Conference League: Is Meinau ready to make a sacred union to support Racing?

The Racing Club de Strasbourg will play on Thursday to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the European Cup, a stage the club has never reached in its history. After the 2-0 defeat in the first leg against Mainz, the entire club is calling for unity at the Meinau stadium and to set aside internal disputes regarding multiple ownership.

After the conclusion of the first leg and the confirmed defeat (2-0) in a deafening MEWA Arena in Mainz, many Strasbourg players took to their social media to call for a strong response from the Meinau this Thursday evening. Last night, Emmanuel Emegha posted a statement on behalf of the club. “Thursday, the Meinau must be lively,” insists the captain, whose post was shared by several of his teammates. “Thursday is a historic moment for the club. We need the entire stadium with us to make this match unforgettable. We players believe in it. But we can’t do anything without the support of our fans.”

The divided fans, amid disagreements over multiple ownership leading to four supporter groups staging a cheer strike during the first 15 minutes of matches in recent months, will be traveling to London this Saturday to protest against BlueCo before the Chelsea-Manchester United match. However, many supporters on Thursday evening hope to see a united fan base. “We need to stop this,” complains Nicolas. “There’s politics on one side and sports on the other.” Noah agrees: “We should abandon that and all come together to give them strength in this European Cup.”

“Everyone needs to put their egos aside,” assures Diego Moreira

This desire was echoed by Diego Moreira, who spoke at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday. “The fans will be extremely important,” assures the left-back. “We really need our 12th man right from the first second. I think everyone needs to put their egos aside, everything that’s happening outside, and not forget that at its core, Racing Club de Strasbourg is a family.” One of the club’s historic players, Dimitri Liénard, who has played 331 matches for the Alsatian club, is still part of this family. The former Racing captain mentioned a “heartbreak to see the Meinau torn apart, whistled at” and called for a “general mobilization,” promising a “general celebration” if qualification is achieved in a singing stadium from the start of the game united in chorus. The stadium will be packed as the match is sold out, with all 32,000 seats taken.

According to our information, a meeting was proposed but will not take place due to scheduling conflicts among the different supporter groups. There should be no changes to the agenda, implying that the cheer strike for the first fifteen minutes will continue tomorrow.