Todd Boehly claims Chelsea had "nothing to do" with the altered banner shown in the TV series Ted Lasso that has angered supporters.
The American has been forced to defend himself and the club after they faced allegations of disrespecting Blues legend Ray Wilkins, who has been remembered at Stamford Bridge with a banner at the stadium, owing to a previous quote said by Frank Lampard.
Chelsea's record goalscorer once said: "They don't make them like Ray anymore" and a banner bearing those words hangs in the stadium. The Apple series, which makes light of American involvement in English football, has utilised a play on words to reference one of the main characters - Roy Kent.
The fictional player, turned manager, makes his return to west London in the series and a banner with the words "They don't make them like Roy anymore" can be seen - which has seen Boehly come in for criticism amid accusations he was involved.
He has since clarified his position and has said: "We had nothing to do these arrangements. The deal w/ apple was struck in 1Q/22. We are sorry it affected so many and mostly we care about Ray and his family. We would also point out that none of the “Chelsea” players were actual Chelsea players. Hopefully, that was clear."
Wilkins remains an iconic figure in west London having served as a player and a coach. He passed away in 2018 after suffering a cardiac arrest but remains in the hearts of fans. Wilkins made more than 200 appearances for Chelsea during a six-year stint and returned to the club as assistant manager, working under the likes of Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti as silverware was regularly picked up.
The Chelsea Supporters Trust tweeted in reference to the incident, writing: "This is a banner paid for by supporters to commemorate a Chelsea legend: Ray Wilkins. Many supporters have seen this edit to be disrespectful and we have expressed our disappointment to club officials. We expect that CFC will address this in due course."
Boehly has remained a divisive figure in English football despite his relatively short time at the Premier League. He has visibly displayed his wealth with Chelsea spending hundreds of millions and shattering the British record transfer fee to sign Enzo Fernandez in January.
The LA Dodgers co-owner has also talked up American concepts being embraced by English sport. He said previously: “Ultimately I hope the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports and really starts to figure out, why don’t we do a tournament with the bottom four sports teams, why isn’t there an All-Star game?"
