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Trevor Sinclair has hit out at the proposed takeover of Chelsea by the Ricketts family following ‘inflamatory’ comments in recent years.
Three years ago, the family patriarch, Joe Ricketts, was accused of making Islamophobic comments, saying ‘Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy due to their deep antagonism and bias against non-Muslims’ in an email exchange in 2019.
Ricketts did apologise for the emails, with Tom Ricketts, his son, distancing himself from the comments and saying that his father was no longer involved with the MLB side that they own, the Chicago Cubs.
They then released a statement this week about the comments, saying: “Our family rejects any form of hate in the strongest possible terms. Racism and Islamophobia have no place whatsoever in our society. We have developed deep and abiding partnerships with the Muslim community in Chicago, as well as with all communities of colour.
“Respect for diversity and inclusion are central to our family’s values. If we prevail in our bid for Chelsea, we commit to the club and to the fans that we will actively promote these values.”
With the American moguls reported to have traveled to London in order to force through a takeover deal of the Premier League club, head of the Chelsea Chicago Supporters Club, Brian Wolff, wrote to the Blues’ hierarchy to reject their proposal in light of the allegations.
This was followed by a social media post from the Blues’ first ever Black player, Paul Camoville, saying that he’s against the Ricketts’ approach, tweeting: “So I’ve seen and heard enough.
“I’m backing @ChelseaSTrust and saying a big fat anti racism NO to the Ricketts bid!!”
Sinclair and Simon Jordan discussed the situation on White and Jordan, with the former midfielder saying that it would be ‘wrong’ for Chelsea to allow someone with such a recent history to take charge of the club.
Asked if the comments should affect their bid, Sinclair said: “I think so. You have to take into context what’s been going on in America since 9/11 and the rise in attacks and racism against Arabs and Muslims.
“I think it’s very inflammatory what they’ve said in these leaked emails. I don’t get why they’d be putting that down in an email because the source can be tracked.
“You look at the diversity in the game, in the Premier League especially, it’s never been so high so why would the Premier League want an owner who has a history, a recent history as it was 2019, of saying that muslims are his enemy?
“I think it would be the wrong way to go for Chelsea and for the Premier League.”
Jordan added: “If he hold those views now, if these alleged comments, in context, are exactly as it says now then it’s very difficult to defend someone who makes comments about an entire religion. It’s very difficult to defend what is a very problematic observation.
“If he has subsequently altered his thinking, like we all do at times – I’m not saying we all make comments of that nature, but we all have thoughts and all change our minds about views.
“Of course his family will push back and say that he’s nothing to do with this bid, but he’s the patriarch of the family and so he’s the intellectual capital and also the money behind what they do and don’t do.
“It’s a factor to be considered in the equation. Paul Canoville is entitled to his opinion, in so far as he’s across all of the facts implicitly where this man’s thought processes are, and Joe Ricketts himself as been asked to account for his comments three years ago.
“It’s a factor, but I don’t think it should be the defining factor.
“Trevor’s right, you want a look and a feel that brings this club back into order and brings the Premier League back into focus as a football business, not a geo-political landscape where people are being sanctioned and so on.
“It’s football. Football is now being used for a variety of different things and this is because of Abramovich and what you want is for Chelsea to be clean, clear and going forward.
“Paul Canoville is entitled to his opinion.”
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