The CST conducted a member survey, with 77 percent of respondents saying they did not support the Ricketts’ offer to buy Chelsea. The Chicago Cubs-owned Ricketts are among the four finalists aiming to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich. Cubs bosses and brothers Tom and Laura Ricketts are facing the family’s candidacy to run the West London club. Chelsea fans have staged a protest against Rickets’s candidacy, which will take place before Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brentford in west London. Father Joe Ricketts, who has no role in the Cubs or trying to buy Chelsea, used Islamophobic language in emails sent between 2009 and 2013 and leaked in 2019. The 80-year-old later apologized. Chelsea fans have consistently expressed concerns on social media and now the CST has added further weight to those concerns. “At this time, it is clear that our membership neither supports nor trusts the Rickets family’s contribution to the club,” the CST said in a statement. “This reflects the broader concerns expressed by large, vocal sections of the Chelsea support base. Image: Chicago Cubs owner Thomas S Ricketts has made a bid for Chelsea “The CST board is guided by our involvement and therefore we do not believe it is in the interest of our members for the Ricketts family to succeed. “We are waiting for more public details from the Ricketts family about the concrete steps they will take to address the well-documented concerns of Chelsea fans. “If the Ricketts publicly present clear and detailed plans for how they will address support concerns, we may be re-examining our members next week.” Tom Rickets has been building bridges with the Muslim community in Chicago since his father’s emails appeared in 2019 and continues to apologize for his father’s comments. The Ricketts have added consulting partners to finalize their bid before the April 11 deadline for improved bids, but their bid is considered to be financed entirely in cash. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol reveals that the Ricketts family is one of the many potential bidders on the Chelsea list. Hedge fund manager Ken Griffin added his significant personal financial influence behind the Ricketts’ bid for Chelsea. Blues fans continue to raise fears about the Ricketts’s bid to buy the club, however, with these issues crystallizing in the CST investigation. “Last week, the Chelsea Supporters ‘Trust said the Ricketts family urgently and publicly addresses supporters’ concerns – especially with regard to participation, given both previous and recent statements by family members,” the statement said. of CST. “We are also committed to researching our members for their confidence and support in the Ricketts family’s offer for Chelsea FC. Image: Chelsea face Brentford on Saturday “Yesterday we conducted a brief survey of our members. We asked our members if, based on information from the public sector as of April 1, they had confidence that the Ricketts family would run a comprehensive and successful club and asked if they supported a Ricketts family offer. “Our members gave a clear message in this regard: 72 percent of respondents do not currently believe that the Rickets family would run an inclusive and successful club, with 5 percent of respondents believing that they would. “Similarly, 77 per cent of respondents do not support the Ricketts family’s offer for Chelsea FC and 3 per cent of respondents support it. “It is important that the new owners of Chelsea FC have the confidence of the fan base and show that they understand the values we stand for.” Image: Chelsea fans have another banner for Roman Abramovich at Stamford Bridge Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2, amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The 55-year-old was later sanctioned by the UK government and later by the EU, with Downing Street claiming to have proven his ties to Vladimir Putin. Chelsea has received special government permission to continue operating, albeit under strict conditions. Abramovich can not benefit from the sale of Chelsea, but he had already committed to write off the club’s debt of 1.5 billion pounds. LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and British businessman Titan Jonathan Goldstein, Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe, the Chicago Cubs Ricketts family and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca are the four remaining candidates.
