Ross Wilkins, the son of Ray Wilkins, has defended co-owner over the Ted Lasso controversy at the west club.
The makers of Apple TV show Ted Lasso , sparking an angry response from some Blues fans.
Ray Wilkins played over 200 times for Chelsea between 1973 and 1979 and had multiple stints as assistant manager – and even had a spell as caretaker manager – .
There is a banner at Stamford Bridge in memory of Ray Wilkins but after Ted Lasso makers appeared to edit it, Chelsea co-owner Boehly – who arrived at the club in the summer after replacing Roman Abramovich – was forced to apologise.
‘We had nothing to do [with] these arrangements,’ Boehly posted on Twitter. ‘The deal with Apple was struck in 1Q/22 [the first quarter of 2022].
‘We are sorry it affected so many and mostly we care about Ray and his family.
‘We would also point out that none of the “Chelsea” players were actually Chelsea players. Hopefully, that was clear.’
Ross Wilkins has praised Boehly for his response and defended the American as he also took to social media to address the incident.
‘All, this is TV and certainly nothing to do with the new regime,’ he said.
‘From our perspective, the only thing that matters, is the actual banner, in the stadium where dad gave so much for the club.
‘Thanks for all the support and to @todd_boehly for his response.’
Meanwhile, a Chelsea Supporters’ Trust spokesperson said: ‘This is a banner paid for by supporters to commemorate a Chelsea legend – Ray Wilkins.
‘Many supporters have seen this edit to be disrespectful, and we have expressed our disappointment to club officials.’
