Football – Caution, club imperialists!: Consortia conquer the leagues

Just in time for the minute, Maxim appears in front of the old town bistro, which with its large selection of wine and the cheese specialties from the French east should actually be made into every touring guide. Shortly afterwards, the orders are now completed, the polite Frenchman, who does not want to call his last name publicly, shows on an online message on his cell phone: the previous day, the American investor Bill Foley, who already belongs to the Premier League club AFC Bournemouth and the French second division FC Lorient, also granted a Portuguese first division. Business models that are becoming increasingly popular in Europe: “Multi-Club-Owership” is said to be “multipropriété” in French.

It allows international consortia such as the Red Bull Group or 777, to own several clubs to push players back and forth and earn money with them. Maxime is a member of the Strasbourg Ultra Boys 90. Since Racing was bought by Blueco in June 2023, his group has been refusing against the new balance of power. At that time, all shares went to the consortium, which includes Chelsea-Boss Todd Boehly and the American private equity society Clearwater. In France, where the 50+1 rule does not exist, investors have been handing the clinkers into their hands for several years. More than half of the teams in Ligue 1 now belong to foreign investors. Paris St. Germain is the property of Qatar, the left-wing alternative district club Red Star Paris was swallowed by 777, second division team Paris FC Will think bigger with the Red Bull empire.

The investor habituation effect

Perhaps, suspect the Strasbourg Ultra Boys, a habituation effect has occurred among the fans through all the deals, which shines into Alsace. In any case, there was no question of a mass outcry around Meinau Stadium after the Blueco deal was public in June 2023. It was only in the fan curve, and the resistance was crumbling last. If you ask the followers on the edge of the cup game against FC Angers, you hear a lot of skepticism: almost everyone would have preferred to keep their independence. But for the majority, the change of ownership does not seem to be a dramatic turning point. This may also be due to the fact that not much has changed in the stadium experience. There are still tarte flambee and Alsatian beer, there are no cheerleaders.

But what has changed for the Ultra Boys and the fan clubs has just changed, Maxim thinks. You are no longer master in your own house. “Here is someone in the power whose motifs we do not know. Does he work for us or for Chelsea? ”This is exactly what the Ultras would like to know and supposedly Blueco was originally also interested in a conversation with the fans. “But it never happened to this meeting, even though we asked several times.”

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All the more, the Ultra Boys see their fears confirmed that their club should only be a farm team, a instantaneous water heater, for Chelsea – as it is Red Bull Salzburg for RB Leipzig. In the past four transfer periods, Racing has sold 46 players and has committed 33, except for two replacement goalkeepers, everyone was under 23 – so at the age when it only takes game practice for large talents so that it was ideally sold for a lot of money a few months later. Almost everyone in Strasbourg believes that this is the Blueco plan for racing. It cannot be proven because the Blueco plans are secret than the Nutella recipe. “Even with employees at the office, they have not imagined.” The Ultras think an absurdity. Especially for an association that claims to have remained family.

Criticism and support for the Ultras

This is probably how the majority of racing fans see it. But the ultras whistled more and more of them when – as in all games since summer 2023 – the first quarter of an hour of a game are silent. A “mood strike” that also called Captain Habib Diarra and President Marc Keller. Both asked the Ultras to support 90 minutes again. Many, Maxim, thought that the Ultra Boys then give up the strike. On Sunday, at 0-0 against Brest, three fans tried to push into the gap with megaphone and drum, which the ultras left open for 15 minutes. A small part, especially on the back straight sang, but it only got loud when the Ultras took command again: “We differentiate between what happens on the pitch and the club management,” says Maxime. “Our loyalty is considered the institution and what racing means for the region.”

After all: In contrast to many fans who simply want to see their team when visiting the stadium, most fan scenes from France showed solidarity with the protests of the ultras. Almost all guest fan groups have also been silent in the past few months, the umbrella organization of French football fans and large ultra scenes such as those of AS St. Etienne were involved in their own statements. A “inventory” that lists well over 200 European clubs that belong to the portfolio of an investor, 65 of which were bought by a US consortium like racing.

Traditional associations as commodity

Football clubs have long since become a commodity like pasta factories or breweries. Red Bull is active in the USA, Brazil, Japan and Europe, the City Group at Manchester City and the Spanish first division club Girona FC, where-there are things-the brother of the city coach Pere Guardiola is president. And at the latest after 777 (in addition to Standard Liège, FC Sevilla, Melbourne Victory and the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama), Hertha BSC also incorporated itself, a protest movement against the “multi-club-ownership” begins in Germany.

There shouldn’t be an investor like 777 in the German leagues if you use the meaning of the applicable 50+1 rule. As is well known, this should rule out that an investor will be in charge of a club. This is exactly the case in Berlin, since the Holding tennor of Lars Windhorst and since March 2023 with 777 a private equity company from Miami has determined the skills. This was made possible because in 777 almost 78 percent of the shares in the outsourced professional department bought. However, since not all shares are entitled to vote, the association still has a blocking minority, the Hertha argues. However, this does not change the fact that 777-should the company not be insolvent until then-from the day on which Hertha writes Blacks, 95 cents from every euro taken-from the Berliners-received a horror vision for Hertha fans who have been protesting against investors for years.

The fact that the fan scenes from Hertha and Racing Strasbourg are friends ensures that the protest is further networked. Your actions against the “multi-club ownership” neither want to give up Berliner nor the Elässische Ultras. “It’s also about sensitizing people nationally,” says Maxime. “We want to reflect associations that map the region and not the interests of a society with completely different intentions. What happens here happens everywhere in Europe. “