Sunday evening, the Racing Club of Strasbourg offered a dazzling sporting show against Angers (5-0), but behind this success, an unprecedented scene went almost unnoticed: the censorship of the “Blueco Out” banner and the massive departure of the Ultras of the West Tribune. Here is what Racing does not want you to see at the Meinau.
A banner against Blueco torn in the middle of a match
As soon as the second period resumed, while Racing chained the goals, a “Blueco Out” banner is deployed by the hard core of the UB90, demanding the withdrawal of Blueco shareholders. Surprise: a few minutes later, the club's safety snatches this banner under the incredulous eyes of the supporters.
Immediately, the tension rises. The ultras leave the western, silent gallery, giving way to an oppressive void while the score continues to climb. Combines and hoots burst, some fans chanting “Auf Wiedersehen” to conspire as the decision appears brutal. Result: an unprecedented clash between direction and groups of supporters, at the very heart of victory.
A success in the field, a fracture in the stands: Racing in the face of its crisis
Strasbourg, a deep fracture between management and supporters
On the regional forums (Racingstub, Infosracing), the sequence is debated: why censor a slogan deemed political? Why expel your own ultra in a cheers stadium? This tribunes-directing fracture questions the soul of the club and the independence of Alsatian supporters.
Behind the scenes, the direction of Racing justifies its gesture by the club charter prohibiting any banner deemed subversive. For ultras, this is an act of censorship, synonymous with decline in democracy in the stands. The controversy takes on an unprecedented scale in the Ligue 1 landscape and already worried about the next home games.
For the Meinau, this day will mark the spirits: an offensive festival on the field, a fracture visible in the stands. And while the national media welcomes the result, the real story, that of the abolition of the banner and the departure of the ultras, remains widely ignored.
