The Ricketts Family have moved to defuse growing tensions towards their bid to buy Chelsea by insisting they are not racist.
Representatives of the Ricketts family will fly to London in hope of smoothing over supporter objections towards their bid, despite receiving no confirmation that they had even made it on the shortlist of preferred offers.
And they have now released a statement, that read: '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.