The Ricketts family have become the newest addition to the list of billionaires looking to buy Chelsea FC from Russian Oligarch, Roman Abramovich.
The family, who own the Chicago Clubs Baseball team, joined Todd Boehly, Sir Martin Broughton and Stephen Pagliuca in the list of shortlisted bidders.
Fans are however sceptical about the Rickets entry since it emerged that the family’s patriarch, Joe Ricketts, was accused of Islamophobia three years ago.
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Chelsea Supporters’ Trust raised concerns about the ability of the Ricketts family to run “an inclusive and successful club” on behalf of the diverse supporter base around the world.
It added that the family should address those concerns publicly and urgently, as the board lacked faith that their bid’s success would be in the best interest of the Trust’s members and Chelsea supporters.
The Ricketts family came out to state that it rejects any form of hate in the strongest possible terms.
“We have listened to all of your feedback including from the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust - and are grateful that the door is still open for us to demonstrate our commitment to working with fans to protect the club's heritage,” said Tom Ricketts.
Other bidders include Pagliuca, who is a co-owner of the Boston Celtics basketball team and will cease being a shareholder in the Serie A club, Atalanta if he buys Chelsea.
The American is also co-chairman of Bain Capital, a private investment firm.
Boehly, who partly owns the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, joined with investors including Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss as well as Jonathan Goldstein, a British businessman and Tottenham fan.
The group was among the first to bid and were confident of striking a deal from the beginning.
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