Tom Ricketts issues commitment to diversity at Chelsea after concerns over bid
- Published
Chelsea fans protest against the Ricketts family's bid for the club prior to their game against Brentford on Saturday
Tom Ricketts has said that his family and bid team have an "absolute commitment" to diversity and inclusion if they succeed in buying Chelsea.
The Ricketts family, which owns the Chicago Cubs, has made the shortlist of bidders to buy the club.
But there are concerns over the bid after it emerged that the family's patriarch, Joe Ricketts, was accused, external of Islamophobia three years ago.
The Chelsea Supporters' Trust (CST) said it is against the family's bid.
The CST said it had conducted a snap survey of its membership on 1 April to see if "they had confidence that the Ricketts family would run an inclusive and successful club" and "whether they supported" the bid.
It did not say how many members took part but that "72% of those who responded do not currently have confidence that the Ricketts family would run an inclusive and successful club, with 5% of respondents believing they would".
The CST added: "Similarly, 77% of members who responded do not support the Ricketts family's bid for Chelsea FC and 3% of respondents are in support.
"The CST board is guided by our membership, and thus we do not currently believe it is in the best interests of our members for the Ricketts family's bid to succeed."
Chelsea were in action against Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday and and some Blues fans protested against the Ricketts family's bid before the game.
"Over the past fortnight, our bid team has met with several supporter groups to explain our vision for Chelsea Football Club," said Tom Ricketts.
"In those meetings, and by letter to all groups, we have shared a set of specific commitments we will make to fans, if our bid is successful.
"We believe these are far-reaching and certainly include an absolute commitment on the part of the Ricketts family and the bid team to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of the club.
"We look forward to more meetings - including with the Chelsea Supporters' Trust - over the coming days and to making a public reiteration of our values and commitments."
Shortlisted bidders have until 11 April to submit their final offers for the club.
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