March 23 – The race to be on the preferred bidders list for Chelsea, expected to be announced at the end of this week, is hotting up with members of the Chicago-based Ricketts family flying to London to meet key stakeholders.
With the Ricketts upping the ante with calls to government and planned meetings with the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and the Chelsea Pitch Owners, property developer Nick Candy has upped the price his group is willing to pay.
Candy and his Blue Football Consortium initially put in a bid of more than £2 billion for the club, but added a Korean financial institution to the bid group over the weekend, increasing his spending power.
Meanwhile the Ricketts bid has polarised opinion on both sides of the Atlantic after Chelsea Chicago Supporters Club chairman Brian Wolff posted on Twitter saying: “The Ricketts’ political donations, fundraising and support for candidates who do not share the inclusive views of Chelsea Football Club and its supporters are wholly inconsistent with the 19 years of fantastic work done by the Club and the Chelsea Foundation, most notably as a leader in committing to a Living Wage and efforts to protect and promote equality for BAME and LGBTQ+ communities.”
The Ricketts responded in a statement to Sky news saying: “Our family rejects any form of hate in the strongest possible terms.”
The Ricketts own the Chicago Cubs baseball team and their iconic Wrigley Field stadium. Their bid is backed by billionaire hedge fund owner Ken Griffin.
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