The Ricketts family pledged to put “diversity and inclusion” at the heart of Chelsea as fans protested against an attempt to buy the club outside Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Between 50-100 Chelsea supporters gathered ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash at home at Brentford to protest against the Ricketts family’s bid to buy Chelsea.
Chelsea Supporters’ Trust said earlier on Saturday its members “have neither support nor confidence in” potential new owners and that 77% of members polled do not support the family’s bid Ricketts family.
The family has pledged in previous statements to be diverse and inclusive and doubled down on that commitment in a statement Saturday.
It said: “Over the past two weeks, our bidding team has met with a number of fan groups to explain our vision for Chelsea Football Club. During those meetings, and by letter. For all the teams, we’ve shared a series of specific commitments we’ll make, fans, if our bid is successful.
Between 50-100 fans protest at Stamford Bridge
“We believe these are far-reaching and certainly include the absolute commitment on the part of the Ricketts Family and bidding team to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of the club.
“We look forward to having more meetings – including with the Chelsea Support Organization – in the coming days and publicly reiterating our values and commitments.”
Chicago Cubs owner Ricketts is one of four finalists aiming to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich. Cubs frontmen and siblings Tom and Laura Ricketts stand by the family’s candidacy to take over the west London club.
Father Joe Ricketts, who had no role at the Cubs or in the bid to buy Chelsea, used Islamic language in emails sent between 2009 and 2013 that were leaked in 2019. Then the man the 80-year-old man apologized.
Chelsea fans have repeatedly expressed concerns on social media, and now CST has added weight to those worries.
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Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol has revealed that the Ricketts family are among the potential bidders on Chelsea’s shortlist.
“It is now clear that our members neither support nor trust the Ricketts family’s bid for the club,” read a CST statement. “This reflects broader concerns expressed by large, vocal sections of Chelsea’s fan base.
“The CST Board of Directors is guided by our members, and therefore we do not currently believe it is in the best interest of our members to make the Ricketts family successful effort.
“We are awaiting more public details from the Ricketts family on the specific steps they will take to address the well-documented concerns of Chelsea supporters.
“If the Ricketts goes public with a clear and detailed plan for how they will address support concerns, we may re-survey our members over the next week.”
Tom Ricketts has been building bridges with the Muslim community in Chicago since his father’s email emerged in 2019 and continues to apologize for his father’s comments.
Ricketts has been adding consulting partners to refine their bids ahead of the April 11 deadline for improved offers, but their bids are understood to be fully cash-funded. .
Hedge fund Supremo has added his considerable personal financial influence behind Ricketts’ acquisition of Chelsea.
However, Blues supporters continue to be concerned about Ricketts’ bid to buy the club, with those issues crystallized in the CST survey.
“Last week, Chelsea Supporters’ Trust announced that the Ricketts family must urgently and publicly address their supporter’s concerns – particularly with regard to inclusion, both previous and recent statements by supporters. family member,” reads the CST statement.
“We are also committed to surveying our members about their confidence and support in the Ricketts family’s bid for Chelsea FC.
“Yesterday, we conducted a quick survey of our membership. We asked our membership that, based on information in the public domain as of April 1, they trust the Ricketts family to run a well-rounded and successful club, and we asked if they supported the Ricketts family’s bid.
“Our members have sent a clear message in this regard: 72% of respondents currently do not believe the Ricketts family will run a well-rounded and successful club, with 5% of respondents. respondents believe they can.
“Similarly, 77% of the members who responded did not support the Ricketts family’s bid for Chelsea FC and 3% of the respondents supported it.
“It is important that the new owners of Chelsea FC gain the trust of the fans and demonstrate an understanding of the values we stand for.”
Abramovich sold Chelsea on March 2 in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The 55-year-old was subsequently sanctioned by the UK Government and then the EU, with Downing Street claiming to have proven his connection to Vladimir Putin.
Chelsea has been granted a special license by the Government to continue operating, albeit on strict terms. Abramovich was unable to profit from the sale of Chelsea, but has vowed to write off the club’s £1.5 billion debt.
Part-owner of the LA Dodgers, Todd Boehly and British businessman Jonathan Goldstein, Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe, the Ricketts family that owns the Chicago Cubs and co-owner of the Boston Celtics, Stephen Pagliuca are the four remaining contenders. again.
