The Ricketts family raised the stakes in their controversial bid to buy Chelsea from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich on Sunday when they produced a list of pledges, including never to participate in a European Super League, in a wide-ranging eight-point plan aimed at placating Chelsea’s fans.
The Chicago Cubs-owning Ricketts, who are among four bidders for the club, have met with fan resistance owing to historic Islamophobic emails from family patriarch Joe Ricketts. Supporters have voiced concerns over the Ricketts’ candidacy online and staged a small demonstration at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Now they have laid out their vision for Chelsea’s future should they win the race to buy the west London club after discussions with several supporters groups in the last fortnight. Bid leaders and siblings Tom and Laura Ricketts pledged to protect Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge home, the club’s colours and crest – as well as safeguard the men’s and women’s teams’ positions at the top of the global game.
A Ricketts family statement said: “We will never participate in a European Super League and always protect the integrity and heritage of Chelsea F.C. We will commit the resources necessary across all levels of the club to continue winning trophies, including investing in the first team, experienced football leadership and the academy.
“We will put diversity and inclusion at the heart of the club and fight against any form of discrimination or inequality. We will create an advisory committee with diverse representation to ensure our decisions are informed by: a former men’s and women’s first team player, members of the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and Chelsea Pitch Owners, and influential community leaders.
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“We will explore every option to redevelop Stamford Bridge and do everything in our power to keep playing in this historic stadium. We will match the current commitment to Chelsea FC Women and increase the number of women’s matches played at Stamford Bridge.
“We will continue the vital charitable work of the Chelsea Foundation, seeking to use the power of football and sport to motivate, educate and inspire.”
Tom Ricketts has apologised repeatedly and called the publicised views “abhorrent”, while also forging links with Muslim communities in Chicago. He declared his “absolute commitment” to diversity and inclusion in a statement on Saturday.
The Ricketts family have teamed up with multi-billionaire US investors Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert for an offer to buy Chelsea understood to be fully funded by cash.