s clear to see that the Racing fans do not trust the ownership. In each game this season for the first 15 minutes, the ultra group, UB90 have chosen to remain silent, making it clear they want no affiliation with the BlueCo ownership. 

The Ultras warn over a loss of identity and question the financial security of the club under a model which has become, in their words, “dangerously dependent on exceptional revenue such as player sales.”

During a draw with Stade Brestois in February , tensions between the two opposing sides of the fanbase came to the fore with the pro-BlueCo supporters creating an alternate view that led chants while the anti-BlueCo ultras stayed silent for the start of the match. After the 15 minutes were up, the ultras were vociferously booed by the pro-supporters. 

Why did BlueCo choose Strasbourg? 

It was well known that Clearlake had admiration for the multi club model with Todd Boely speaking highly on multiple occasions of both the City Football Group and the Red Bull footballing triangle. 

Over the last 20 years, Chelsea have used the loan market heavily for trying to develop young talent, under Abramovich it was Eredivise side Vitesse - between 2009 and 2021, 29 loans happened between the clubs though it was never a formal partnership. 

According to the Athletic a key element to the partnership was the relationship between Chelsea co-sporting director Laurence Stewart and Strasbourg president Marc Keller. 

Those two got to know each other well while Stewart worked as Monaco’s technical director from 2020-22; their paths crossed regularly as their teams competed in Ligue 1, while they also had something in common, given Keller was sporting director at Monaco from 2006-08 and 2009-11. 

Another aspect was that with Post-Brexit rules limiting English club signing youngsters from Europe, Chelsea could use Strasbourg as a way to get round this by signing the best youngsters in France and showing the pathway towards the Premier League.

Examples of signings/ loans 

The only example of a permanent signing from the club came in January 2025 when Chelsea agreed a £11.9 million deal to sign French defender Mamadou Sarr. 

Djorde Petrovic - 31 goals conceded in 26 games including 9 clean sheets.

Andrey Santos - 12 G/A in 27 games with an average rating of 7.78, being courted by clubs like Bayern Munich but could also have a big future at Chelsea.

Yaya Dieme - Senegalese youngster set to join Strasbourg in 2026.

Vieira’s failings and Roseniors success

The consortium's first appointment was Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, who had recently been let go by Crystal Palace, ahead of the 23/24 season. 

Strasbourg ended the 2023-24 campaign in 13th place in the 18-team Ligue 1, ten points clear of the relegation zone but eleven points short of European qualification places.

Among the fifteen teams who were not relegated, Strasbourg had the second-worst goal difference in the division and only four teams across the league failed to score more than Strasbourg’s 38 goals. They also only won four out of 17 league games post Christmas adding to more protests. 

The solution was to appoint a young coach with a good footballing philosophy, so they went for former Hull and Derby manager, Liam Rosenior.

He notably led Hull to seventh in the Championship in 23/24, missing out of playoffs by three points but was then controversially sacked due to owner Acun Ilicali not agreeing with his footballing philosophy. 

Rosenior’s squad at Hull City featured the likes of Liam Delap, Fabio Carvalho and Jaden Philohgene, all of which enjoyed fruitful seasons under his guidance, particularly the latter who scored 12 goals and assisted a further 6 that season. 

This is why Boehly chose to go with him, trying to follow a similar model as they had done at Chelsea. 

In his first press conference, the Englishman made his intentions clear, “Dominate possession, press the ball and be intense in the way we (Strasbourg) play."

The formation varies between 3-4-2-1, 4-4-1-1 and 4-3-3 allowing for a good defensive shape while it also gives the ability to transition in 3-5-2. The wingbacks stay high allowing the attacking midfielder to create almost a pivot in the midfield, this gives an advantage of numbers for RC in the buildup phase and the fact they have the seventh most accurate passes per match with 402.9 highlights this. 

A slight change of lifestyle has also benefited massively. Rosenior moved to the Alsace region picking a small house near the training ground while former Reading teammate and assistant coach, Kalifa Cisse is his housemate. 

On his daily routine, 

“We come in at eight in the morning and probably leave here sometimes at seven in the evening,” says Rosenior, mapping out a typical day for his coaching team. “We go home, we eat, and we watch football and talk about football. We go to sleep, wake up and do it again. It’s intense.” 

Although everything is translated by Cisse, Rosenior says how the club speaks about the importance of learning English for his players, 

“The club wants the players to learn English, because you don’t know where their steps will be in their careers. English is a language where everyone speaks a little bit, so the players here are taking English lessons.” 

European Dreams: Can it happen?

With five games to go, including two against Monaco and already confirmed Champions PSG, the dream of Champions League is still very much on. Although Rosenior is just content on any form of European football, 

"My focus is on getting us into Europe," he said. "You're in football to dream. I never want to limit my players' dreams. I'm not being arrogant, but with eight games to play? Of course it's possible. I want my players to dream. I want them to believe they can win in every game they play.”

"We're in a position that I don't think many people would have believed that we would be in even now. So what we have to do is enjoy it. There's no pressure on us."

Although it may be challenging off the pitch, on it, the club and players are all united in the goal of getting Racing Club Strasbourg playing European football in 2025/26.