Todd Boehly’s time in charge of <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> has been a whirlwind experience thus far, with the American owner bringing in a raft of new players at great expense. Yet Boehly is now looking to branch out his soccer portfolio with a takeover bid for RC Strasbourg.



Strasbourg currently play in <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/ligue-un-tv-schedule/">Ligue 1</a>, although they are currently in a relegation battle after winning just two of their last 15 league games.



<a href="https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/Actualites/Les-proprietaires-americains-de-chelsea-s-interessent-de-pres-a-strasbourg/1382568" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">L’Equipe</a> reported on Monday morning that Boehly’s interest in the French club is legitimate and advanced.



It’s unclear whether he would run the French club as a totally different entity to Chelsea, or whether it would become a spoke on the wheel of his portfolio in much the same way the City Football Group runs multiple clubs across the globe.



<h2>Is Boehly being unfairly critiqued in England?</h2>



It can’t be doubted that Boehly is a serious operator in business. He wouldn’t have built up the level of wealth and success that he has if he wasn’t smart.



However, in England he has been ridiculed at every turn since completing his Chelsea takeover.



Initially his idea of <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/09/13/boehly-premier-league-all-star-game/">introducing an All-Star game</a> was considered silly by the purists in Britain, whilst a rather cruel jibe from Rio Ferdinand intimated that Boehly didn’t actually know how many players were allowed on the pitch at one time.



Americans face a really difficult task in convincing British fans of their competence, through no fault of their own. Be it due to the wariness of Glazer-style ownership models, or coaches who don’t quite work out, British football has always been averse to change. Just ask <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9092927/Schalkes-new-boss-Christian-Gross-laughed-Spurs-spent-six-years-Saudi-Arabia.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Christian Gross</a>.



It is worth asking whether Todd Boehly has been unfairly treated in the British media to this point. The suggestion of him purchasing <a href="https://www.rcstrasbourgalsace.fr/en/racing-en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RC Strasbourg</a> has been met with initial derision, merely because of Chelsea’s own on-pitch struggles at this juncture.



The reality is that Boehly has been smart. His use of longer-term contracts has worked wonders for Chelsea’s balance-sheet with regards to Financial Fair Play, although it is a major gamble with regards to these players needing to be successes.



If Strasbourg fans are worried about this possible takeover, it shouldn’t be related to Boehly’s acumen.



<h2>Boehly’s consortium has spoken with the French club</h2>



L’Equipe gave more detail on the stage that talks are at with regards to Boehly completing a buyout of the Ligue 1 team.



Strasbourg’s president, Marc Keller, has spoken with Boehly and his consortium about investment into the French club, although he wants to acquire 100% of the club.



The stable finances of Strasbourg are particularly attractive to the Chelsea owner, especially at a time when French football is walking towards a financial catastrophe after the collapse of the Mediapro television deal.



An interesting subplot to this story is the fact that Boehly believes Strasbourg would be relatively easy to build up, especially if propped up by player loans, which presumably would come from Chelsea.



The London club have long been criticized for stockpiling talented players and loaning them out. However, FIFA’s rule changes will come into force from July 2023.



These changes limit the number of outbound loans a club can make in a season to seven and then this will move to six in 2024.



Boehly’s rapid recruitment drive at Stamford Bridge has already left the squad bloated, even forcing some to be left off the club’s <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/champions-league-tv-schedule/">Champions League</a> squad list.



There is a sense that perhaps we could see a strategic partnership with Strasbourg. This would allow Chelsea to loan players, and perhaps even ‘sell’ them to the French club. Doing this would help circumvent the aforementioned changes to loan rules.



Once again, it’s clear Boehly is thinking smartly about how to best run Chelsea, even if the results on the pitch aren’t yet showing.



Photo: IMAGO / Schüler

Todd Boehly is looking to expand his footballing interests outside of Chelsea by purchasing RC Strasbourg of Ligue 1

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly looking to purchase RC Strasbourg -

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly looking to purchase RC Strasbourg

A Marseille supporter has been arrested and charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing a flare during a match in September. The city’s prosecutor’s office indicted the 26-year-old man on Friday, over a month since the incident occurred.



Police are claiming that the fan fired the flare inside a parking lot near the Marseille stadium on September 13th. German club Eintracht Frankfurt were visiting the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/ligue-un-tv-schedule/">Ligue 1</a> side in a Champions League group stage match. The flare apparently hit another man in the neck and caused serious injuries. In fact, the injured man is still reportedly receiving medical treatment.



The Associate Press is also <a href="https:\/\/apnews.com/article/soccer-sports-bundesliga-france-europe-b19a5e61aef38852eda19a3ee0b2ac27" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reporting</a> that a 64-year-old woman was also injured in the incident. She was hurt while attempting to remove the flare and help the suffering victim.



<h2>The incident to led to Marseille fan charged with attempted murder</h2>



Along with the fans, 17 police officers were also injured during the pre-match melee. 3,000 Frankfurt fans bought tickets and traveled to France to watch their team that night. There was supposedly even more visiting supporters that remained outside of the stadium in a fan zone as well. 



While the main incident in question occurred outside of the stadium, there were also issues inside. Fans from both sides were seen shooting flares and fireworks at each other from the stands during the game.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">Sementara itu di Stade Velodrome, Supporter Marseille dan Frankfurt perang Flare di dalam Stadion 😱😓<a href="https:\/\/t.co/znFNSac42T">pic.twitter.com/znFNSac42T</a>— Fakta Bola ⚽ (@FaktaSepakbola) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/FaktaSepakbola/status/1569770346487894016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2022</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



Despite the incident, the game was eventually played on the night. Frankfurt won the fixture 1-0 thanks to a lone goal from Jesper Lindstrom. A vast majority of the 3,000 ticket-possessing fans stayed inside the stadium long after the match ended due to security concerns.



The two teams will soon face off again, this time in Germany, on Wednesday, October 26th. Both clubs will be looking to collect all three points on the night. Group D of the Champions League is currently wide open. 



Tottenham is top the group with seven points, but Marseille and Sporting are both just one point behind the Premier League club. Frankfurt are also still not out of the race and sit on four points.

Olympique de Marseille fan charged with attempted murder due to a flare incident that happened in the UEFA Champions League.

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Chelsea

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly looking to purchase RC Strasbourg

Leagues: Ligue Un

Marseille fan charged with attempted murder