Roman Abramovich has put Chelsea on sale and many bidders have launched their offers. The Russian oligarch came under immense pressure after Russia invaded Ukraine. The British government prohibited him from owning Chelsea anymore and even sanctioned Abramovich and the club. Since Chelsea Football Club is one of the important parts of the country, everybody including the government and the Premier League will be highly attentive to the background of every bidder. Right from the financial to the ethical metrics will be under the scanner. However, one such bidder horribly fails the ethical metrics and could be barred from a potential Chelsea takeover.
Ricketts family are the ones who could face multiple problems with their bid for Chelsea. Chelsea fans had their own investigation of the Ricketts family and found something which could end the Chicago Cubs’ owner’s dream of owning Chelsea. Joe Ricketts’ comments from the past have resurfaced and could heavily dent his plans for a potential Chelsea takeover.
What has Ricketts said that could block him from a potential Chelsea takeover
Ricketts family are the owners of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs. They have a net worth of £3.7 billion and have confirmed their bid for Chelsea. An official statement from the Ricketts family read,
“The Ricketts Family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, can confirm they will be leading an investment group that will make a formal bid for Chelsea Football Club this Friday”.
However, their dream to own Chelsea could end before it becomes a reality. Joe Ricketts’ comments in the past over the Muslim community could become the reason for his failure in a potential Chelsea takeover. In an email of Joe Ricketts, the billionaire has termed Muslims as his “enemy”.
The email read,
“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”.
However, the Chicago Cubs owner did issue an apology for his comments.
“I deeply regret and apologize for some of the exchanges I had in my emails. 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”.
Ricketts may have felt sorry, but it seems Chelsea fans have not forgotten his comments. But the billionaire has still launched a bid for the club and fancies his chances. On the other hand, it looks quite difficult that the people connected with the club will accept his Chelsea takeover even if Abramovich feels Ricketts has the potential for doing so.
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