Chelsea Fans Echo Rejection, Ricketts Family Denies Involvement in Islamophobia Issues

DBasia.news – The Ricketts Family has vehemently denied Islamophobia amid efforts by the Chicago Cubs owners to buy Chelsea.

Blues fans have been raising the hashtag “NoToRicketts” on Twitter in recent years. This was motivated by the Islamophobia case of Joe Ricketts in 2019, after a number of emails from the head of the Ricketts family were leaked.

However, the Ricketts Family has now made it clear that they are strongly against racism or hate messages of any kind.

To note, Joe Ricketts was not involved in the bid for Chelsea. The offer from the Ricketts Family was led by the chairman of the Chicago Cubs, Tom Ricketts, who is the son of Joe Ricketts.

“Our family rejects all forms of hatred with the strongest language. Racism and Islamophobia have no place in our society,” the Ricketts Family said in a statement.

“We have developed deep and trusted partnerships with the Muslim community in Chicago, as well as with communities of all colors. Respect for diversity and inclusion are at the core of our family values. If we win our bid for Chelsea, we are committed to the club and the fans that we will actively promote these values.”

Joe Ricketts called Muslims his “enemy” in an email conversation that leaked three years ago. He later apologized for his comments, while Tom Ricketts also tried to distance himself from his father’s remarks.

“I’m very sorry and sorry for some of the conversations I had in my emails,” said Joe Ricketts.

“Sometimes I receive emails that I should curse. Other times I say things that don’t reflect my value system. I firmly believe that fanatical ideas are wrong.”

Tom Ricketts separately at the time asserted, “My father was not involved with the Chicago Cubs operations in any way.”