View source for RC Strasbourg Alsace

{{Short description|Association football club in France}}
{{distinguish|AS Strasbourg|ASPV Strasbourg}}
{{About|the men's football team|the women's football team|RC Strasbourg Alsace (women)}}
{{EngvarB|date=February 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname = RC Strasbourg
| image = Racing_Club_de_Strasbourg_logo.svg
| upright = 0.8
| fullname = Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace
| nickname = ''Le Racing''<br />''Le RCS''<br />{{nowrap|''Les Bleu et Blanc'' (The Blue and Whites)<ref name="RCSnickname">{{Cite web |url=https://footnickname.wordpress.com/2022/11/18/898-rc-strasbourg-les-bleu-et-blanc/|title=#898 – RC Strasbourg : les bleu et blanc |date=18 November 2022 | language=fr | publisher=Footnickname |access-date=18 November 2022}}</ref>}}
| founded = {{ubl|{{Start date and age|df=y|1906|p=yes}}<br />(as ''FC Neudorf'')|{{Start date and age|1919|df=y|p=yes}}<br />(as ''Racing Club de Strasbourg'')}}
| ground = [[Stade de la Meinau]]
| capacity = 26,109
| owner = [[BlueCo]]
| chairman = [[Marc Keller]]
| chrtitle = President
| manager = [[Liam Rosenior]]
| mgrtitle = Head coach
| league = {{French football updater|Strasbourg}}
| season = {{French football updater|Strasbourg2}}
| position = {{French football updater|Strasbourg3}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.rcstrasbourgalsace.fr/|rcstrasbourgalsace.fr}}
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| current = 2025–26 RC Strasbourg Alsace season
}}
'''Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace''', commonly known as '''RC Strasbourg''' <!-- Insert French pronunciation -->({{langx|gsw|RC Stroßburg}}, {{langx|de|RC Straßburg}}; '''RCS''') or simply just '''Racing''', is a [[football in France|French professional association football]] club founded in 1906 and based in the city of [[Strasbourg]], [[Alsace]]. It became a professional club in 1933, and is currently playing in [[Ligue 1]], the top tier of [[Football in France|French football]], having won the [[2016–17 Ligue 2]] championship. This comes after the club was demoted to the fifth tier of French football at the conclusion of the [[2010–11 Championnat National]] season after going into financial liquidation. Renamed RC Strasbourg Alsace, they won the CFA championship in 2012–13, and became Championnat National champions in 2015–16. [[Stade de la Meinau]] has been the club's stadium since 1914.

RC Strasbourg is one of six clubs to have won all three major French trophies: Division 1, now [[Ligue 1]], in [[1978–79 French Division 1|1979]]; the [[Coupe de France]] in [[1951 Coupe de France Final|1951]], [[1965–66 Coupe de France|1966]] and [[2000–01 Coupe de France|2001]]; and the [[Coupe de la Ligue]] in 1964, [[1997 Coupe de la Ligue Final|1997]], [[2004–05 Coupe de la Ligue|2005]] and [[2018–19 Coupe de la Ligue|2019]]. It is also among the six teams to have played more than 2,000 games in France's top flight (spanning 56 seasons)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lfp.fr/ligue1/historique/bilanClubFrancais.asp |title=Ligue de Football Professionnel : Ligue 1, actualités, résultats, classements, statistiques |publisher=Lfp.fr |access-date=19 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822124801/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/historique/bilanClubFrancais.asp |archive-date=22 August 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and has taken part in 52 European games since 1961.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lfp.fr/coupeEurope/bilanClubFrancais.asp |title=Ligue de Football Professionnel : Coupe UEFA, Coupes d'Europe, Coupe de France, Ligue des Champions |publisher=Lfp.fr |access-date=19 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217044825/http://www.lfp.fr/coupeEurope/bilanClubFrancais.asp |archive-date=17 December 2008 }}</ref> By contrast, it has also experienced relegation at least once a decade since the early 1950s. It has changed its manager 52 times in 75 years of professional play.

The destiny of the RC Strasbourg has always been wedded to the [[Alsace#History|history of Alsace]]. Like the region, the club has changed nationality three times and has a troubled history. The club was founded when the city (and the region of Alsace-Lorraine) was part of the [[German Empire]], and the club insisted on its Alsatian and popular roots from the beginning, in opposition to the first Strasbourg-based clubs which came from the German-born bourgeoisie. When Alsace was returned to France after the [[World War I|First World War]], the club changed its name from 1. FC Neudorf to the current Racing Club de Strasbourg, in imitation of [[Pierre de Coubertin]]'s [[Racing Club de France football Colombes 92|Racing Club de France]], a clear gesture of [[Francophile|Francophilia]]. RC Strasbourg players lived through the [[World War II|Second World War]] as most Alsatians did: evacuated in 1939, annexed in 1940 and striving to avoid Nazification and incorporation in the [[Wehrmacht]] between 1942 and 1944. When Alsace was definitively returned to France after the war, Strasbourg's identity switched towards [[Jacobin (politics)|Jacobinism]] with, for example, emotional wins in the cup in 1951 and 1966 amidst Franco-Alsatian controversies.

==History==
{{See also|List of RC Strasbourg Alsace seasons}}
[[File:RC_Strasbourg,_1919.png|thumb|A Strasbourg lineup in 1919.]]
Founded in 1906 as ''Fußballclub Neudorf'', Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace's history has been marked by constant periods of instability, firstly due to political issues (for the first forty years of its existence, the club played alternately in the French and German championships because of the dispute between the two countries over [[Alsace]]), and secondly due to corporate issues. In spite of this, the team was able to carve out a place for itself in the golden roll of the [[French football league system|French league]] by winning a number of trophies, the most important of which was the championship in the [[1978–79 French Division 1|1978–79 season]].

=== ''Fußballclub Neudorf'' ===
[[File:Hämmerle's_Garten.png|thumb|Hämmerle's Garten, Strasbourg's first field, around which the [[Stade de la Meinau|Meinau stadium]] would later be built.]]
[[File:La Meinau en National.jpg|thumb|right|Strasbourg's home stadium since 1914, [[Stade de la Meinau]].]]In the early 1900s, the English export of soccer to foreign countries also reached the deepest parts of the [[German Empire]] (which had already established a national league called the ''Verbandsliga'' in 1902), including the ''Reichsland'' [[Alsace–Lorraine|Alsace-Lorraine]]. One of the cities most involved in this process was the capital city of [[Strasbourg]] (which already had a football club called ''Straßburger Fußball Club'' since 1890),<ref name="lafa">{{Harvtxt|Various authors|2002|p=88}}</ref> where several football clubs saw the light of day, including ''Fußballclub Neudorf'', founded by a group of students from the Neudorf district,<ref name="lafa" /><ref name="automne">[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=1966 Automne 1906, rue d'Erstein] at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> located south of the city. The team, which was financially supported by the students' teacher,<ref name="automne" /><ref name="etait">{{Harvtxt|Various authors|1991|p=135}}</ref> made its debut in a match against ''FC Germania''<ref name="lafa" /> from the Schluthfeld district, in which it withdrew after conceding seven goals in the first forty-five minutes of play.<ref name="automne" />

Over the next three years, the team, renamed ''Fußballclub Cäsar Neudorf''<ref name="lafa" /> and given a corporate organizational chart to cope with the inexperience of the players,<ref name="lafa" /><ref name="hn">{{Harvtxt|Various authors|2002|p=89}}</ref> continued to produce unconvincing results, attracting criticism and threatening to split several times.<ref name="hn" /> Thanks to the arrival of Louis Becker as president,<ref name="hn" /> in 1909 Neudorf was able to gain membership in the ''[[Verband Süddeutscher Fußball-Vereine]]'', the football association in the southern part of the German Empire, which was part of the third tier of German football.<ref name="ofv">[http://ofv.avenit.de/files/upload/Vereinsgeschichte.pdf History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306103917/http://ofv.avenit.de/files/upload/Vereinsgeschichte.pdf|data=6 marzo 2009}} of Offenburger Fußballverein</ref> Neudorf began a gradual improvement in results: thanks to a highly offensive style of play, the team achieved large victories (including a 28–0 victory over Erstein, the second largest margin of victory in the history of German football),<ref>Bernard Delattre, ''Petites histoires d'une grande histoire'' in ''Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace'', October 3, 2006</ref> which led to a double promotion within two years.<ref name="automne" /><ref name="ofv" /> In 1914, a few weeks before promotion to the first division, Neudorf acquired its first playing field, the ''Hämmerlé's Garten'', on which the [[Stade de la Meinau|Meinau Stadium]] was built.<ref name="phonix">Claire-Marie Denis, Cédric Douzant ''Le Jardin ou tout a commencé'', at [http://cuej.u-strasbg.fr/archives/ndi/ndi_pdf/ndi_086.pdf News d'Ill] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210161957/http://cuej.u-strasbg.fr/archives/ndi/ndi_pdf/ndi_086.pdf|date=10 dicembre 2006}} pp. 14-15.</ref> In the same year, all sports activities were interrupted due to the outbreak of the [[World War I|First World War]].

=== The debut in French football ===
[[File:RC_Strasbourg_-_FC_Sochaux,_1937_B.jpg|thumb|[[1937 Coupe de France final|1937 French Cup Final]] between [[FC Sochaux-Montbéliard|Sochaux]] and Strasbourg.]]
With the annexation of [[Alsace]] and [[Lorraine]] to France at the end of the war, it was decided to change the name of the club, which, in homage to [[Racing Club de France]],<ref name="phonix" /> became ''Racing Club de Strasbourg''. In the decade following the end of hostilities, Strasbourg played in the Alsace regional championship (winning it in 1923, 1924 and 1927) and, from the 1920–21 season,<ref>{{Harvtxt|Descamps|Ejnès|Hennaux|2007|p=337}}</ref> in the [[Coupe de France|French Cup]]. In the latter competition, the team never made it past the round of 16, but in the 1925–26 season, it pulled off an upset<ref>{{Harvtxt|Descamps|Ejnès|Hennaux|2007|p=342}}</ref> by eliminating [[Red Star FC|Red Star]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Round of 32 of the 1925–26 edition of the French Cup. |url=http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist1926_6.shtml}}</ref> a team that at the time held the record for most national cups won. It was also during this period that the first wooden stands were built on the field, which later became the Meinau Stadium.<ref name="fpro">{{Harvtxt|Gauthey|1961|p=239}}</ref>

In 1932, Strasbourg's management rejected a proposal to turn the team professional<ref name="wahl">{{Harvtxt|Wahl|1989|p=256}}</ref> that had just been approved by the [[French Football Federation|Football Federation]]. Attempts to change management's decision (including a proposal to merge with Strasbourg Red Star)<ref name="wahl" /> yielded a positive result a year later when, after a vote of 126 for, 2 against and 2 abstentions,<ref name="fpro" /> the team was finally allowed to become professional and debut in the [[Ligue 2|second division]].

After winning the playoffs against rivals [[FC Mulhouse|Mulhouse]] and [[AS Saint-Étienne|Saint-Étienne]], the Alsatians battled with [[FC Sochaux-Montbéliard|Sochaux]] for the title in their debut in the top flight. Initially, Strasbourg had the upper hand, finishing first in the first half of the season,<ref name="class">{{Cite web |title=Chronology of the standings for the 1934-1935 Division 1 season, from the official Ligue 1 website |url=http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/historique/classement.asp?type_classement=&saison=1934/1935&code_jr_tr=J06}}</ref><ref name="gat-0">{{Harvtxt|Gauthey|1961|p=235}}</ref> but lost the head-to-head match on the road<ref name="class" /> to Sochaux, who went on to win the title despite losing the final match.<ref name="class" /><ref name="gat-0" /> In the following championships, the team, boosted by German striker [[Oskar Rohr]], confirmed its status as a mid-table team, while in the [[1936–37 Coupe de France]], Strasbourg reached the [[1937 Coupe de France final|final]]: again, Sochaux prevailed, winning 2–1 in a comeback.<ref>[http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist1937_1.shtml Official report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005163854/http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist1937_1.shtml|data=5 ottobre 2012}} of the 1937 French Cup final.</ref>

=== Re-annexation to the German Reich ===
[[File:AlsaceIIIereich.png|thumb|During the German occupation of [[Alsace]] in [[World War II]], Strasbourg played in the ''[[Gauliga Elsaß]]''.]]
At the beginning of World War II, with the occupation of France by the [[Nazi Germany|Third Reich]] army, the team was reconstituted as an amateur club by some players who had fled to the south of the country.<ref name="descamp">{{Harvtxt|Descamps|Ejnès|Hennaux|2007|p=129}}</ref> After winning the regional championship, the team was introduced into the German football system,<ref name="descamp" /> taking the name ''Rasensportclub Straßburg'' and playing in the ''[[Gauliga Elsaß]]''.<ref name="gaun">[http://www.f-archiv.de/gauligen/elsass/el4041.htm Gauliga Elsaß 1940-41]</ref>

From then until the liberation of [[Alsace]], Strasbourg would play in four editions of the ''Gauliga'', finishing second three times in a row (losing the title to [[FC Mulhouse|Mulhouse]] in a playoff in the first year)<ref name="gaun" /><ref>[http://www.f-archiv.de/gauligen/elsass/el4142.htm Gauliga Elsaß 1941-42]</ref><ref>[http://www.f-archiv.de/gauligen/elsass/el4243.htm Gauliga Elsaß 1942-43]</ref> and participating in the [[1942 Tschammerpokal|1941–42 edition of the German Cup]], where they were eliminated by Mulhouse in the first round.<ref>[http://www.rsssf.com/tablesd/dfbcup/dfb4.html German Cup 1941-1942] at [[RSSSF]]</ref> Notable during this period was the heated rivalry with ''Red Star Strasbourg'', renamed ''SS Strasbourg'' after their affiliation with the regime's [[Schutzstaffel|political police]].<ref>{{Harvtxt|Bitzer|Wilting|2003}}</ref>

=== The postwar period ===
At the end of hostilities, with the return of [[Alsace]] to the political control of France, Strasbourg was reintegrated into the same football system in which it had participated before the outbreak of the war. After finishing twelfth in the league at the end of the war, Strasbourg came close to a [[Double (association football)|double]] in the [[1946–47 French Division 1|1946–47 season]], finishing among the contenders for the championship<ref name="roub">{{Cite web |title=Chronology of the standings for the 1946-1947 Division 1 season, from the official Ligue 1 website |url=http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/historique/classement.asp?type_classement=&saison=1946/1947&code_jr_tr=J01}}</ref> and competing for the [[Coupe de France|French Cup]] until the final,<ref name="descamp" /> where they were defeated by [[Lille OSC|Lille]].<ref>[http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist1947_1.shtml Official report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318052925/http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist1947_1.shtml|data=18 marzo 2009}} of the 1946-1947 French Cup Final.</ref>

In the following seasons, Strasbourg went through a period of mixed results: in the [[1948–49 French Division 1|1948–49 championship]], the team, relegated on the field, avoided relegation thanks to [[SR Colmar|Colmar]]'s abandonment of its professional status.<ref name="fpro" /> Two seasons later, the team won its first official trophy by winning the [[:fr:1950–51 Coupe de France|1950–51 edition]] of the French Cup: this was possible thanks to a victory in the final against [[Valenciennes FC|Valenciennes]],<ref>[http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist1951_1.shtml Official report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090515105200/http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist1951_1.shtml|data=15 maggio 2009}} of the 1950-1951 French Cup final.</ref> which sparked celebrations throughout Alsace,<ref>{{Harvtxt|Descamps|Ejnès|Hennaux|2007|p=367}}</ref> culminating in the team being welcomed by 50,000 fans.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Gauthey|1961|p=240}}</ref>

Winning this trophy did not bring stability to the team's results, as they dropped to the second division three times during the 1950s ([[1951–52 French Division 1|1952]], [[1956–57 French Division 1|1957]], and [[1959–60 French Division 1|1960]]), only to return to the top flight immediately afterwards. The only notable result of the decade came in the [[1954–55 French Division 1|1954–55 season]], when Strasbourg, led by [[Ernst Stojaspal]],<ref name="descamp" /> contended for the top spots in the standings,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chronology of the 1954-1955 Division 1 season standings, from the official Ligue 1 website |url=http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/historique/classement.asp?type_classement=&saison=1954/1955&code_jr_tr=J01}}</ref> finishing fourth overall, and were eliminated by [[Lille OSC|Lille]] in the French Cup semifinals.<ref>[http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist1955_2.shtml French Cup semifinals 1954-1955] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024010148/http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist1955_2.shtml|data=24 ottobre 2012}}</ref>

=== The debut in Europe ===
In the early 1960s, Strasbourg had the chance to make their debut on the European stage, playing in the [[1961–62 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup|1961–62]] edition of the [[Inter-Cities Fairs Cup|Fairs Cup]], where they were eliminated in the first round by [[MTK Budapest FC|MTK Hungária]]. Thanks to subsidies from the municipality,<ref name="gaut">{{Harvtxt|Gauthey|1961|p=242}}</ref> Strasbourg experienced a period of improved results, culminating in the [[1964–65 French Division 1|1964–65 season]], during which the team fought for the title: in second place, one point behind [[FC Nantes|Nantes]] with four games to play,<ref name="nan">{{Cite web |title=Chronology of the 1964-1965 Division 1 season standings, from the official Ligue 1 website |url=http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/historique/classement.asp?type_classement=&saison=1964/1965&code_jr_tr=J01}}</ref> the Alsatians drew the head-to-head match and then succumbed in the final, finishing fifth.<ref name="nan" /><ref name="A.A.V.V., 1991, pag. 87">{{Harvtxt|Various authors|1991|p=87}}</ref> In the same season, the team had an excellent performance in the Fairs Cup, reaching the quarterfinals (after eliminating the likes of [[AC Milan]] and [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]], the latter equalizing in the dying seconds of the second leg<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=match&id=1957 Barcelona-Strasbourg match report] at [http://www.racingstub.com racingstub.com]</ref> and being eliminated after a 0–0 draw in the [[Replay (sports)|replay]]), where they were eliminated by [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]],<ref>[http://www.rsssf.com/ec/ec196465.html#icfc 1964-65 Fairs Cup] from the [[RSSSF]] archives</ref> who had already guaranteed qualification to the semifinals from the first leg (thanks to a 5–0 away win).

The following season, Strasbourg reached the final of the French Cup for the fourth time in the club's history, defeating [[Toulouse FC|Toulouse]] after equalizing with a minute remaining and then winning in extra time.<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=match&id=2046 Report of the match Strasbourg - Toulouse] at [http://www.racingstub.com racingstub.com]</ref> In the final, the Alsatians faced newly crowned French champions Nantes, whom they defeated 1–0.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Various authors|1991|p=91}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Official report of the 1965-1966 French Cup final. |url=http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist1966_1.shtml}}</ref> In the same season, Strasbourg also participated in the Fairs Cup, where they met AC Milan in the first round. After losing 1–0 at the [[San Siro]], the Alsatians won the return leg 2–1,<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=match&id=2104 Report of the match Strasbourg - Milan] at [http://www.racingstub.com racingstub.com]</ref> forcing a play-off, which Milan won on a draw after the match ended 1–1.<ref>[http://www.rsssf.com/ec/ec196566.html#icfc 1965-66 Fairs Cup] from the [[RSSSF]] archives.</ref>

In the following seasons, Strasbourg's results in competitions were unremarkable (except for a fifth-place finish in the [[1969–70 French Division 1|1969–70 season]]), so much so that the club's management decided to merge the club with the amateur team ''[[AS Pierrots Vauban Strasbourg|Pierrots Vauban]]'',<ref name="hist">[http://www.rcstrasbourg.fr/club1.php History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205221531/http://www.rcstrasbourg.fr/club1.php|date=5 febbraio 2007}} of Strasbourg, from the [http://www.rcstrasbourg.fr/ official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070228045126/http://www.rcstrasbourg.fr/|date=28 febbraio 2007}}</ref> renaming it ''Racing Pierrots Strasbourg Meinau''.<ref name="nomi">[http://www.rsssf.com/players/trainers-fran-clubs.html#s Chronology] of the team's names, from [http://www.rsssf.com/ rsssf.com]</ref> However, the results were unsatisfactory: in the first season under the new name ([[1970–71 French Division 1|1970-71]]), the team was relegated to [[Ligue 2|Division 2]], only to return to the top flight the following year. A second relegation in the [[1975–76 French Division 1|1975–76 season]] led to a split in the club with the re-founding of ''Pierrots Vauban''<ref name="A.A.V.V., 1991, pag. 87" /> and the restoration of the ''Racing Club de Strasbourg'' name.<ref name="nomi" />

=== Championship title ===
{{football squad on pitch|align=right|clear=none|GK=[[Dominique Dropsy|'''Dropsy''']]|RB='''Marx'''|LCB=[[Léonard Specht|'''Specht''']]|RCB=[[Jacques Novi|'''Novi''']]|LB=[[Raymond Domenech|'''Domenech''']]|RCM='''Deutschmann'''|AM=[[Francis Piasecki|'''Piasecki''']]|LCM='''Ehrlacher'''|LW=[[Albert Gemmrich|'''Gemmrich''']]|RW=[[Roland Wagner (footballer)|'''Wagner''']]|CF='''Tanter'''|caption=The starting lineup of the [[1978–79 French Division 1|1978–79 French champions]] Strasbourg.}}After regaining promotion by winning the second division after a playoff with the top team in Group A ([[AS Monaco FC|Monaco]]), Strasbourg started the [[1977–78 French Division 1|1977-78 season]] with a virtually unchanged lineup from the previous year,<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=1976-1977&tab=joueurs 1976-77 season] and [http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=1977-1978&tab=joueurs 1977–78 season] at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> with the addition of [[Jacky Novi|Jacques Novi]], [[Francis Piasecki]] (both from [[Paris Saint-Germain FC|Paris Saint-Germain]]),<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/fiche/pe/5-jacques-novi/fiche Jacques Novi] and [http://www.racingstub.com/fiche/pe/12-francis-piasecki/fiche Francis Piasecki] at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> and [[Raymond Domenech]]. [[Gilbert Gress]], a former Strasbourg center forward in the 1960s who would become the most representative coach in the club's history,<ref name="gg">Perrine Bonnet, ''Gilbert Gress, toujours indomptable'', CUEJ 2006, pp. 10-11</ref><ref name="gress">[http://www.racingstub.com/fiche/pe/82-gilbert-gress/legende Biography of Gilbert Gress] at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> was also brought in to lead the team. Under Gress, the team adopted a tactic based on collective play,<ref name="bord">[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=949 Divorce à l'Alsacienne] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615175143/http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=949|date=15 giugno 2009}}, article published in ''France Foot'', reproduced from  [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref><ref name="lyon">[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=465 1er juin 1979: Lyon-RCS 0-3 ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070922175434/http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=465|date=22 settembre 2007}}, from [http://www.racingstub.com racingstub.com]</ref> based on the [[4-3-3 formation]], which included the use of [[Albert Gemmrich|Gemmrich]], Tanter and [[Jacques Vergnes|Vergnes]] as attackers.<ref name="champion">[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=2987 Une saison inoubliable, épisode 1], from [http://www.racingstub.com racingstub.com]</ref> After a slow start, Strasbourg gradually regained positions and placed themselves among the contenders for a place in the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA zone]], which then consisted of only two teams.<ref name="class78">[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=1977-1978&tab=classement Performance of Strasbourg in the 1977-1978 season], from [http://www.racingstub.com racingstub.com]</ref> A late collapse by [[Olympique de Marseille|Olympique Marseille]] allowed the Alsatians to move into third place with three days to go: a 3–2 win at [[Laval, Mayenne|Laval]] on the final day<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=1977-1978&tab=matches Strasbourg's results in the 1977-1978 season], from [http://www.racingstub.com racingstub.com]</ref> secured them the final spot to qualify for their third European competition.<ref name="champion" />

Riding the wave of this success, Strasbourg prepared for the next season without making too many changes to the squad, only buying [[Roger Jouve]] from [[OGC Nice|Nice]] and replacing Vergnes<ref name="champion" /><ref name="champi">[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=3130 Une saison inoubliable, épisode 2], from [http://www.racingstub.com racingstub.com]</ref> with the younger [[Roland Wagner (footballer)|Wagner]]. The team started the championship in better form than the previous year, taking the lead on the fifth day<ref name="classement">{{Cite web |title=Chronology of the standings for the 1978-1979 Division 1 season, from the official Ligue 1 website |url=http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/historique/classement.asp?type_classement=&saison=1978/1979&code_jr_tr=J01}}</ref> and maintaining it throughout the season, although a defeat against [[AS Saint-Étienne|Saint-Étienne]] in the return leg had favored the ''Verts''<nowiki/>' approach.<ref name="classement" /> A brace by Wagner and a goal by Ehrlacher<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=match&id=865 Report] of the Lyon-Strasbourg match of June 1, 1979, from [http://www.racingstub.com racingstub.com]</ref> in the final match against [[Olympique Lyonnais|Lyon]] (on June 1, 1979) sparked celebrations throughout [[Alsace]],<ref name="lyon" /> which culminated the following day when the team was welcomed by 200,000 fans at Strasbourg station.<ref name="lyon" />

=== The decline ===
Immediately after winning the national title, the team's leadership was taken over by the politician [[André Bord]], repeatedly elected Secretary of State for the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry for Veterans in the governments installed between 1966 and 1978<ref>[http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/histoire/gvt5rep.asp Présidents de la République et Gouvernements sous la Ve République]</ref> and former president of the team's multisport section.<ref name="bords">[http://www.racingstub.com/fiche/pe/11476-andre-bord André Bord] at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> The new president almost immediately came into conflict with Gress by organizing a transfer window that brought to Strasbourg outstanding players such as the national player [[François Bracci]] and the top scorer [[Carlos Bianchi]], who, however, did not meet the tactical requirements of the coach.<ref name="bord" /> This climate of conflict at the top of the club, known as the ''Affaire Gress-Bord'',<ref name="huit">[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=histoireClub7 Les années 80 : une décennie pleine de difficultés] at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> also affected the performance of the team, which, with a center forward incompatible with Gress's tactics based on the collective,<ref name="bord" /> failed to defend the title and, as compensation, reached the quarterfinals of the [[1979–80 European Cup|European Cup]], where they were eliminated by [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]].

The tensions between Gress and Bord reached a climax at the beginning of the [[1980–81 French Division 1|1980–81 season]]: after a very bad start in the championship, the fans, siding with Gress,<ref name="gress" /><ref name="bord" /> began to harshly challenge the club,<ref name="gg" /><ref name="bord" /> demanding the resignation of Bord,<ref name="bord" /><ref name="huit" /> who, supported also by prominent politicians such as [[Jacques Chirac]],<ref name="gress" /> remained at the helm of the club and fired the coach.<ref name="etait" /><ref name="gress" /> This event marked the end of Strasbourg's golden era,<ref name="huit" /> which saw the loss of almost all the players who had contributed to the 1979 championship<ref name="huit" /> within a few years, replaced by important names ([[Didier Six]], [[Jean-François Larios]], [[Éric Pécout]] and [[Olivier Rouyer]]) who were never able to live up to expectations.<ref name="huit" /> This was also reflected in the team's results, which stagnated in the lower mid-table positions during the first half of the 1980s until the [[1985–86 French Division 1|1985–86 season]], which ended with Strasbourg's relegation to [[Ligue 2|Division 2]] and the resignation of Bord,<ref name="bords" /> who left [[Daniel Hechter]]<ref name="huit" /> a team in the midst of corporate chaos, which remained entangled in the lower parts of the second division<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=1986-1987&tab=classement Final standings] for the 1986-87 Division 2 season.</ref> and then finished in ninth place. The team's new president, formerly the leading man of [[Paris Saint-Germain FC|Paris Saint-Germain]] in the 1970s,<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/mar/14/theknowledge.sport Which players have English counties on their backs?] article in [[The Guardian]]</ref> had plans to rebuild a winning team,<ref name="huit" /> but his ambitions clashed with a disastrous economic situation that reached such a level in 1990 (a debt of 90 million [[French franc|francs]] was discovered)<ref name="hechter">[http://www.racingstub.com/fiche/pe/11477-daniel-hechter Daniel Hechter] at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> that he was forced to resign under pressure from the city's mayor.<ref name="hechter" />

=== The return to Europe ===
[[File:Gilbert_Gress_(cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Gilbert Gress]]. A prominent figure in the history of Strasbourg, he made his debut as a footballer with the team and finished his career there. He then went on to coach Strasbourg in three different spells (the last of which was in 2009), leading the team to its first national title.]]
The team, which had reached the top flight the previous two years only to drop back to the second division,<ref name="pari">[http://www.pari-et-gagne.com/strasbourg.html Strasbourg fact sheet], from [http://www.pari-et-gagne.com/ pari-et-gagne.com]</ref> was entrusted to industrialist Jacky Kientz.<ref name="neuf">[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=histoireClub8 De 1990 à 1997 : le Racing a retrouvé un certain rang] at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> Failure to win promotion in the 1990–91 season prompted the management to recall Gress to the bench: relying on young prospects such as [[Frank Leboeuf]] and [[Martin Djetou]],<ref name="neuf" /> the coach led the team back to Division 1 after a close battle with [[FC Girondins de Bordeaux|Bordeaux]]<ref name="neuf" /> and a 4–0 victory over [[Stade Rennais FC|Stade Rennais]] in the promotion/relegation playoff.<ref name="histuff">[http://www.rcstrasbourg.fr/club1.php History of Strasbourg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205221531/http://www.rcstrasbourg.fr/club1.php|date=5 febbraio 2007}}, from the [http://www.rcstrasbourg.fr team's official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070228045126/http://www.rcstrasbourg.fr/|date=28 febbraio 2007}}</ref> Back in the top flight, Strasbourg made their debut by finishing close to the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA qualification spots]].<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=1992-1993&tab=classement Final standings] of the 1992-93 Division 1 season</ref> At the end of the following season, in which the team avoided relegation, there was a change at the top of the club, with Roland Weller taking over as president.<ref name="neuf" /> Despite offers to extend his contract, Gress, who had come into conflict with some players during the championship over his training methods, decided to leave the team, causing discontent among the fans.<ref name="gress" />
[[File:A-Mostovoi.jpg|left|thumb|[[Aleksandr Mostovoi]], a key player for Strasbourg, where he played from 1994 to 1996.]]
Such events did not initially destabilize the team's performance, which, entrusted to former player [[Daniel Jeandupeux]], was in third place at the beginning of the 1994–95 season.<ref name="neuf" /><ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=1994-1995&tab=classement Final standings] of the 1994–95 Division 1 season</ref> A decline over the winter favored the replacement of Jeandupeux with former player [[Jacky Duguépéroux]],<ref name="neuf" /> who led the team to the [[1995 Coupe de France final|French Cup final]] (lost 1–0 to [[Paris Saint-Germain FC|Paris Saint-Germain]]) and tenth place in the league, which qualified the team for the newly created [[UEFA Intertoto Cup|Intertoto Cup]]. By winning the competition, Strasbourg gained access to the UEFA Cup, returning to the European stage after a sixteen-year absence: their progress in the competition was interrupted by [[AC Milan]] in the round of 16.<ref name="neuf" /><ref name="histuff" /> In the following two seasons, despite the departures of key players<ref name="neuf" /> compensated by the introduction of youth players into the first team (including [[Olivier Dacourt]], who made his debut as a striker),<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/fiche/pe/48-olivier-dacourt Olivier Dacourt] at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> the team continued to achieve results that helped them qualify for European competitions, This culminated in the [[1996–97 French Division 1|1996–97 season]], when the team finished ninth in the league after spending much of the season in mid-table positions,<ref name="neuf" /><ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=1996-1997&tab=classement Final standings] of the 1996–97 Division 1 season.</ref> but qualified directly for the UEFA Cup thanks to winning the [[Coupe de la Ligue|League Cup]], which they did after narrowly defeating [[FC Girondins de Bordeaux|Bordeaux]] in the final.

That season also saw another change at the top of the club, which was taken over on March 21, 1997 by the IMG group, headed by former tennis player [[Patrick Proisy]]:<ref name="neuf" /> the new ownership sparked a wave of optimism among the team's supporters, but they played a championship far below expectations and struggled to avoid relegation until the last day.<ref name="proisy2">[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=histoireClub9 De 1997 à 2003 : les années Proisy] at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> The same season will also be remembered for the team's journey in the [[1997–98 UEFA Cup|UEFA Cup]]: after eliminating [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]], Strasbourg faced [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] in the second round, winning 3–0 at home to effectively secure qualification, as the 2–0 defeat at [[Anfield]] did not affect the aggregate score. The Alsatians' adventure came to an end in the third round against [[Inter Milan|Inter]] Milan, who bounced back from a first-leg defeat.<ref name="histuff" />

The departure of Duguépéroux, who was in conflict with the management, opened a new dark period for the team, which had some bad seasons with unimpressive results both in the league and in the national cups.<ref name="proisy2" /> The worst moment seemed to materialize in the [[2000–01 French Division 1|2000–01 season]], at the end of which the team was relegated to Division 2, having finished last without ever being able to fight to avoid relegation.<ref name="class" /> However, the negative result was compensated by winning the third French Cup, which came after defeating [[Amiens SC|Amiens]] in the final: the match, which ended 0–0 after extra time, was decided by penalty kicks, with the Alsatians winning 5–4.<ref name="fincoupe">[http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist2001_1.shtml Report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090928091426/http://www.fff.fr/cfra/histoire/histo_new/pages/hist2001_1.shtml|data=28 settembre 2009}} of the 2000–01 French Cup Final, from the [http://www.fff.fr/ official website] of the French soccer federation</ref> Thanks to this result, Strasbourg, who had been coached by [[Ivan Hašek]] during the summer, qualified for the [[2001–02 UEFA Cup|UEFA Cup]], from which they were eliminated in the first round by [[Standard Liège]]. This allowed the team to focus on the league, where they made a comeback to finish second<ref name="proisy2" /> and return to the newly formed Ligue 1.

=== Management changes, crisis and decline ===
[[File:Jean-Pierre_Papin,_2006.jpg|thumb|[[Jean-Pierre Papin]], coach of the team in the [[2006–07 Ligue 2|2006–07 season]].]]
The [[2002–03 Ligue 1|2002–03 season]], which ended with the team avoiding relegation, saw a change in the club's top management, which had already been shaken by legal vicissitudes regarding the use of the club's name:<ref name="proisy2" /> the IMG group was replaced by a group of entrepreneurs led by German businessman [[Egon Gindorf]].<ref name="histuff" /><ref name="proisy2" /> With the legal problems resolved,<ref name="gind">[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=histoireClub10 De 2003 à 2006 : l'espoir encore déçu] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001212318/http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=histoireClub10|date=1 ottobre 2012}} at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> Strasbourg (with [[Antoine Kombouaré]] and [[Jacky Duguépéroux]] on the bench) battled through two mid-table seasons, culminating in the [[2004–05 Ligue 1|2004–05 season]] with victory in the second League Cup against [[Stade Malherbe Caen|Caen]] (2–1).<ref name="histuff" /><ref name="gind" /> After qualifying for the [[2005–06 UEFA Cup|UEFA Cup]] again, Strasbourg seemed to be on their way to a second golden period, but [[Philippe Ginestet]]'s ascension to the club's presidency caused dissension in the management, which also affected the team's performance in the [[2005–06 Ligue 1|2005–06 season]], which ended in early relegation, with the first win not coming until the third-last day of the first half of the season. This negative result was offset by Strasbourg's performance in the UEFA Cup, where they were eliminated by [[AS Roma|Roma]] in the round of 16.<ref name="gind" />
[[File:Léonard_Specht_(cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Léonard Specht]]. A former member of the 1979 French title-winning squad, he took over as club president in June 2009, only to resign two months later because of the club's poor start to the season.]]
After winning promotion to [[Ligue 1]] at the end of the [[2006–07 Ligue 1|2006–07 season]] thanks to [[Jean-Pierre Papin]] (who knew how to get the most out of a team made up of players from lower leagues),<ref name="gind" /> Strasbourg started the [[2007–08 Ligue 1|2007–08 season]] with [[Jean-Marc Furlan]] on the bench. The team seemed to be struggling on a par with the other relegation contenders, navigating mid-table positions until midway through the season,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Standings for the 2007-2008 season from the official Ligue 1 website |url=http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/historique/classement.asp?type_classement=&saison=2007/2008&code_jr_tr=J01}}</ref> but from March onward, they suffered a steep decline that saw them drop positions until they finished second-last.<ref>[http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=saison&saison=2007-2008&tab=classement Performance] of Strasbourg in the 2007–08 season, at [http://www.racingstub.com/ racingstub.com]</ref> In this context, a 2–1 defeat against [[Olympique Lyonnais|Lyon]], thanks to a goal scored by [[Fabio Grosso]], who was heavily insulted by Furlan at the end of the game, is noteworthy;<ref>Alessandro Grandesso, [http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Estero/Primo_Piano/2008/04_Aprile/21/Grosso.shtml Insulti razzisti a Grosso. Poi arrivano le scuse], [[La Gazzetta dello Sport]], April 21, 2008</ref> despite the controversy<ref>[http://www.lastampa.it/sport/cmsSezioni/calcio/200804articoli/14437girata.asp Insulti a Grosso, le scuse non bastano] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080717010837/http://www.lastampa.it/sport/cmsSezioni/calcio/200804articoli/14437girata.asp|data=17 luglio 2008}}, [[La Stampa]], April 21, 2008</ref> and the result, the club confirmed Furlan at the helm of the team that failed to gain promotion to Ligue 1 in the [[2008–09 Ligue 2|2008–09 season]], losing to [[US Boulogne|Boulogne]] on the final day of the season.<ref name="class" />

At the end of the season, there was a reshuffle at the top of the club, bringing in former player [[Léonard Specht]] who, after trying to sign [[Gernot Rohr]],<ref name="specht">{{Cite web |title=Ginestet démissionne, Léonard Specht nouveau président |url=http://www.dorffer-patrick.over-blog.fr/article-32322249.html}}</ref> hired Gress, who then returned to lead the team for the third time. However, the beginning of the [[2009–10 Ligue 1|2009–10 season]] was marked by a confusing situation at the top of the club, with Gress (opposed by Ginestet<ref>[https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2009/08/09/ligue-2-le-rc-strasbourg-est-deja-en-crise_1227086_3242.html Ligue 2 : le RC Strasbourg est déjà en crise], [[Le Monde]], August 9, 2009</ref><ref>Sylvie Marchal, [http://www.francesoir.fr/sport/2009/08/11/greiss-strasbourg.html Foot - Avec Gress, la sauce ne prend pas] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090813000305/http://www.francesoir.fr/sport/2009/08/11/greiss-strasbourg.html|data=13 agosto 2009}}, ''[[France Soir]]'', August 11, 2009</ref> who remained in the company as majority shareholder)<ref name="specht" /><ref name="gin">[https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2009/08/24/ligue-2-ginestet-reprend-les-commandes-a-strasbourg_1231552_3242.html Ligue 2 : Ginestet reprend les commandes à Strasbourg], [[Le Monde]], August 24, 2009</ref> being replaced after two defeats in the first two matches.<ref>[http://www.lematin.ch/sports/football/gilbert-gress-entraine-strasbourg-153384 Gilbert Gress n'entraîne plus Strasbourg], at ''Le Matin''</ref><ref name="Dem">[https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2009/08/12/football-ligue-2-gilbert-gress-quitte-strasbourg_1227848_3242.html Football ligue 2 : Gilbert Gress quitte Strasbourg], [[Le Monde]], August 12, 2009</ref> Due to this result, Spécht also resigned, which favored the return of Ginestet as president,<ref name="gin" /> who called [[Pascal Janin]], formerly Gress's assistant, to the bench.<ref name="Dem" /> In November 2009, negotiations began for the transfer of Strasbourg's ownership to the English company FC Football Capital Limited,<ref name="alsace">{{cite web |author=Stéphane Godin |date=5 December 2009 |title=Le Racing file à l'anglaise |url=http://www.lalsace.fr/fr/rcs/article/2428298,1587/Le-Racing-file-a-l-anglaise.html |access-date=12 February 2010 |publisher=[[L'Alsace]]}}<!-- auto-translated from Italian by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> which took control of the club on December 5 with Julien Fournier as president. The vicissitudes at the corporate level were reflected in the team's results:<ref>[http://www.libestrasbourg.fr/actu/2010/05/le-rc-strasbourg.html ''Le RC Strasbourg chute en National''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527092553/http://www.libestrasbourg.fr/actu/2010/05/le-rc-strasbourg.html|data=27 maggio 2010}} at [[Libération]]</ref> six points clear of the relegation zone with six days to go, Strasbourg collapsed with only two points, and were overtaken by the other relegation contenders on the final day, dropping to the [[Championnat National|third division]].<ref name="class" /><ref>[https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2010/20100514_224931_strasbourg-plonge-dans-le-coma.html ''Strasbourg plonge dans le coma''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516192953/http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2010/20100514_224931_strasbourg-plonge-dans-le-coma.html|data=16 maggio 2010}} at [[L'Équipe]]</ref>

At the end of the [[2010–11 Championnat National|2010–11 Third Division season]], Strasbourg finished fourth and missed out on promotion to Ligue 2, but the club went bankrupt and had to restart from the fifth division, the [[Championnat National 3|Championnat de France Amateur 2]] Group C.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-07-07 |title=FEATURE {{!}} Saving Strasbourg - from the brink of extinction to a return to Ligue 1 - Get French Football News |url=https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2017/feature-saving-strasbourg-from-the-brink-of-extinction-to-a-return-to-ligue-1/ |access-date=2025-01-24 |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Promotion from the fifth division to Ligue 1, European campaign ===
[[File:Le_Racing_Club_de_Strasbourg_fête_son_titre_de_champion_de_France_de_Ligue_2_et_sa_montée_en_Ligue_1_place_Kléber_en_2017.jpg|alt=Il Racing Club di Strasburgo celebra il titolo di campione francese della Ligue 2 e la sua ascesa in Ligue 1 a Kléber nel 2017|thumb|Racing Club of Strasbourg celebrates French Ligue 2 title and promotion to Ligue 1 at [[Place Kléber|Kléber]] in 2017]]
In 2011–12, the team immediately returned to the [[Championnat National 2|Championnat de France Amateur]], the fourth division, winning Group C of the Championnat de France Amateur 2 with 100 points. In 2012, the team changed its name to ''Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace'' and also changed its logo.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PV du Comité Directeur du 26 juin 2012 à Strasbourg |url=http://lafa.fff.fr/common/ligue/bib_res/ressources/2030000/1500/120703121642_17-cd_-_pv_du_26.06.2012.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719134436/http://lafa.fff.fr/common/ligue/bib_res/ressources/2030000/1500/120703121642_17-cd_-_pv_du_26.06.2012.pdf |archive-date=19 July 2012}}</ref> After winning the fourth division championship in 2012–13, the club returned to the [[Championnat National]], the third division, within two years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Foot. Le Racing Club de Strasbourg repêché en National |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/foot-le-racing-club-de-strasbourg-repeche-en-national-2700973 |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ouest-france.fr%2Ffoot-le-racing-club-de-strasbourg-repeche-en-national-2700973 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-06-15 }}</ref> For the 2014–15 season, [[Jacky Duguépéroux]] took over after [[François Keller]] had managed the club for three years. In 2015–16, Strasbourg won the National and returned to Ligue 2 after six years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fédération Française de Football |url=https://www.fff.fr/ |access-date=2025-01-24 |website=www.fff.fr}}</ref> In [[2016–17 Ligue 2|2016–17]], they completed the climb, winning the second division as a newly promoted team and landing in the top flight.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-05-19 |title=Ligue 2: Strasbourg win title as Amiens promoted after 96th-minute winner |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/39973807 |access-date=2025-01-24 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref> In the [[2017–18 Ligue 1]], the team finished in 15th place, saving themselves on the penultimate day thanks to a win at [[Décines-Charpieu]] against [[Olympique Lyonnais]] in a comeback with a free kick goal by [[Dimitri Liénard]] in the final minutes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=David |title=Watch: Dimitri Lienard scores wonder free-kick winning goal to preserve Strasbourg's top-flight status - Sport360 News |url=https://sport360.com/article/football/ligue-1/281343/watch-dimitri-lienard-scores-wonder-free-kick-winning-goal-to-preserve-strasbourgs-top-flight-status |access-date=2025-01-24 |website=sport360.com |language=en-US}}</ref> In [[2018–19 Coupe de la Ligue|2018–19]], the team won the [[Coupe de la Ligue|French League Cup]] for the third time, defeating [[En Avant Guingamp|Guingamp]] 4–1 on penalties in the final.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kumar |first=Suhith |date=2019-03-31 |title=Coupe de la Ligue final BKT: Strasbourg wins third title with a tense penalty shootout win |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/coupe-de-la-ligue-final-2019-strasbourg-beats-guingamp-in-penalty-shootout-marcus-thuram-carole-drogba-wenger/article26692802.ece |access-date=2025-01-24 |website=Sportstar |language=en}}</ref>

On 22 June 2023, [[BlueCo]] reached an agreement to become shareholders of Strasbourg.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-06-22 |title=Official statement: BlueCo signs agreement to become the new shareholders of Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace – Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace |url=https://www.rcstrasbourgalsace.fr/en/official-statement-blueco-signs-agreement-to-become-the-new-shareholders-of-racing-club-de-strasbourg-alsace/ |access-date=2023-07-04 |language=en-US}}</ref> In the [[2024–25 Ligue 1|2024–25 season]], Strasbourg secured a seventh-place finish in the league, earning qualification for the [[2025–26 UEFA Conference League|UEFA Conference League]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2025/lille-and-lyon-qualified-for-europe-strasbourg-set-to-wait-for-coupe-de-france-final/ |title=Lille and Lyon qualified for Europe, Strasbourg set to wait for Coupe de France final |publisher=Get Football News France |date=17 May 2025 }}</ref>

On 28 August 2025, Strasbourg qualified for the [[UEFA Conference League|Conference League]] League phase for the first time in their history for this season after defeat [[Brondby IF]] 2–3 on away games second leg.

==Colours and crest==

While the colours of the town are red and white, Racing has always played in a combination of blue and white. The exact origin of this choice of colours is unknown. Over the years, the most common uniform has been composed of a medium blue jersey, white shorts and medium blue socks. During the last ten years, however, the team has regularly switched between medium blue, dark blue, sky blue and white as the main colour of its home jersey.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=histoire_maillot&periode=all |title=jersey history |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=24 July 2009}}</ref> Since 2007, the Flag of Alsace is featured on the back of the club's shirt. [[Hummel International|Hummel]] is the current kit designer. Previously (1973–2000; 2004–2007), Racing was equipped by [[Adidas]], which has its French seat in [[Landersheim]], between [[Strasbourg]] and [[Saverne]]. [[ASICS]] also supplied the club (2000–03).

The current team crest has been in use – with interruptions – since 1976 and is generally considered as the most legitimate one.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=histoire_logo |title=Historique du logo – Racing Club de Strasbourg |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref> It includes a stylised [[stork]] (symbol of [[Alsace]]), a red diagonal stripe from the city's coat of arms and a depiction of the [[Strasbourg Cathedral|Cathedral]] along with the club's initials: RCS. Between 1997 and 2006, the club used another logo, introduced by [[Patrick Proisy]]. This crest was then considered to be more "modern" and was supposed to depict at the same time the cathedral and a stork. The resemblance, however, was far from being obvious to everyone and the design was quickly derogatively nicknamed "[[Pac-Man]]" due to some common traits with the famous video game. In 2006, the new management of the club, acceding to a supporter demand, re-installed the 1976 crest.<ref>Announced in an ad in the ''Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace'', 13 May 2006. A picture is available here [https://web.archive.org/web/20110928232156/http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2371/photo00986ww.jpg]</ref>

==Stadium==
Racing have been playing at the [[Stade de la Meinau]] in southern Strasbourg since 1914. The stadium hosted the [[1938 FIFA World Cup|1938 World Cup]] and [[UEFA Euro 1984|Euro 1984]]. Its maximum capacity was downsized from 45,000 to 29,000 during the 1990s to meet new safety standards.

==Supporters and rivalries==
Historically, Racing has its roots in southern Strasbourg in the working-class Neudorf, Meinau and Polygone neighbourhoods. In the 1930s, the team was the only one in the area to jump to professional play and, with the help of good results during that decade, it built support all around the town. In Strasbourg like in the rest of France, there is only one pro football club in every city and hence no in-town rivalry, a fact that heavily contrasts with the situation in Great Britain, Italy or Spain. Nowadays, as the only professional football club in [[Alsace]], Racing attracts a large fan base that covers both the [[Bas-Rhin]] and [[Haut-Rhin]] [[Departments of France|département]]s as well as the eastern part of the [[Moselle (department)|Moselle]]. The fan-base outside of this area is essentially limited to people that, for a reason or another, have a personal link with Alsace. The club also has ties to the other side of the [[Rhine]], especially through a supporter friendship with [[Karlsruher SC]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ub90.free.fr/main/?rub=amities |title=Supporter site |publisher=Ub90.free.fr |access-date=24 July 2009}}</ref> and regular friendly matches during the summer.

On average, the attendance in [[Ligue 1]] has been around 20,000 for a stadium capacity of 29,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lfp.fr/ligue1/stat/affluence_club.asp?saison=2007/2008 |title=Ligue de Football Professionnel : Ligue 1, statistiques, affluences, spectateurs, taux remplissage |publisher=Lfp.fr |access-date=19 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210223923/http://www.lfp.fr/ligue1/stat/affluence_club.asp?saison=2007%2F2008 |archive-date=10 February 2009}}</ref> Supporters groups include the "Ultra Boys 90", the "Kop Ciel et Blanc" and the "Club central des supporters".<ref>These groups are mentioned on the [http://www.rcstrasbourg.fr/supp1.php RCS official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306045442/http://www.rcstrasbourg.fr/supp1.php |date=6 March 2010 }} <br /> Groups websites : <br /> [http://ub90.free.fr/main/ "Ultra Boys 90"] <br /> [http://www.cieletblanc.com/cieletblanc/ "Kop Ciel et Blanc"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009143639/http://www.cieletblanc.com/cieletblanc/ |date=9 October 2017 }}<br />[http://www.racingccs.com/ "Club central des supporters"]</ref> Most of the supporter groups and the most vocal fans in general have elected location in the [[Spion Kop (stadiums)|Kop]] at the "Quart de Virage Nord-Ouest" (North-West quarter corner). Strasbourg supporters have the reputation to be faithful yet critical. Former captain [[Corentin Martins]] has once asserted that the Strasbourg public is "demanding, but fair".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogfoot.dna.fr/?Le-Petit-Martins-illustre |title=Corentin Martins interview on the DNA Blog |publisher=Blogfoot.dna.fr |date=27 July 2009}}</ref> Racing is always an emotional topic in [[Alsace]]. It is often said that some may love it or hate it, or even both at the same time, but that it leaves no one indifferent.<ref>On this subject, see especially the Documentary "Racing! Racing! Une Histoire de l'Alsace", real. Laurent Lutaud, 2006, 70 min. [http://www.docu-films.fr/lutaud/RCS.html An excerpt here (in French)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081113180338/http://docu-films.fr/lutaud/RCS.html |date=13 November 2008 }}</ref>

Racing Strasbourg's main rival is [[FC Metz|Metz]]. The clubs compete is what is generally referred as the "Derby de l'Est" ("the Eastern [[Local derby|derby]]") in France, a rather inappropriate term since the two cities are 150 kilometres apart. There is however a significant degree of inter-regional rivalry between Alsace and Lorraine, leading to some acrimony between the fans on both sides. The two clubs met each other in the quarter-finals of the [[1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup]] in what was the first ever match between two French teams in a European competition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=537 |title=2 août 1995 : Metz-RCS 0–2 – Racing Club de Strasbourg |date=7 December 2004 |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref> Strasbourg won the game 2–0.<ref>{{cite web |title=Metz - RCS 0-2 |url=https://racingstub.com/games/254/ |website=racingstub.com |access-date=2 May 2024 |language=fr |date=2 August 1995}}</ref> When [[FC Mulhouse|Mulhouse]] was professional, the two sides also nourished a rivalry that persists as far as youth teams are concerned.

==Ownership and chairmanship==

===Overview===
Racing's history has always been closely intertwined with local business and politics. In the 1930s, the club's jump to professionalism was sustained by car manufacturer [[Mathis (cars)|Emile Mathis]] who had his factory just in front of the [[stade de la Meinau]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=histoireClub2 |title=Histoire – Racing Club de Strasbourg |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr/article.php?cPath=4&article_id=6846 |title=MCS Info |publisher=Mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr |access-date=24 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206142428/http://mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr/article.php?article_id=6846&cPath=4 |archive-date=6 December 2007}}</ref> RCS quickly entered a rivalry with [[FC Sochaux-Montbéliard|Sochaux]], a team that was backed by Mathis' competitor [[Peugeot]]. After WW2, Mathis ceased activity and the club had to find other sponsors including the [[Crédit Mutuel]] – a large banking institution that has its roots in Alsace and appeared on the club's shirt throughout most of the 1960s and 1970s – as well as the town's municipality. In 1980, [[André Bord]], a prominent local [[Gaullism|Gaullist]] politician and former minister during the [[Charles de Gaulle]] and [[Georges Pompidou]] presidencies, became chairman. Bord could boast his connections in business, political and artistic elites and vowed to make Racing a big name in French football. However, he quickly entered a confrontation with charismatic manager Gilbert Gress that culminated in September 1980 when the announcement of Gress' departure provoked crowd anger and riots scenes during a game against [[FC Nantes|Nantes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=949 |title=Divorce à l'alsacienne – Racing Club de Strasbourg |date=31 May 2005 |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref> The inability for the influential president and the talented manager to get along with each other and the 1980 trauma may explain why Racing was unable to perform lastingly at the top level after the 1979 title.

In 1986, Bord left the professional section and introduced fashion designer [[Daniel Hechter]] as his successor. Hechter had previously been banned from pro football following his involvement in the [[Paris Saint-Germain F.C.|Paris Saint-Germain]] secret funds scandal but was nevertheless able to re-take a president job at Strasbourg thanks to a sentence reduction. It was the first attempt to bring an outsider to the local context at the club's head, but the experiment ended in failure in 1990 as the club neared bankruptcy.<ref name="u-strasbg1">{{cite web |url=http://mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr/article.php?cPath=4&article_id=6893 |title=MCSinfo |publisher=Mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr |access-date=19 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204200434/http://mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr/article.php?cPath=4&article_id=6893 |archive-date=4 February 2009}}</ref> Racing was at that time salvaged by the [[Strasbourg]] municipality which took a 49% share of the club but had to relinquish it a few years later as the [[Charles Pasqua|Pasqua]] legislation restricted public support to professional sport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr/article.php?cPath=4&article_id=6893 |title=Idem |publisher=Mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr |access-date=24 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615173147/http://mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr/article.php?cPath=4&article_id=6893 |archive-date=15 June 2009}}</ref> In 1997, two projects were competing to buy the municipal share and effectively take control of the club. The first was led by then-president Roland Weller, a local businessman. The second bid was made by American [[IMG (company)|IMG]]-[[Mark McCormack|McCormack]] Group through its French branch headed by [[Patrick Proisy]]. At that time, IMG was trying to develop its activities in European football and had failed the previous year in its effort to buy [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]].<ref>GERMANY'S ADIDAS SECURES TOEHOLD IN FRENCH FOOTBALL, ''The Guardian'', 5 July 1996</ref> The American group presented an ambitious project with an entirely new youth academy as well as plans for a renovated stadium, eventually winning the competition for Racing's ownership for a price of 1.5&nbsp;million euros.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=1983 |title=Un club à vendre (1/2) – Racing Club de Strasbourg |date=10 October 2006 |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref><ref>Yolande BALDEWECK, "Des patrons rachètent le Racing Club de Strasbourg", ''Le Figaro'', 15 mai 2003.</ref> The club became a "Société Anonyme à Objet Sportif" and then a "Société Anonyme Sportive Professionnelle", a status very similar to the [[S.A. (corporation)|general corporate status]], albeit with restrictions like the impossibility to enter the stock market and the obligation to keep ties with the original association.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=1984 |title=Les Américains débarquent (2/2) – Racing Club de Strasbourg |date=11 October 2006 |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref> Proisy became the chairman of the board with full control over the professional section but not the omni-sport structure that still possessed the club's name and its affiliation to the [[French Football Federation]] (FFF). This was evidenced in 2002 when Proisy and Bord, still a chairman of the omni-sport, entered a dispute that led to the inability for the pro players to wear the name "Racing club de Strasbourg" on their jerseys for some time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of Racing |url=https://www.rcstrasbourgalsace.fr/en/the-club/the-history-of-racing/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=rcstrasbourgalsace}}</ref>

Proisy's reign at Strasbourg was fraught with misunderstandings, frustration and poor results on the pitch. The Alsatian public especially resented Proisy's unwillingness to settle in Strasbourg, instead controlling the club's destiny from IMG's offices in Paris.<ref name="u-strasbg1"/><ref>Etienne Moati, Stéphane Kohler, "Proisy, l'incompris", ''L'Equipe'', 5 June 203</ref> Racing's troubles as well as the town's refusal to finance an extension of the [[stade de la Meinau]] to host the [[1998 FIFA World Cup]] provoked heated debate during the 2001 municipal election and eventually became part of the elements that drove to the defeat of [[Catherine Trautmann]]. In 2003, the club was bought back by a pool of local investors including Egon Gindorf, who became chairman, Patrick Adler, Pierre Schmidt and Philippe Ginestet, who all had been club sponsors during the IMG era. The new ownership bought the club for a symbolical euro<ref name="butterlin2003">Jean-Marc Butterlin "Gindorf, par amour Le nouveau president du Racing est un passionne.", ''L'Equipe'', 6 juillet 2003</ref> to an IMG group eager to cut its losses after the death of Mark McCormack<ref>"" J'étais coincé " PATRICK PROISY, le président strasbourgeois, explique les raisons de son départ" ''L'Equipe'', 12 avril 2003</ref> but had to cover a 3&nbsp;million euro deficit to close the 2002–03 budget.<ref name="butterlin2003"/> It is estimated that Racing lost 15&nbsp;million euros during the IMG era, mainly due to a dubious recruitment policy.

In 2004, Gindorf experienced personal and financial difficulties and was willing to scale down his involvement at Racing. It was understood that Philippe Ginestet would become the new chairman at the end of the 2004–05 season. However, this move was opposed by Keller who, in June 2005, clearly announced that he would not work with Ginestet. Keller had in fact been acting as the club's head since 2002 but was only a minor shareholder. He nevertheless was able to mobilise his iconic status with supporters to, at first, block Ginestet's accession to chairmanship, provoking a deadlock that lasted throughout 2005 as the club was looking for an investor. In the fall of 2005, it was announced that Alain Afflelou, owner of the biggest optician in France and a former president of [[FC Girondins de Bordeaux|Bordeaux]], would be the new owner, but he was eventually out-bid by Ginestet, who took control of the club midway through the 2005–06 season, forcing Keller's departure a few months later. Ginestet held a majority share during four years, which he sold in the end of 2009 for a price of €1.6&nbsp;million.<ref>[http://www.lalsace.fr/fr/sports/article/2764671,219/A-marche-forcee.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302143730/http://www.lalsace.fr/fr/sports/article/2764671,219/A-marche-forcee.html|date=2 March 2010}}</ref> After some speculation, the new owner was identified as Alain Fontenla, a French investment broker based in London. In 2010, Fontenla owned 85%, along with Carousel Finance (15%) a holding named "Racing investissements", which itself owned a majority share (70%) of EuroRacing, the main shareholder (78%) of the club. The other major shareholder of the club was Lohr SA, an industrial group centred on transportation activities.<ref>[http://www.lalsace.fr/fr/permalien/article/2628384/L-entente-impossible.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129113254/http://www.lalsace.fr/fr/permalien/article/2628384/L-entente-impossible.html|date=29 January 2010}}</ref>

On 22 June 2023, [[BlueCo]], the consortium which purchased [[Premier League]] club [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] in May 2022, acquired a majority stake in the club.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-22 |title=Official statement: BlueCo signs agreement to become the new shareholders of Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace - Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace |url=https://www.rcstrasbourgalsace.fr/en/official-statement-blueco-signs-agreement-to-become-the-new-shareholders-of-racing-club-de-strasbourg-alsace/ |access-date=2023-06-30 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Chelsea owners buy majority stake in Strasbourg |language=en-GB |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65992617 |access-date=2023-06-30}}</ref>

===Presidential history===
Below is a list of Strasbourg's 15 presidents since the start of the professional era in 1933.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=histoire_presidents |title=Compiled from |date=15 June 1933 |publisher=Racingstub |access-date=24 July 2009}}</ref> The president has not always been the real owner of the club. For example, between 1990 and 1997, the municipality was the major shareholder, but it chose to delegate the chairmanships to independent local entrepreneurs.

The 2009–10 season saw a record of five successive presidents. Early into the season, [[Léonard Specht]] stepped down from his position, after the sacking of Glibert Gress, whom he had appointed as manager.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2009/20090812_201528_gress-part-specht-demissionne.html |title=Foot – L2 – RCS – Gress part, Specht dĂŠmissionne |work=L'Équipe |date=13 August 2009 |access-date=29 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091223173137/http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2009/20090812_201528_gress-part-specht-demissionne.html |archive-date=23 December 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Philippe Ginestet then re-took the presidency, but left the club when the takeover by the new owners was completed in December. The new owners chose to name Julien Fournier as the new Chief executive<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sport.europe1.fr/europe1/infos/football/200950/strasbourg-change-de-visages_253571.html |title=Le sport sur Europe1.fr |publisher=Sport.europe1.fr |date=14 May 1914 |access-date=27 April 2010 |archive-date=12 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100512183644/http://sport.europe1.fr/europe1/infos/football/200950/strasbourg-change-de-visages_253571.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> but, after some turmoil, Fournier quickly entered a dispute with the new major shareholder, Alain Fontenla. Fournier's contract was terminated in February and he was replaced by Luc Dayan on an interim basis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sport24.com/football/ligue-2/fil-info/dayan-president-de-strasbourg-353347/ |title=Dayan président de Strasbourg – Fil Info – Ligue 2 – Football |language=fr |publisher=Sport24.com |date=16 January 2014}}</ref> Only a month later, former [[FC Sochaux-Montbéliard|Sochaux]] chairman Jean-Claude Plessis came to replace Dayan.<ref>[https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2010/20100312_172556_plessis-nouveau-president.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100801080143/http://www.lequipe.fr/Football/breves2010/20100312_172556_plessis-nouveau-president.html|date=1 August 2010}}</ref>

<div style="font-size:100%">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|width="10"|&nbsp;
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Name
! Years
|-
|align=left|Joseph Heintz
|align=left|1933–52
|-
|align=left|Willy Scheuer
|align=left|1952–62
|-
|align=left|Joseph Heintz
|align=left|1962–68
|-
|align=left|Alfred Wenger
|align=left|1968–72
|-
|align=left|Philippe Fass
|align=left|1972–75
|-
|align=left|Alain Léopold
|align=left|1975–79
|-
|align=left|André Bord
|align=left|1979–85
|-
|align=left|Jean Wuillaume
|align=left|1985–86
|-
|align=left|Daniel Hechter
|align=left|1986–90
|-
|align=left|Jacky Kientz
|align=left|1990–92
|-
|align=left|[[Jean Wendling]]
|align=left|1992–94
|-
|align=left|Rolland Weller
|align=left|1994–97
|}
| valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Name
! Years
|-
| align="left" |Patrick Proisy
| align="left" |1997–03
|-
| align="left" |Egon Gindorf
| align="left" |2003–05
|-
| align="left" |Philippe Ginestet
| align="left" |2005–09
|-
| align="left" |[[Léonard Specht]]
| align="left" |2009
|-
| align="left" |Philippe Ginestet
| align="left" |2009
|-
| align="left" |[[Julien Fournier]]
| align="left" |2009–10
|-
| align="left" |[[Luc Dayan]]
| align="left" |2010
|-
| align="left" |Jean-Claude Plessis
| align="left" |2010
|-
| align="left" |[[Jafar Hilali]]
| align="left" |2010–11
|-
| align="left" |[[Thomas Fritz]]
| align="left" |2011
|-
| align="left" |[[Frederic Sitterle]]
| align="left" |2011–12
|-
| align="left" |[[Marc Keller]]
| align="left" |2012–present 
|}
|}
</div>

==Players==

===Current squad===
{{updated|1 September 2025|<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rcstrasbourgalsace.fr/leffectif-pro-25-26/ | publisher= RC Strasbourg Alsace | title = L'effectif pro 25-26 |language = fr | access-date = 29 July 2025}}</ref>}}

{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=1|nat=SWE|name=[[Karl-Johan Johnsson]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=2|nat=IRL|name=[[Andrew Omobamidele]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=3|nat=ENG|name=[[Ben Chilwell]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=4|nat=GUI|name=[[Saïdou Sow]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=5|nat=CIV|name=[[Abakar Sylla]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=6|nat=FRA|name=[[Ismaël Doukouré]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=7|nat=BEL|name=[[Diego Moreira]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=8|nat=POL|name=[[Maxi Oyedele]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=9|nat=ARG|name=[[Joaquín Panichelli]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=10|nat=NED|name=[[Emmanuel Emegha]]|pos=FW|other=[[Captain (association football)|captain]]}}
{{Fs player|no=11|nat=SWE|name=[[Sebastian Nanasi]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=16|nat=ECU|name=[[Kendry Páez]]|pos=FW|other=on loan from [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]}}
{{Fs player|no=17|nat=FRA|name=[[Mathis Amougou]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=19|nat=PAR|name=[[Julio Enciso (footballer, born 2004)|Julio Enciso]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=CIV|name=[[Martial Godo]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=22|nat=CIV|name=[[Guéla Doué]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=23|nat=SEN|name=[[Mamadou Sarr]]|pos=DF|other=on loan from [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]}}
{{Fs player|no=24|nat=DEN|name=[[Lucas Høgsberg]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=27|nat=ENG|name=[[Sam Amo-Ameyaw]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=29|nat=MAR|name=[[Samir El Mourabet]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=32|nat=ARG|name=[[Valentín Barco]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=34|nat=FRA|name=Sacha Lung|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=39|nat=BEL|name=[[Mike Penders]]|pos=GK|other=on loan from [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]]}}
{{Fs player|no=41|nat=FRA|name=[[Rabby Nzingoula]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=42|nat=CIV|name=[[Abdoul Ouattara]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=44|nat=FRA|name=[[Soumaïla Coulibaly (footballer, born 2003)|Soumaïla Coulibaly]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=50|nat=FRA|name=[[Stefan Bajic (footballer, born 2001)|Stefan Bajic]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=60|nat=FRA|name=Gabriel Kerckaert|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=77|nat=UKR|name=[[Eduard Sobol]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=80|nat=FRA|name=[[Félix Lemaréchal]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=83|nat=POR|name=[[Rafael Luís]]|pos=MF|other=on loan from [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]]}}
{{Fs end}}

===Out on loan===
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=GUI|name=Amadou Cissé|pos=DF|other=at [[Le Mans FC|Le Mans]] until 30 June 2026}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=FRA|name=[[Yoni Gomis]]|pos=DF|other=at [[S.K. Beveren|Beveren]] until 30 June 2026}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=SEN|name=[[Pape Diong]]|pos=MF|other=at [[USL Dunkerque|Dunkerque]] until 30 June 2026}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=SEN|name=[[Pape Diop (footballer, born 2003)|Pape Demba Diop]]|pos=MF|other=at [[1. FC Nürnberg]] until 30 June 2026}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=FRA|name=[[Junior Mwanga]]|pos=MF|other=at [[FC Nantes|Nantes]] until 30 June 2026}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=SRB|name=[[Miloš Luković]]|pos=FW|other=at [[UD Las Palmas|Las Palmas]] until 30 June 2026}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=FRA|name=[[Sékou Mara]]|pos=FW|other=at [[AJ Auxerre|Auxerre]] until 30 June 2026}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=FRA|name=[[Rayane Messi]]|pos=FW|other=at [[Pau FC|Pau]] until 30 June 2026}}
{{Fs player|no=|nat=COL|name=[[Óscar Perea]]|pos=FW|other=at [[AVS Futebol SAD|AVS]] until 30 June 2026}}
{{Fs end}}

===Former players===
{{See also|List of RC Strasbourg Alsace players}}
[[File:Morgan Schneiderlin - France v Armenia 2014.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Morgan Schneiderlin]] played for France in the 2014 World Cup and has appeared for [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]] more than 250 times since leaving Strasbourg.]]
[[File:Chilavert 2014.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Paraguayan]] goalkeeper [[José Luis Chilavert]] won the 2001 Coupe de France with Strasbourg, scoring the winning penalty.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/1354056.stm|title=Strasbourg claim Cup|publisher=BBC |date=27 May 2001 |access-date=28 July 2016}}</ref> He had some judiciary issues with the club after his departure, which were settled.]]
RCS does not have an official hall of fame or an all-time XI. Various selections have been made by press and supporters but none has achieved universal respect. 21 players have been capped for France while playing for Strasbourg. The most notable one is [[Oscar Heisserer]] who played a record 18 times with the national team while at Strasbourg and was the first Alsatian and first and only RCS player to wear the armband for France.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fff.fr/servfff/historique/historique.php?cherche_joueur=heisserer&submit=go |title=FFF profile |publisher=Fff.fr |access-date=24 July 2009}}</ref> [[Dominique Dropsy]], [[Léonard Specht]] and [[Gérard Hausser]] also earned more than 10 caps while [[Marc Molitor]] is one of the rare examples of a player being capped for the national team while playing in the Division 2.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=joueur&id=223 |title=Racingstub profile |date=21 September 1949 |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=24 July 2009}}</ref> Unsurprisingly, it is during the 1978–1979 title season that Racing had the most players included in the national squad. On 7 October 1978 were a record four RCS players ([[Dominique Dropsy]], [[Roger Jouve]], [[Francis Piasecki]], [[Albert Gemmrich]]) on the field for a [[UEFA Euro 1980|Euro 1980]] qualifying game against [[Luxembourg national football team|Luxembourg]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fff.fr/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208141503/http://www.fff.fr/cgi-bin/historique/hist_detail.pl?nomatch=387 |url-status=dead |title=Fédération Française de Football |archive-date=8 December 2006 |website=www.fff.fr}}</ref> This figure was repeated a month later for a friendly against [[Spain national football team|Spain]] (Dropsy, Piasecki, Gemmrich and [[Léonard Specht]]).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fff.fr/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209030452/http://www.fff.fr/cgi-bin/historique/hist_detail.pl?nomatch=388 |url-status=dead |title=Fédération Française de Football |archive-date=9 December 2006 |website=www.fff.fr}}</ref> [[Frank Leboeuf]] and [[Marc Keller]] were the last RCS players to earn a cap during the 1995–1996 season. Leboeuf is one of the two former RCS in the French team that won [[1998 FIFA World Cup|World Cup]], the other one being [[Youri Djorkaeff]].

Players to have once played for Strasbourg to have recently played for France include [[Olivier Dacourt]] and [[Richard Dutruel]], (both in 2004). Furthermore, former [[France national football team|France international]] midfielder [[Morgan Schneiderlin]] is a product of RC Strasbourg's Youth set-up, spending 14 years with the club before moving to [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]] after just five first-team appearances for Strasbourg. Schneiderlin then moved to [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] on 14 July 2015 before a move to [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] in January 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/11262417.schneiderlin-called-up-to-france-world-cup-squad/|title=Schneiderlin called up to France World Cup squad|website=Daily Echo|date=6 June 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/southampton/7477504.stm|title=Saints tie up Schneiderlin deal|date=27 June 2008|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

With regional feelings still strong in Alsace, the performances of local players logically attract special attention. Seven out of the ten players with the most appearances for Racing are from Alsace: [[René Hauss]] (who holds the record), [[Léonard Specht]], [[René Deutschmann]], [[Edmond Haan]], [[Gérard Hausser]], [[Jean Schuth]] and [[Raymond Kaelbel]]. Since 1979, there is also a peculiar tradition that every Racing team to win a trophy or reach a final featured a [[Breton people|Breton]] as captain, manager or both. [[Jacky Duguépéroux]] captained the 1979 team and won the [[Coupe de la Ligue]] in 1997 and 2005 as a manager. The 2001 [[Coupe de France]] winning team for itself included [[Yvon Pouliquen]] as manager and [[Corentin Martins]] as captain. Pouliquen also was the captain for the 1995 final.

Apart from French internationals and Alsatians, there is a strong tradition to have foreign players from [[Central and Eastern Europe]] at Strasbourg. The successful Racing team of the 1930s regularly included [[Austrians]] both as players and coaches, a tradition that was continued when [[Ernst Stojaspal]] played at la Meinau in the 1950s. Other ''Mitteleuropa'' players fondly remembered include [[Elek Schwartz]], [[Ivica Osim]], [[Ivan Hašek]], [[Alexander Vencel (footballer born 1967)|Alexander Vencel]] or [[Danijel Ljuboja]] while Russian [[Aleksandr Mostovoi]] is the last world-class star to play for Racing to this date. Also, one of the greatest goalkeepers of all times, the Paraguayan [[José Luis Chilavert]] who, known for being three times selected [[IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper]] and his free-kick abilities, won the 2001 Coupe de France with the club.

==Managers==
{{Main|List of RC Strasbourg Alsace managers}}
Strasbourg has had 47 managers in the professional era, with the holder of the office changing 57 times. This is a record in French football only surpassed by [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]]. [[Gilbert Gress]] holds the record for the longest-serving manager at the club, both for a single spell (39 months between. 1977–80, 152 matches) and overall (75 months in three spells, 275 matches). [[Paul Frantz]] holds the record for the most spells at Racing with four (73 months overall, 227 matches). [[Jacky Duguépéroux]] is the only manager to win two trophies with the club.

===Current coaching staff===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Position
! Name
|-
|Head Coach
|[[Liam Rosenior]]
|-
|Assistant head coach
|[[Justin Walker (footballer)|Justin Walker]]
|-
|First-team coach
|[[Kalifa Cissé]]
|-
|Goalkeeping coach
|Sébastien Gimenez
|-
|Fitness coach
|Dany Eberhardt
|-
|Youth coach
|[[Martin Djetou]] <br/> Guillaume Lacour
|-
|Video analyst
|Hachim Ali M'Bae
|}

==Honours==

===League===
*'''[[Ligue 1]]'''
**'''Winners:''' [[1978–79 French Division 1|1978–79]]
*'''[[Ligue 2]]'''
**'''Winners:''' [[1976–77 French Division 2|1976–77]], [[1987–88 French Division 2|1987–88]], [[2016–17 Ligue 2|2016–17]]
*'''[[Championnat National]]'''
**'''Winners:''' [[2015–16 Championnat National|2015–16]]
*'''[[Championnat National 2]]'''
**'''Winners:''' [[2012–13 Championnat de France Amateur|2012–13]]
*'''Alsace Champions'''
**'''Winners:''' 1923, 1924, 1926
*'''Dordogne Champions'''
**'''Winners:''' 1940

===Cups===
*'''[[Coupe de France]]'''
**'''Winners:''' [[1951 Coupe de France Final|1950–51]], [[1966 Coupe de France Final|1965–66]], [[2000–01 Coupe de France|2000–01]]
*'''[[Coupe de la Ligue]]'''
**'''Winners:''' 1963–64, [[1996–97 Coupe de la Ligue|1996–97]], [[2004–05 Coupe de la Ligue|2004–05]], [[2018–19 Coupe de la Ligue|2018–19]]

===Europe===
*'''[[UEFA Intertoto Cup]]'''
**'''Winners:''' [[1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup|1995]]

==Records==
*'''Biggest victory''': 10–0 (vs. [[Valenciennes FC|Valenciennes]], 1937–38)
*'''Biggest defeat''': 0–8 (vs. [[Limoges FC|Limoges]], 1959–60)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frenchleague.com/club/historique.asp?no_affil_fff=500191 |title=French Football League : RACING CLUB DE STRASBOURG |publisher=Frenchleague.com |access-date=19 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531172017/http://www.frenchleague.com/club/historique.asp?no_affil_fff=500191 |archive-date=31 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*'''Biggest victory in European game''': 5–0 (v. [[Grazer AK]], 2005–06)
*'''Biggest defeat in European game''': 2–10 (v. [[MTK Budapest FC|MTK Budapest]], 1961–62)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=histoirePalmares |title=Palmarès – Racing Club de Strasbourg |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref>
*'''Record appearances''': [[René Hauss]] (580; 421 in Ligue 1; between 1949 and 1969)
*'''Most consecutive appearances for the club''': [[Dominique Dropsy]] (336; between 1973 and 1982)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=joueur&id=1 |title=Dominique DROPSY – Racing Club de Strasbourg |date=9 December 1951 |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref>
*'''Most goals for the club''': [[Oskar Rohr]] (118; between 1934 and 1939)
*'''Most goals for a single championship season at the club''': [[Oskar Rohr]] (30; 1936–37)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=joueur&id=59 |title=Oskar ROHR – Racing Club de Strasbourg |date=24 March 1912 |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref>
* '''Oldest player:''' [[René Hauss]] (39 years, 351 days; vs. [[FC Nantes|Nantes]]; 11 December 1966)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=match&id=1543 |title=Match report |date=11 December 1966 |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=24 July 2009}}</ref>
* '''Youngest player:''' [[Jacques Glassmann]] (16 years, 95 days vs. [[FC Nantes|Nantes]], 25 November 1978)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=match&id=848 |title=Match report |date=25 November 1978 |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=24 July 2009}}</ref>
*'''Record attendance''': 39,033, 20 November 1992, vs. [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.racingstub.com/page.php?page=news&id=1968 |title=Le Racing, un club, un public – Racing Club de Strasbourg |date=5 October 2006 |publisher=Racingstub.com |access-date=19 November 2008}}</ref>
*'''Highest transfer fee paid''': €22&nbsp;million (to [[Club Brugge]] for [[Abakar Sylla]] in 2023)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.humanite.fr/1999-11-29_Sports_-McCormack-se-foot-il-de-Strasbourg |title=McCormack se foot-il de Strasbourg ? – l'Humanite |work=L'Humanité |access-date=19 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616114145/http://www.humanite.fr/1999-11-29_Sports_-McCormack-se-foot-il-de-Strasbourg |archive-date=16 June 2009 }}</ref><ref>"Les deux visages du sorcier blanc", ''L'Equipe Magazine'', n°1276, 9 décembre 2006, p. 106</ref>
*'''Highest transfer fee received''': €18&nbsp;million (from [[Al Shabab FC (Riyadh)|Al-Shabab]] for [[Habib Diallo]] in 2023)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr/article.php?article_id=1526&cPath=4 |title=MCSinfo |publisher=Mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr |access-date=19 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615175357/http://mcsinfo.u-strasbg.fr/article.php?article_id=1526&cPath=4 |archive-date=15 June 2009}}</ref><ref>Renaud Lecadre, "Dérives au RC de Strasbourg", Libération, 21 February 2007</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Pierre Perny, ''Racing 100 ans'', 2006, 350 p.
* Ronald Hirlé, ''Il était une fois le Racing, Toute l'histoire du club omnisport Strasbourgeois'', 1991, 176 p.
* {{Cite book |title=100 ans de football en Alsace (tome 2) |publisher=LAFA |year=2002 |isbn=2-911219-13-9 |location=Strasbourg |language=fr |trans-title=100 years of soccer in Alsace (tome 2)}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wahl |first=Alfred |title=Les archives du football |publisher=Gallimard |year=1989 |isbn=2-07-071603-1 |location=Paris |language=fr |trans-title=Soccer archives}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Bitzer |first1=Dirk |title=Stürmen für Deutschland: Die Geschichte des deutschen Fußballs von 1933 bis 1954 |last2=Wilting |first2=Bernd |publisher=Campus Verlag GmbH |year=2003 |isbn=978-3-593-37191-7 |language=de |trans-title=Storming for Germany: The History of German Football from 1933 to 1954}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Descamps |first1=Pierre-Marie |title=Coupe de France: La folle épopée |last2=Ejnès |first2=Gérard |last3=Hennaux |first3=Jacques |publisher=L'Équipe |year=2007 |isbn=978-2-915535-62-4 |language=fr |trans-title=Coupe de France: An epic journey}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gauthey |first=Gilles |title=Le football professionnel français |publisher=Chez l'Auteur |year=1961 |location=Paris |language=fr |trans-title=French professional soccer}}
* {{Cite book |title=Il était une fois le Racing, toute l'histoire du club omnisport strasbourgeois |publisher=Ronald Hirlé, Berger-Levrault |year=1991 |language=fr |trans-title=Once upon a time, Racing, the history of Strasbourg's sports club |ref={{harvid|Various authors|1991}}}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Fuchs |first1=Claude |title=Les quatre vérités de Roland Weller |last2=Kieny |first2=Gérard |last3=Muller |first3=Alphonse |publisher=Editions Coprur |year=2002 |isbn=2-84208-103-X |language=fr |trans-title=Roland Weller's four truths| ref={{harvid|Various authors|2002}}}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace}}
*{{official website|http://www.rcstrasbourgalsace.fr/}} {{in lang|fr}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070802194634/http://www.frenchleague.com/club/ficheClub.asp?no_affil_fff=500191 Club profile at French league] (archived 2 August 2007)
*[http://radio.infosracing.com Independent website] ({{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707204902/http://radio.infosracing.com/ |date=7 July 2017 }}) {{in lang|fr|de}}
*[http://www.racing1906.com/ Racing Club de Strasbourg Football] {{in lang|fr}}
*[http://www.racingstub.com/ RC Strasbourg Archive]

{{RC Strasbourg}}
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