Chelsea owner Todd Boehly slammed for ‘incompetence’ by fan group after ‘senseless’ transfer window
Todd Boehly and his BlueCo group have been slammed by the fans of RC Strasbourg, who ‘don’t want the incompetence that reigns at Chelsea’ at their football club.
The Chelsea owners added Strasbourg to catalogue of clubs over the summer despite fierce opposition from the Ligue 1 club’s fans.
After two wins from two to start the season, Patrick Vieira’s side have picked up just four points from their last five games, and are now 11th in the French top flight after successive defeats.
The poor form has led fans to pen an open letter to club president Marc Keller, taking issue with the club’s ownership.
“Following BlueCo’s purchase, the 2023 summer transfer window is our first element of analysis and our first major worry,” the letter from the Fédération Supporters RCS began.
“The exclusive recruitment of very young players – not yet operational and potentially weakened by their over-exposition, combined with the absence of arrivals of more mature players, exposes the club to a sporting risk from which the owners should have better protected us.
“BlueCo’s imposition of an obligation to buy only very young hopefuls is senseless on a sporting level and the fans don’t relate to their team at the moment.
“The supporters that maintained that, since the purchase of Racing, we are only a training centre and a secondary piece in a global business, have gained credit following this transfer window, which seems far from the announced ambition.”
Strasbourg bought four 20-year-olds and a 21-year-old for a combined €56m over the summer, with their transfer policy not dissimilar to Chelsea’s apart from the price tags.
But the Strasbourg fans have taken no solace in following the Chelsea model; they don’t feel comforted by the current strife of their ‘big brother’, who sit in the bottom half of the Premier League.
“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,” the letter concluded.
“We don’t want the 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, 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.”
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