Angry Strasbourg fans have slammed the appointment of Liam Rosenior by Chelsea, describing his move to Stamford Bridge as “another humiliating step” for the Ligue 1 club.
Rosenior has left BlueCo-owned Strasbourg to take over at Chelsea on a six-year contract.
Chelsea’s owners have faced a backlash from Strasbourg fans, who have been unhappy since BlueCo took control of the French club in 2023 as part of their multi-club model.
Rosenior was in charge of Strasbourg for 18 months after replacing Patrick Vieira in the summer of 2024. He guided them a seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1 last season and qualification to the Conference League, and leaves them in seventh place in France.
In a strong statement on Tuesday after Rosenior confirmed he had agreed to join Chelsea, the Strasbourg Supporters Federation hit out at the move and said “the future of French club football is at stake”.
"The transfer of Liam Rosenior marks another humiliating step in Racing's subservience to Chelsea,” they said. “For two and a half years, along with others, we have been trying to raise the alarm about this.
"The problem goes far beyond the mid-season sporting impact and the ambitions of a young coach. It is structural; the future of French club football is at stake.”
Strasbourg fans also called for the departure of club president Marc Keller, who stayed on after selling the club to BlueCo.
"Every additional contortion by Marc Keller, every extra minute spent at the helm of the club, is an insult to the tremendous work accomplished before 2023. What was seen by many as an outrageous move last September increasingly looks like sound advice: he must leave. Now.
"The FSRCS will coordinate closely with the three other associations actively fighting against multiple ownership, as well as all people of goodwill, to define the next steps."
