Chelsea and Strasbourg, both under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, have established protocols in the event they qualify for the same European competition.
Documents reveal that the French club has undergone changes at the board level, and sources indicate that a “blind trust” structure—often used to comply with multi-club ownership rules in European football—was implemented before the Uefa compliance deadline to ensure adherence to regulations.
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The Uefa Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) will ultimately determine in the summer if these adjustments meet their standards. According to Uefa regulations, should a club be excluded from European competition due to non-compliance, the club that finishes lower in its domestic league standings will bear the consequences.
If both Chelsea and Strasbourg qualify for the same European tournament, they will not be able to engage in transfer dealings with each other during the 2026-27 season, following a total of 12 transactions between them this season.
Chelsea’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League are diminishing, having suffered three consecutive defeats in the Premier League. They currently rank sixth, four points shy of the top five, and are at risk of ending up in the Europa League next season.
Conversely, Strasbourg has multiple opportunities to secure a spot in the Europa League. They could qualify through a top-five or top-six finish in Ligue 1, or by winning either the Coupe de France or the Conference League, as they have reached the semi-finals in both tournaments.
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There’s also a possibility for both clubs to qualify for the Conference League, while Strasbourg’s chances of making it to the Champions League, while still mathematically possible, remain unlikely.
During the CAA’s World Congress of Sports in Los Angeles, Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali expressed the need for regulatory reform to facilitate increased investment in multi-club ownership structures.
“We believe further regulatory reform is necessary to enable multi-club ownership,” Eghbali was quoted as saying by Sports Business Journal.