Chelsea owner Todd Boehly apologises to fans over Ted Lasso fury

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Todd Boehly issued an apology on Twitter after Chelsea fans were left incensed by Ted Lasso producers doctoring a tribute to club legend Ray Wilkins. Ted Lasso, the hit sports-comedy series which sees an American football coach recruited to manage a fictional Premier League side, took its latest episode to Stamford Bridge as part of a storyline involving character Roy Kent.

The episode includes Kent, an ex-Chelsea player in the world of Ted Lasso, returning to a hero’s welcome at his former club, with cameras at one stage showing a banner which reads: “They don’t make them like Roy anymore.”

However, the real-life banner at Stamford Bridge actually pays homage to former Blues player and assistant manager Wilkins, who passed away at the age of 61 back in 2018.

Producers on the Apple TV show appeared to have tweaked this tribute to serve their own storyline, a move which left Chelsea supporters furious.

The Blues faithful directed most of their anger towards Boehly, the US tycoon who took the reins in west London last year, for allowing television chiefs to pull off what they describe as a “disgusting” and “incredibly disrespectful” edit.

Yet in a rare public response on Twitter, Boehly apologised to fans after claiming the deal with Apple was struck by previous owner Roman Abramovich’s regime in the first financial quarter of 2022 before he arrived.

Former Chelsea pitch announcer and presenter Neil Barnett first posted on Wednesday night: “If changing ‘Ray’ to ‘Roy’ on a supporters paid for banner commemorating a late legend is the way Eghbali/Boehly believe is an example of how Europeans have failed to maximise football income, they’re in for a rough ride. Nothing is going well yet. Time to keep their heads down.”

Boehly then replied: “We had nothing to do these arrangements. The deal w/ apple was struck in 1Q/22. 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 actual Chelsea players. Hopefully, that was clear.”

Wilkins played more than 200 times for Chelsea between 1973-1979, while also enjoying several spells as assistant manager, working with coaches such as Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti.

While a coach at Stamford Bridge, the former England international won the Premier League in 2009-10 and three FA Cup trophies.

After he passed away in 2018, Chelsea unveiled the aforementioned banner in his honour, which still stands at home games.

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