The Ricketts Denounce Islamophobia After Chelsea Fans Backlash

Web Desk — The Ricketts family, trying to buy the Premier League club Chelsea, faces immense opposition after historic Islamophobic emails from Joe Ricketts, the 80-year-old head of the family, surfaced this week.

According to media reports, The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) reiterated that they will do whatever possible to protect the club from falling into the wrong hands, insisting any prospective new owners must support inclusivity and diversity.

Chelsea fans had the hashtag #NoToRicketts trending on Twitter on Wednesday, with supporters raising concerns over the potential purchase by the owners of the Chicago Cubs.

Chelsea, which has several Muslim players in its squad, is up for sale after its current owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, was hit with sanctions by the British government earlier this month.

After a backlash from Chelsea supporters, the Ricketts family have denounced Islamophobia and racism. In a bid to prove their suitability to take over Chelsea, the family released a statement saying they rejected “any form of hate in the strongest possible terms”.

“Racism and Islamophobia have no place whatsoever in our society,” they added.

“We have developed deep and abiding partnerships with the Muslim community in Chicago, as well as with all communities of colour,” the statement said.

“If we prevail in our bid for Chelsea, we commit to the club and to the fans that we will actively promote these values.”

Caught in Financial Crisis, Chelsea may not complete season

In 2019, Splinter News published a string of emails in which family patriarch Joe Ricketts purportedly said “Islam is a cult and not a religion”. He apologized for the comments three years ago.

Roman Abramovich, who is thought to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is reportedly seeking to offload his UK-based assets in light of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Fears are mounting that Chelsea could collapse into administration if a sale is not agreed soon, as sanctions are preventing the club from collecting match-day income and sponsors have terminated contracts.

The club has been granted a special licence to allow it to continue to play matches for the rest of the season – but only season ticket holders and fans who have already bought tickets will be able to attend matches.

According to media reports, there are at least seven known bidders for Chelsea, but the UK government will have to approve a licence for the buyout.

One of the frontrunners includes the Saudi media group – which reportedly made a £2.7bn ($3.6bn) offer for the club earlier this week.

On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch urged the Premier League to block any Saudi-linked move for the club, warning they risked becoming an “accomplice” in the kingdom’s efforts to whitewash its human rights abuses.