Mbappe’s Caen Ownership Sparks Fan Fury as Club Faces Relegation

CAEN, France — Stade Malherbe Caen, a historic French football club, is in turmoil as fans protest against majority owner Kylian Mbappe following a string of poor performances that have left the team teetering on the brink of relegation to France’s third division. The unrest reached a boiling point on Friday night when supporters stormed the pitch after a 1-0 home defeat to EA Guingamp, marking the club’s seventh consecutive loss.

Mbappe, the Real Madrid star, acquired a majority stake in Caen through his investment firm, Interconnected Ventures, in July 2024. The deal, valued at €15 million (£12.7 million), was initially met with excitement due to Mbappe’s near-signing with the club as a youth player in 2013. However, the optimism has since faded as the team’s on-field struggles and off-field decisions have alienated fans.

Protests began in earnest after the dismissal of club icon Nicolas Seube as manager on December 29, 2024. Seube, who made over 500 appearances for Caen as a player and nearly led the team to promotion last season, was fired in a terse press release that many fans viewed as disrespectful. “It’s like we’re digging a way to the third division, burying ourselves alive in the process,” said Johan Lapoutre, a contributor to the supporter-run blog We Are Malherbe.

During a match against Clermont on January 3, 2025, fans unfurled banners criticizing Mbappe’s ownership. One read, “Mbappe, SMC is not your toy,” while another urged respect for local figures. The discontent has only grown as Caen has slipped to 17th place in Ligue 2, six points adrift of safety.

New manager Bruno Baltazar, appointed in January, has yet to turn the tide, with the team failing to score in four consecutive matches under his leadership. The atmosphere at the Stade Michel d’Ornano has turned increasingly grim, with fans resorting to gallows humor, singing circus music, and mock-celebrating passes during matches.

Behind the scenes, the Mbappe administration has made several changes, including appointing a new managing director and head of recruitment. However, these moves have done little to quell the growing frustration among supporters. “There are always positive people who think we need to be patient,” Lapoutre said. “The problem is that next season will be too late if we go down.”

Caen, a club with a proud history and a strong fanbase, now faces an uncertain future. With relegation looming, the pressure on Mbappe and his team to deliver results has never been greater.