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Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Amanda Langell

‘Seismic Moment’—Chelsea, Strasbourg Fans Unite for Unwanted Common Cause

As Chelsea spiral further into crisis, supporters are organizing another protest against ownership group BlueCo—and this time, they will be joined by Strasbourg fan groups.

Put together by NotAProjectCFC, the protest is set to unfold ahead of the Blues’ home match against Manchester United on April 18. Supporters from Strasbourg plan to fly to London and join up with Chelsea fans to convey one clear message: “BlueCo Out.”

BlueCo, a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, completed its takeover of Chelsea in 2022, before purchasing Strasbourg one year later. Little success has followed for either side, all culminating in a tumultuous 2025–26 campaign that has fans crying out for change in the front office.


Joint Protest Targets BlueCo Deficiencies

Chelsea protest
Chelsea fans have made their feelings toward BlueCo known. | Martin Pope/Getty Images

NotAProjectCFC, who previously organized a protest ahead of Chelsea’s bout with Brentford in January, took to social media to announce a new vocal challenge to BlueCo in partnership with Strasbourg fans.

“As a result of the continued erosion of values at both football clubs, we have decided to come together to take action with one clear, unified message: BlueCo Out.

“Members of Ultra Boys 90, Kop Ciel et Blanc, Fédération des supporters du RCS and Pariser section have kindly agreed to fly over to London and walk in unison with us on a protest march towards Stamford Bridge ahead of the match.

”Supporters of both clubs are invited to join us on this march. We plan to shine a light on not only the incompetence and mismanagement at Chelsea Football Club, but also the restrictions implemented by multi-club ownership, where clubs like RC Strasbourg are being stripped of their identities, and where longstanding and respected fan groups are being censored and repressed by a brutal ownership.

“We believe this could be a seismic moment in the history of football, where fans of clubs from separate countries will come together to do what is right not only for our clubs individually, but for the sport more widely. Together, we can force change.”


BlueCo Failures Shine Bright As Chelsea Flounder

Liam Rosenior
Liam Rosenior is facing increased scrutiny at Stamford Bridge. | Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Four years into the BlueCo era and Chelsea are still no closer to Premier League or European domination despite the nearly $2 billion (£1.5 billion) spent on transfers to bolster the team in that span.

Last summer’s Club World Cup triumph is truly an outlier as the Blues continue to fall further and further below the standards required for silverware, highlighted by their dismal form as of late. Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League in the round of 16, eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain 8–2 on aggregate.

They also lost their last two Premier League matches to Newcastle United and Everton, failing to score a single goal across the 180 minutes of soccer. As it stands, the west London outfit sits sixth in the table and is out of the Champions League places.

To make matters worse, the club must pay a $13.7 million fine and was hit with a nine-month transfer ban for academy players and a suspended one-year ban on senior players for breaching Premier League spending rules breach of Premier League spending rules during Roman Abramovich’s ownership of the club.

All the while, Liam Rosenior faces increased pressure in the dugout as he struggles to live up to the heights of predecessor Enzo Maresca, who was relived of his duties on New Year’s Day after a stunning relationship breakdown with the club’s front office.

BlueCo’s solution to pluck Rosenior from Strasbourg and place him at Stamford Bridge looks more and more like another stain on their already-tarnished reign, one that fans have had enough of.


READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC


This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Seismic Moment’—Chelsea, Strasbourg Fans Unite for Unwanted Common Cause.

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