The Saudi-led bid to take over Chelsea Football Club has reached a conclusion on Thursday, it has been confirmed.
And, unfortunately for those behind the project, they have seen efforts to replace Roman Abramovich as the man in the hotseat in west London come up short.
As per the reliable Nizaar Kinsella, as well as a host of other sources, Raine Group, overseeing the takeover process at Stamford Bridge, have decided against adding the Saudi Media group to the final shortlist of potential buyers.
The SMG are understood to be altogether disappointed by the news of the setback.
Significantly, however, they do not appear to have given up hope of playing at least some part in Chelsea’s eventual changing of hands, ready to join forces with another of the interested consortiums over the coming weeks:
Saudi Media are out of the race to buy Chelsea. They weren’t selected by Raine Group, they are disappointed but open to joining another consortium #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) March 24, 2022
Ricketts rejection
Word of the failed Saudi bid for Chelsea of course comes fresh on the back of another of the parties most interested in adding the capital outfit to their portfolio being met with widespread resistance.
Across the last 48 hours, the hashtag #NoToRicketts began to trend across a range of social media platforms.
This came amid the takeover efforts of the Ricketts family, a US consortium headed by Tom Ricketts, chairman of Major League Baseball (MLB) team the Chicago Cubs.
The backlash against the Rickets’ bid was fronted by none other than the Chelsea faithful, owing to both the struggles of the aforementioned Cubs, and, even more significantly, the unveiling of alleged Islamophobic emails sent by Joe Ricketts (Tom’s father) back in 2019.
Statement from the Ricketts Family
“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.” #cfc https://t.co/CXbwFki2wt
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) March 23, 2022
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