Why Todd Boehly may need to find another loophole if Chelsea win the Conference League

Robin Bairner

• 11 Apr 2025 06:30 BST
• 3 min read

News

Chelsea took a big step towards the Conference League final on Thursday as they demolished Legia Warsaw 3-0 in Poland.

A strike from Tyrique George coupled with a double from Noni Madueke guided the Blues towards a comfortable win that provides them with a route into the semi-finals.

With Djurgardens or Rapid Vienna waiting in the final four, Enzo Maresca’s side have every chance of booking another visit to Warsaw for the final of the competition on 28 May.

But should Chelsea win the Conference League, it could potentially set up a headache for owner Todd Boehly.

Boehly has proven himself to be the master of finding loopholes. First, he exploited Financial Fair Play (FFP) by handing out contracts of an unprecedented length. Then Chelsea did the same by selling assets to BlueCo to massage their accounts, including the recent controversial sale of the women’s team.

Now the American may need to rack his brains to have both Chelsea and fellow BlueCo club Strasbourg both play in the same competition.

Chelsea would automatically qualify for the Europa League if they win the Conference League. But there is also a strong possibility that Strasbourg finish fifth in Ligue 1 and qualify for the same tournament.

Chelsea to be blocked?

UEFA’s rules prevent clubs who share ownership from competing in the same tournament, and to that end would likely block either Chelsea or Strasbourg from playing.

‘Sporting merit’ would be used by European football’s governing body to decide which team would get the nod. In principle, this would be decided by league position.

However, if Chelsea fail to qualify for the Champions League by right, it would mean they had finished sixth or lower in the Premier League. Strasbourg, by contrast, will only play in the Europa League if they drop to fifth in France. Given they are only one point clear of that spot, there is every chance it could happen.

So would UEFA give Strasbourg precedence over Chelsea, or would the Europa League count decisively in the Blues’ favour?

Loopholes of Boehly to exploit

Either way, it would leave Boehly with a huge headache; he will want both BlueCo teams to be competing at as high a level as possible.

One potential solution would be for BlueCo to change the management structure of Strasbourg in an attempt to prove there is no collusion between the clubs. This is what RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg have done in the past.

The other option would be for Chelsea’s ownership group to sell their shares in one of the clubs, which would naturally be Strasbourg. This would be a more nuclear option and one BlueCo and Boehly are unlikely to seriously consider.

In any case, there’s a brewing headache for Boehly and BlueCo, but for once it’s a positive one as both Strasbourg and Chelsea are performing to a high standard.