14 October 2023 , 17:03
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Fans at French club Strasbourg have issued a staunch condemnation of the multi-club ownership which sees their club form part of a portfolio that includes Chelsea.
The Stamford Bridge club's chairman Todd Boehly and his partners at Clearlake Capital have come under fire after a chaotic first 17 months in West London. Now it appears that their running of the Premier League outfit is causing concern across the channel at Strasbourg.
The Blues' owners bought a majority share in the Ligue 1 club at the turn of the year as the American consortium launched a multi-club project. However, goodwill towards the business tycoons is in short supply in Alsace, especially with Chelsea having struggled considerably on the pitch in recent times.
Despite spending in excess of £1 billion in the transfer market since Boehly's arrival, the two-time European champions currently sit 11th in the league table. Their continuing woes follow a poor season last term in which they finished in a lowly 12th place after a tumultuous campaign.
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In a stern public statement, Strasbourg's official fan group have blasted their owners, saying: "Money without competence doesn’t lead to anything good, and the example of Chelsea, our so-called ‘big brother’, who have spent a lot of money but have had a vertical fall down the English hierarchy, is an important reference point.
"We don’t want to incompetence that reigns at Chelsea at RCSA. Neither directly, nor indirectly. Beyond the Strasbourg case, we wish to also remind you that multi-club ownership is a danger to football. The pyramid system that this system is slowly locking into place."
They added: "And even more strongly than was already the case, risks reducing the majority of clubs to a simple objective of developing young players and helping the few clubs at the top of the pyramid in order to yield a profit for their business. Clearly, it is a very worrying perspective."
Todd Boehly's spell as chairman at Chelsea has been fraught so far despite him spending a substantial amount (Getty Images)Their statement came after speculation that the club's owners could next target Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon as the next addition to their portfolio. It is clear that the prospect of one of the country's most historic clubs becoming part of a multi-club model has led to consternation among figures in the Portuguese game including rivals.
Speaking to SPTC, Belenenses president Patrick Morais de Carvalho warned against the possibility of Sporting being bought by Chelsea's owners, saying: "We have to define the financing model we want for Belenenses for the coming years, there are some models that are in fashion that do not interest us.
"One of those is the multi-ownership of clubs, as happens with Red Bull and the City Group. In Portugal there has been news that Chelsea want to buy Sporting. I think it is a plan and an intention that offends Portugal.
"In this case it also offends Sporting fans and fans of Portuguese football in general. This is not the future, for us it is unthinkable that Belenenses would ever be acquired by another club. Belenenses is not willing to be the 'B team' of any European or world club."