Chelsea and Strasbourg, which are both owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, have measures in place should they qualify for the same European competition.
According to public documents, board-level changes have been made at the French club, while senior sources have confirmed that a "blind trust" structure – commonly used to meet multi‑club ownership rules in European football – was put in place before Uefa's compliance deadline to ensure the clubs meet regulations.
The Uefa Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) would ultimately decide in the summer whether those changes satisfy its requirements. Under Uefa rules, if a club is excluded from European competition due to non‑compliance, it would be the team that finishes lower in its domestic league.
If Chelsea and Strasbourg were to qualify for the same European competition, the two clubs would also be prevented from conducting transfer business between each other during the 2026‑27 season, having completed 12 deals between them this campaign.
Chelsea's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League have faded following three consecutive Premier League defeats. They currently sit sixth, four points off the top five, and risk ending up in the Europa League next season.
Strasbourg, meanwhile, have three potential routes into the Europa League. The French side could qualify through a top‑five or top‑six Ligue 1 finish, or by winning either the Coupe de France or the Conference League, having reached the semi‑finals of both competitions.
There is also a scenario in which both clubs qualify for the Conference League, while Strasbourg's chances of reaching the Champions League remain mathematically possible but unlikely.
Speaking at CAA's World Congress of Sports event in Los Angeles, Chelsea co‑owner Behdad Eghbali said he believed regulatory reform was needed to allow further investment within multi‑club ownership structures.
"We do think there needs to be more regulatory reform to enable multi‑club ownership," Eghbali was quoted as saying by Sports Business Journal.
