The Ricketts family have released a statement insisting that they “reject any form of hate” as calls for them not to be considered as the next owners of Chelsea grow louder after a series of past comments were unearthed by supporters. Yesterday Paul Canoville, the club’s first black player, added to the backlash by saying on Twitter that he had “seen and heard enough” and was “saying a big fat anti racism no to the Ricketts bid”.
The Chicago Cubs owners are confident of making it on to the shortlist of prospective buyers and yesterday flew to London to meet with stakeholders, including the local MP Greg Hands and supporters’ groups. But an email exchange from 2019 in which Joe Ricketts, the family’s patriarch, wrote “Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy due to their deep antagonism and bias against non-Muslims” has caused deep consternation and criticism among supporters.
#NotoRicketts has been trending on social media and the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has said that “that any new owner must share the inclusive values of Chelsea FC and its diverse fanbase”. Thomas Tuchel's first-team squad contains four Muslim players.
