The Ricketts family has vowed never to participate in a European Super League in a wide-ranging eight-point plan for Chelsea’s future should they succeed in their bid to buy the Blues.
The Chicago Cubs-owning Ricketts are among the four bidders vying to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich, with final submissions due on April 11.
Chelsea supporters have voiced concerns over the Ricketts’ candidacy online and staged a small demonstration at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
But bid leaders and siblings Tom and Laura Ricketts have now pledged to protect Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge home, the club’s colours and crest – as well as safeguard the men’s and women’s teams’ positions at the top of the global game.
The Ricketts family have teamed up with multi-billionaire US investors Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert for an offer to buy Chelsea understood to be fully funded by cash.
And now the Cubs owners have laid out their vision for Chelsea’s future should they win the race to buy the west London club.
A Ricketts family statement said: “Over the past fortnight, the Ricketts family has met with several Chelsea supporter groups and carefully listened to all their feedback. As we enter the next phase of the process, we are sharing a list of specific commitments that give fans a pivotal role in protecting Chelsea’s heritage and building for future success.
“We will continue to discuss our ambitions for the club with fans and the wider football community in the coming days. We will make no change to the club’s name, badge and crest, or Chelsea blue, without the consent of supporters.
“We will never participate in a European Super League and always protect the integrity and heritage of Chelsea F.C.
“We will commit the resources necessary across all levels of the club to continue winning trophies, including investing in the first team, experienced football leadership and the academy.
“We will put diversity and inclusion at the heart of the club and fight against any form of discrimination or inequality.
“We will create an Advisory Committee with diverse representation to ensure our decisions are informed by: a former men’s and women’s first team player, members of the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and Chelsea Pitch Owners, and influential community leaders.
“We will explore every option to redevelop Stamford Bridge and do everything in our power to keep playing in this historic stadium.
“We will match the current commitment to Chelsea FC Women and increase the number of women’s matches played at Stamford Bridge.
“We will continue the vital charitable work of the Chelsea Foundation, seeking to use the power of football and sport to motivate, educate and inspire.”
Russian-Israeli billionaire Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2, amid Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine. The 55-year-old was then sanctioned by the UK Government on March 10, with Downing Street claiming to have proven his links to Vladimir Putin.
Chelsea have been granted a special Government licence to continue operating, though under strict terms. Abramovich cannot profit from Chelsea’s sale, but had already vowed to write off the club’s £1.5billion debt.
LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and British business titan Jonathan Goldstein, Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe, and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca are the other remaining contenders.
The Ricketts family is confident their experience of redeveloping the Cubs’ traditional home Wrigley Field leaves them well-placed to revamp the Stamford Bridge ground. And the Ricketts bid team is understood to have advanced plans for that potential redevelopment of Chelsea’s stadium.
The Ricketts’ bid for Chelsea has met with fan resistance owing to historic Islamophobic emails from family patriarch Joe Ricketts. Ricketts senior is not on the Chelsea bid, and Tom Ricketts has apologised repeatedly and called those views “abhorrent”, while also forging strong links with Muslim communities in Chicago.
Tom Ricketts declared his “absolute commitment” to diversity and inclusion in a statement on Saturday. Cubs co-chair Laura Ricketts has a prominent role on the Chelsea bid, and is the first openly gay sports franchise owner in the USA, as well as a champion and campaigner for the LGBTQ community.
