Chelsea and Strasbourg in FIFA and UEFA's sights over Emanuel Emegha development
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net.
(Credit: Imago / Hasan Karim - Breaking Media)
Ben Palmer
Tue 16 September 2025 17:01, UK
BlueCo’s ownership of Chelsea and Strasbourg will be looked at by both FIFA and UEFA after fans of the French side protested Emanuel Emegha’s transfer.
That is the verdict of football finance expert Dan Plumley, who told Football Insider exclusively that the only way the partnership between the two sides would end is if they qualify for the same competition.
Emegha agreed to join Chelsea after the transfer window had closed, and the Netherlands Under-21 international became the seventh player to move between the two clubs since the 2025 summer window opened.
Ben Chilwell headed to France permanently, whilst Kendry Paez and Mike Penders joined Strasbourg on loan, whilst Ishe Samuels-Smith joined the Ligue 1 side only to re-join the Blues 33 days later in one of the strangest transfers of the window.
However, Emegha‘s move to Stamford Bridge sparked an outcry from fans of the French side, who have since called for their chairman to stand down from his post on X, whilst also displaying a banner condemning the Dutchman’s move.
As a consequence of the transfer, football’s biggest governing bodies will be looking closely at the link between the two clubs, although there may not be much they can do.
MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES
Speaking to Football Insider exclusively, Plumley explained that whilst Strasbourg fans may be desperate to be rid of BlueCo as their owners, there was little that could be done unless FIFA or UEFA created legislation to stop multi-club ownership.
He said: “It’s always going to be on UEFA and FIFA’s radar, particularly in terms of when these clubs may collide in European competitions.
“We’ve seen examples of that, but we have had precedents where those clubs have been able to compete as well, or we’ve seen owners put shares in blind trusts and do all kinds of things, so there’s very little from an ownership perspective that anyone can do here.
“Unless you bring in some legislation to stop multi-club ownership, that’s not going to happen.
There’s very little, really, that the regulatory bodies can do at the moment to really change that, because they’ve allowed multi-club ownership.
Credit: Imago
“Clubs have looked to do that, but it’s now embedded within the model of ownership in club football, so you can’t really undo it.
“I think it’s going to have to be something that, for now at least, fans have to just go with.
But that’s not easy to swallow for some fans, because it depends on where you are in that pecking order of clubs.
“Extracting yourself from it as a club is quite difficult.
Unfortunately, it’s not something that I see changing anytime soon.
“It’s here, and it is what it is.”
Emegha’s impending arrival at Stamford Bridge illustrates the club’s continued desire to sign young players with high upside.
In a similar vein, Chelsea are interested in signing Kenan Yildiz from Juventus, Pete O’Rourke told Football Insider exclusively.
Credit: Imago
The Blues were keen to bring the Turkish star to England in the summer and had a bid rejected for him.
However, sources say that doing a deal in the future will be extremely difficult, and Juventus have no plans to part with the 20-year-old.