Chelsea fans will demonstrate against the Ricketts proposal; Chicago Cubs executives Tom and Laura Ricketts are leading the charge; in 2019, emails were revealed in which family patriarch Joe Ricketts used Islamophobic language; according to a Chelsea Supporters' Trust poll, 77% of fans oppose the bid.
The Chelsea Supporters' Trust claims its members "neither support nor have faith in" the Ricketts family's ambition to acquire the club, with a demonstration planned for Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
The CST polled its members, and 77% of those polled said they did not support the Ricketts' bid to buy Chelsea.
The Ricketts, who own the Chicago Cubs, are one of the final four buyers vying to acquire Chelsea from Roman Abramovich. Tom and Laura Ricketts, Cubs executives and siblings, are leading the family's bid to take over the club in west London.
Chelsea supporters have planned a demonstration against Ricketts' candidacy ahead of Saturday's Premier League match against Brentford at Stamford Bridge.
In emails published in 2019, Father Joe Ricketts, who has no connection to the Cubs or the bid to buy Chelsea, used Islamophobic language in emails written between 2009 and 2013. Later, the 80-year-old expressed regret.
Chelsea fans have been vocal about their misgivings on social media, and now the CST has added to their concerns.
"At this time, it is evident that our membership does not support or believe in the Ricketts family's bid for the club," read a statement from the CST. "This reflects broader concerns expressed by big, vociferous portions of Chelsea's fanbase."
"The CST Board is directed by our membership, and we do not believe it is in our members' best interests for the Ricketts family's quest to succeed at this time.
"We're waiting for further public details from the Ricketts family on tangible steps they'll take to satisfy Chelsea supporters' well-documented concerns.
"We may survey our members again in the coming week if the Ricketts publicly lay forth clear and detailed proposals on how they will resolve support concerns."
Since his father's emails appeared in 2019, Tom Ricketts has worked to build bridges with the Muslim community in Chicago, and he continues to apologize for his father's statements.
The Ricketts have been recruiting advisory partners as they fine-tune their bid ahead of the April 11 deadline for better offers, although their bid is believed to be wholly supported by cash.
Chelsea was put up for sale by Abramovich on March 2 in the midst of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The 55-year-old was then sanctioned by the UK government and then the EU, with Downing Street saying that his ties to Vladimir Putin had been confirmed.
Chelsea has been awarded a special government license that allows them to continue functioning under strict conditions. Although Abramovich will not profit from Chelsea's sale, he has promised to write off the club's £1.5 billion debt.
The four surviving bidders are Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and British business giant Jonathan Goldstein, Sir Martin Broughton and Lord Sebastian Coe, the Chicago Cubs-owning Ricketts family, and Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca.