Chelsea fans have been shocked by reports that Chicago Cubs owner Joe Ricketts is preparing a ‘blockbuster’ offer for the club after he was heavily criticized in 2012 for saying ‘Muslims are my enemies’.
The Blues continue to fight for new owners as Roman Abramovich looks to secure the club’s future after being sanctioned by the UK government over his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chelsea have been swamped with interest from around the world.
The latest names linked to the Chelsea purchase are American tycoon Ken Griffin and Ricketts, who are known to be preparing a huge offer – Griffin alone has a net worth of around £20bn ($26.5bn).
But Chelsea supporters were worried about Ricketts’ involvement after a 2012 email leak surfaced where the 80-year-old made a number of controversial comments about race, saying “Muslims are my enemies”, calling Islam a “cult” and laughing. for racist jokes.
One stunned Chelsea fan said he would have a “tough relationship” with the club if Ricketts took responsibility after his comments were made public.
“The Rickett family should not be allowed close to @ChelseaFC,” wrote another supporter, while one expressed concern that Muslim footballers Hakim Ziyech, N’Golo Kante and Antonio Ruediger would soon leave if the Ricketts took charge.
“If the Ricketts family comes to power, you can say goodbye to Ruediger, Kante and Ziyech from the very beginning.”
Chelsea fans have been shocked by the news that Chicago Cubs owner Joe Ricketts is preparing an offer for the club, years after he said “Muslims are my enemies” in a series of leaked emails.
Ricketts has been criticized for his comments in which he called Islam a “cult”.
Chelsea fans are speculating about the club’s future as the Blues are unable to sell tickets, buy players or sign new contracts during the sanctions.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT KEN GRIFFIN AND THE RICKETTS?
Griffin is the founder and CEO of Citadel, an American multinational hedge fund and financial services company.
Forbes recently estimated the 53-year-old’s net worth at £20 billion ($26.5 billion), making him the 45th richest person in America.
Consequently, he is also considered to be the richest person in the public domain interested in buying Chelsea.
In the meantime, the Rickett family fortune was generated through the founding of an online brokerage company called TD Ameritrade, now called The Charles Schwab Corporation.
The family, including Chicago Cubs chairman Tom and his three siblings Peter, Laura and Todd, have shared the Cubs property with their parents since 2009 through a family trust.
They oversaw the Cubs’ third World Series title in 2016 and ensured the renovation of the club’s home stadium.
“I don’t want the Ricketts family to own Chelsea Football Club at all after seeing these comments,” reads another post.
The Rickett family were also labeled as “racist bigots” by a Chelsea fan on social media, adding: “They shouldn’t even be considered owners of Chelsea.
Emails dated 2012 and reviewed by Splinter show that Ricketts refers to Muslims as “his enemies” due to “their deep antagonism”.
“Christians and Jews can have mutual respect for each other in order to create a civil society. As you know, Islam cannot do this. Therefore, we will never allow Islam to become a significant part of our society,” Ricketts says in an email.
“Muslims are naturally my (our) enemies because of their deep antagonism and prejudice against non-Muslims.”
In other emails from around 2012, Ricketts shares several references to conspiracy theories alleging that President Obama has a secret past as a gay sex worker and drug dealer, but is in fact a Muslim.
“I got the impression that the President [Obama] sympathizes more with Muslims than with Christians/Jews,” says Ricketts.
“We are a Christian country and I feel like this is just a continuation of the attack on Christianity in America. I feel (sic) that I don’t like it.”
He also says in a conversation with his son Pete Ricketts, the current governor of Nebraska, that he considers Islam “a cult, not a religion” and that it is “based on the idea that ‘killing infidels’ is evil.”
After making the comments, Ricketts apologized for his words and insisted that they “do not reflect his value system”.
“I deeply regret and apologize for some of the exchanges in my emails. Sometimes I received emails that I should have condemned,” he said in a statement.
“On other occasions, I have said things that do not reflect my value system. I firmly believe that bigoted ideas are wrong.”
The Ricketts are set to join forces with American tycoon Ken Griffin (pictured) to launch a “blockbuster” bid to buy Chelsea.
Bidders want to buy the club from Roman Abramovich (above) after he was sanctioned
Ricketts is the ancestor of the Ricketts family, who bought a 95% stake in the Cubs in 2009. Born and raised in Nebraska, Ricketts made his fortune by co-founding brokerage firm TD Ameritrade.
In addition to owning the Cubs, the Ricketts family is also well known for its influence in the world of conservative politics.
On Wednesday, the Ricketts family confirmed the news that they would be interested in buying Chelsea before Friday’s deadline, stressing that they understand the need to invest in a playing team while respecting the club’s tradition and its supporters.
A spokesman for the consortium said: “The Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, can confirm that they will lead an investment team that will make a formal bid this Friday to buy Chelsea Football Club.
“As longtime leaders of a legendary professional sports team, the Ricketts family and their partners understand the importance of investing in success on the pitch while respecting the traditions of the club, fans and community.
There are a number of stakeholders at Chelsea as Abramovich is seeking around £2bn.
“We look forward to sharing more details about our plans in due course.”
Ricketts and Griffin are not the only people interested at Chelsea – a number of proposals are being prepared, including proposals from rivals from the United States.
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson has reportedly submitted a £2bn bid to buy the club, and the former Donald Trump ally hopes to go through with his offer before Friday’s deadline, according to the Sun.
There are also bids from Saudi Media Group, which has submitted a £2.7bn bid, although English businessman Nick Candy, a longtime Chelsea fan, is also showing interest in replacing Abramovich.
Meanwhile, a Swiss-American consortium and a group led by British businessman Sir Martin Broughton are among the other top contenders to win the race for the club.