The government is worried about the controversy surrounding the Ricketts family’s bid to buy Chelsea and does not want a group unpopular with supporters to purchase the club.
The owners of the Chicago Cubs have seen their campaign rocked by accusations of bigotry and their efforts to turn public opinion in their favour are yet to bear fruit. A #notoricketts campaign has been trending on Twitter and Chelsea fans will stage protests against the Ricketts when Thomas Tuchel’s side meet Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Opposition to the bid began after it emerged that Joe Ricketts, the family’s patriarch, was accused of Islamophobia three years ago. Problematic comments attributed to other family members have also been criticised and the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has expressed doubts about the Ricketts on diversity grounds.
Those comments have been noted in Westminster circles, where there is a desire for the sale of Chelsea to run smoothly. One issue for the government is that the sale has been forced by its decision to impose sanctions on Roman Abramovich after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The government knows it could face criticism if Chelsea’s next owners prove controversial and it is understood to be uneasy about the negativity around the Ricketts, one of four shortlisted groups set to submit improved offers before the 11 April deadline.
It remains to be seen how much the government will seek to influence the process. It is highly unlikely to use its power of veto if the Raine Group, the US bank handling the sale, and Chelsea identify the Ricketts as their preferred bidders. A more plausible scenario is that the government will express its concerns in private to Raine and Chelsea.
The backlash has not deterred the Ricketts. They have heavy financial clout after partnering with the billionaire hedge fund tycoon Ken Griffin, have appointed the US investment bank Jefferies in an advisory capacity and believe their sporting background would give them an edge at Chelsea. They can point to their renovation of Chicago’s Wrigley Field stadium as evidence they would be capable of redeveloping Stamford Bridge.
Yet many Chelsea fans remain unconvinced, even though Joe Ricketts is not part of the bid and the family has said it “rejects any form of hate in the strongest possible terms”. Efforts to improve the family’s image by Tom Ricketts, who is fronting the bid and has distanced himself from his father’s past comments, have had little effect. There was more controversy after it emerged that Raine facilitated a meeting between Tom Ricketts and Paul Canoville, Chelsea’s first black footballer, at Stamford Bridge last week.
The meeting went down badly with rival bidders, who fear that the Ricketts are receiving favourable treatment from Raine and Chelsea. That drew an angry response from Chelsea fans and led to plans for demonstrations at the Brentford game.
The backlash has surprised the Ricketts. A source close to the bid questioned whether there was a campaign of misinformation against the family and said their behaviour had been above board. It was also pointed out that the family have met with fans and stakeholder groups to offer reassurances, with further meetings are planned.
The intent is not to distract Chelsea’s players and Tuchel believes that supporters are entitled to question the Ricketts family on their past comments. “Nowadays you have to deal with it and you have to face the consequences if you are responsible for these kind of quotes,” Chelsea’s manager said.
“You have to face the consequences. If one of the consequences is that the fans do a protest or give their opinions you have to deal with it. I hope it will not disturb the team. We have enough to deal with at the moment.”
Tuchel said that it would not be helpful for him to talk to the Ricketts. Bidders will have a chance to meet key Chelsea figures next week. The other groups hoping to buy Chelsea are a consortium fronted by Todd Boehly, Hansjorg Wyss and Jonathan Goldstein; the Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca; and a group headed by Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe.
Tuchel admitted that César Azpilicueta could join Barcelona this summer despite the defender triggering an automatic one-year extension in his deal. He also said he had no issues with Antonio Rüdiger talking to Barça about joining them on a free transfer and was not bothered about suggestions that Andreas Christensen hasagreed to sign for the La Liga club.
