Chelsea players are said to hold serious reservations about the Ricketts Family’s pursuit of the Premier League club with the deadline for bids now just hours away.
Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale at the start of the month in an attempt to cash in on the Blues ahead of potential sanctions from the UK Government. However, hopes of a quick sale were dashed when the 55-year-old had his assets frozen due to his links with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The club have since been forced to operate under a strict new licence which prohibits Abramovich from receiving any financial income. The British government have since confirmed they will allow a takeover, on the proviso the Russian billionaire sees none of the funds generated by the sale.
American merchant bank Raine Group, along with the government, are in charge of the acquisition, which will see any prospective suitor pay more than £2billion for the current European and World champions. It is believed as many as 10 prospective parties are currently in the running, including suitors from the United States and Saudi Arabia.
The Ricketts Family - who currently own baseball giants Chicago Cubs - have publicly confirmed their intention to launch a bid ahead of Friday’s deadline. Any interested parties will need to officially lodge an offer before 5pm EST (9pm UK time) on Friday March 18.
Under their ownership, the Cubs ended one of the most infamous sporting curses in world sport, guiding them to their first World Series title in 2016. However, just three years after that success, alleged emails obtained by Splinter, sent by Joe Ricketts - expressed Islamophobic views and conspiracy theories. These alleged emails were sent between 2009 and 2013, with some sent to his son Pete Ricketts - the incumbent Governor of Nebraska who is a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs.
Joe Ricketts is alleged to have written in one email in 2012: "Christians and Jews can have a mutual respect for each other to create a civil society. As you know, Islam cannot do that. Therefore we cannot ever let Islam become a large part of our society. Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy due to their deep antagonism and bias against non-Muslims."
Another email from the 80-year-old - sent to Pete Ricketts in 2010 - is alleged to read: "I think Islam is a cult and not a religion. Christianity and Judaism are are based on love whereas Islam is based on 'kill the infidel' a thing of evil."
Within hours of Splinter publishing the alleged emails, Joe Ricketts released a statement on his official website. "I deeply regret and apologise for some of the exchanges I had in my emails," read the apology. "Sometimes I received emails that I should have condemned. Other times I’ve said things that don’t reflect my value system. I strongly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong."
It is believed that Joe is not part of the proposed Chelsea transaction - with children Tom, Laura and Todd hoping to team up with billionaire hedge fund tycoon Ken Griffin to form a consortium
However, according to the Mail, Chelsea’s Muslim players, which includes N’Golo Kante, Antonio Rudiger, Hakim Ziyech and Malang Sarr, would be uncomfortable should the Ricketts family become the new owners. The Ricketts family have a reported net worth of more than £4b, while Griffin’s is said to be closer to £20bn, however despite their financial muscle, there is a risk they could alienate a large portion of Thomas Tuchel’s playing staff.
Once the deadline has passed, it is suggested that the shortlist will be whittled down to three or four, before the most suitable option is given exclusivity.
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