Chelsea future - Ricketts family to meet club supporters over backlash against ownership bid

The family that owns the Chicago Cubs, who are bidding for Premier League club Chelsea and facing social media criticism in England due to past offensive comments made by the family's patriarch, underlined their anti-racism credentials Wednesday.

The Ricketts family has agreed to meet Chelsea fans amid a social media backlash to their bid to buy the Premier League club due to comments made by Joe Ricketts in a leaked email exchange several years ago that «Muslims are naturally our enemy.»

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It has been three years since Joe Ricketts apologised after online media outlet Splinter News published emails featuring him making anti-Islamic comments, such as «Islam is a cult and not a religion.''

The Ricketts family, who have partnered with billionaire hedge fund tycoon Ken Griffin in their attempt to buy Chelsea, are one of several bidders to have publicly declared a formal offer for the club with New York-based merchant bank Raine Group now in the process of identifying preferred bidders.

Sources have told ESPN that two or three bids are expected to be advanced to the next stage this week, when senior figures at Chelsea — excluding sanctioned owner Roman Abramovich — will make their choice before the U.K. government has final sign-off on the identity of Chelsea's new owner.

This has led to #NotoRicketts trending on Twitter as Chelsea fans voice their opposition to the family's offer, while Paul Canoville, the first Black footballer to play for the club and an anti-racism campaigner, stating on the platform that he is „saying a big fat anti racism NO to the Ricketts