Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly apologized to supporters after creators of Apple TV show Ted Lasso edited a banner paying tribute to club legend Ray Wilkins.
In the final episode, the fictional character of Roy Kent – played by Brett Goldstein – returns to his former side Chelsea with AFC Richmond where he is now a coach under the titular character played by Jason Sudeikis.
At one point, the camera pans to the crowd at Stamford Bridge and reveals a banner that reads, “They don’t make ’em like Roy anymore.”
Chelsea fans were baffled by the image, with the show’s producers appearing to have edited a banner in honor of Wilkins, who died in 2018 aged 61 following cardiac arrest.
A spokesman for the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust said: “This is a banner paid for by supporters to commemorate a Chelsea legend – Ray Wilkins.
“Many supporters have seen this edit as disrespectful and we have expressed our disappointment to the club management. We expect Chelsea to address this in due course.’
Boehly has now apologized for allowing the edit to take place, though he distanced Chelsea – and the new owner – from the furor, saying he was not involved in the deal that connected the west London club to Apple TV in the first place .
Responding to a Chelsea supporter on TwitterBoehly wrote, “We had nothing to do [with] these arrangements. The deal with Apple closed in 1Q/22 [the first quarter of 2022].
“We are sorry it has affected so many and we care most about Ray and his family.
We would also like to point out that none of the ‘Chelsea’ players were actually Chelsea players. Hopefully that was clear.’
Former England international Wilkins made more than 200 appearances for Chelsea between 1973 and 1979 and was also assistant manager – and even agent – on several occasions, including Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti.
Chelsea have made significant promotion for the latest episode entitled ‘I Don’t Want To Go To Chelsea’ which sees Roy Kent return to Stamford Bridge, having been a legend at the club before coming to Richmond in the twilight of his career .
Manager Graham Potter and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek were both filming promos, with the Chelsea boss saying: ‘I think all our supporters will be delighted to see Roy back at Stamford Bridge.
“They respect the work he’s done here, what he’s achieved, he was a fantastic player for us. But it’s a game, we’re competitive, he’s the opponent. So while we receive him well, we want to beat him.’
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