CHELSEA fans have protested the takeover approach from the Ricketts family ahead of their clash with Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
Fans’ group We Are The Shed released a statement on Wednesday night urging supporters to make their feelings clear during the match – as Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and his family continue to negotiate with the club.
Chelsea fans protested the Ricketts’ bid on Saturday Credit: PA
Blues supporters gathered outside the ground ahead of the Brentford game Credit: Reuters
“#No To Ricketts, #No To Racism” banners were on show Credit: PA
The fans also told the Americans to ‘Buck Off’ Credit: PA
Chelsea are looking for a new owner after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale Credit: PA And the Chelsea Supporters Trust then came out on Saturday and condemned the Americans’ approach.
The Ricketts have come under fire after leaked emails from Tom’s father Joe saw him say Muslims are ‘my natural enemy’.
And other bidders are reportedly in uproar over what they view as ‘preferential treatment’ for the Ricketts family’s offer.
But it was the Blues supporters who showed their disdain for the Ricketts’ with a protest ahead of the Brentford game on Saturday.
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Bayern’s Kai Havertz REVENGE, Timo Werner transfer DECISION – takeover latest
Tom Ricketts and his family are among the final four bidders to take over at Chelsea Around 100 of them gathered at Stamford Bridge to make their point to club chiefs.
Banners could be seen saying “Buck Off” and “No To Ricketts, No To Racism.”
The fans could also be heard chanting: “F*** off the Ricketts, you’re not wanted here.”
A statement from the Supporters Trust read: “Last week, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust stated that the Ricketts family must urgently and publicly address supporter concerns – especially with regard to inclusivity, given both past and recent statements by members of the family.”
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They went on to state that a survey they conducted revealed 72 per cent of their fans “do not currently have confidence that the Ricketts family would run an inclusive and successful club”.
The statement went on to add: “At present, it is clear that our membership neither supports nor has confidence in the Ricketts family’s bid for the club. This is reflective of wider concerns articulated by large, vocal sections of Chelsea’s supporter base.
“The CST Board is guided by our membership, and thus we do not currently believe it is in the best interests of our members for the Ricketts family’s bid to succeed.”
Tom Ricketts, chairman of the Chicago Cubs, has also released a statement responding to the criticism of his family’s bid over the leaked emails.
He said: “Over the past fortnight, our bid team has met with several supporter groups to explain our vision for Chelsea Football Club.
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Eriksen SCORES first Bees goal in incredible fightback at the Bridge
Abramovich confirmed he was selling the club last month Credit: Reuters “In those meetings, and by letter to all groups, we have shared a set of specific commitments we will make to fans, if our bid is successful.
“We believe these are far-reaching and certainly include an absolute commitment on the part of the Ricketts Family and the bid team to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of the club.
“We look forward to more meetings – including with the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust – over the coming days and to making a public reiteration of our values and commitments.”
Four interested parties remain in the bidding process to buy the European Champions and are expected to pay around £2.5billlion to get the nod from the US bank brokering the sale.
All four are due to travel to London this week to lay out their visions for the club to current chairman Bruce Buck and directors Marina Granovskaia and Eugene Tenenbaum.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
