The Ricketts Family consortium, led by the Chicago Cubs owners, as well as billionaires Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert, have reportedly decided not to submit a final bid to take over Chelsea Football Club. Chelsea are awaiting a final decision on the sale of the club following sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich and his decision to sell the club amidst the situation between Ukraine and Russia. The ownership race was supposedly down to a final four but with the Ricketts dropping out the options are lower than before.
Ricketts Family Consortium Decide Not to Bid for Chelsea
Fan Backlash
The Ricketts family bid was met with backlash from Chelsea fans. Joe Ricketts reportedly sent some discriminatory emails in 2019 which led to the fan backlash. There was even a demonstration at Stamford Bridge by some fans protesting the Rickets bid before the match against Brentford.
The Ricketts family waved off such concerns and likely didn’t take this into account when withdrawing the bid but Chelsea fans will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief at avoiding the appointment of controversial owners, especially following how things ended with Roman Abramovich.
Remaining Bidders
Three bidders remain in the running to become new owners of Chelsea. Sir Martin Broughton is leading one big alongside billionaire Crystal Palace shareholders, LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly is leading a consortium that includes backing from Clearlake Capital. The final bid is fronted by Steve Pagliuca, part-owner of NBA franchise Boston Celtics, and Serie A side Atalanta, with some backing from Larry Tanenbaum.
Chelsea fans are still awaiting a resolution to this situation as many are speculating on the future of Marina Granovskaia who has been an essential director of the club. In addition, new owners would bring an end to sanctions and allow the club to resolve contractual situations like Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen’s expiring deals.
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