A banner commemorating the late midfielder was edited in the latest episode (Pictures: Apple TV)
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has apologised to supporters after the makers of Apple TV show Ted Lasso edited a banner that pays tribute to club legend Ray Wilkins.
In the latest 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 inside Stamford Bridge and reveals a banner which reads, ‘They don’t make them like Roy anymore.’
Fans of Chelsea were stunned by the image, with producers of the show appearing to have edited a banner dedicated to Wilkins, who died aged 61 in 2018 after suffering a cardiac arrest.
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. We expect that Chelsea will address this in due course.’
Boehly has now apologised that the edit was allowed to happen, though distanced Chelsea – and the new ownership – from the furore and says he was not involved in the deal that saw the west London club link up with Apple TV in the first place.
The banner for Wilkins sits in the East Stand at Stamford Bridge (Picture: Getty)
Wilkins is a club legend and had several stints as a coach (Picture: Getty)
Replying to a Chelsea supporter on Twitter, Boehly wrote: ‘We had nothing to do [with] these arrangements. 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.’
Former England international Wilkins played over 200 times for Chelsea between 1973 and 1979 and also had multiple stints as assistant manager – and even caretaker manager – under the likes of Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti.
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Chelsea have given considerable promotion to the latest episode, titled ‘I Don’t Want To Go To Chelsea’, which sees Roy Kent return to Stamford Bridge having been a legend at the club before joining Richmond in the twilight of his career.
Manager Graham Potter and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek were both roped into filming promos, with the Chelsea boss saying: ‘I think all of our supporters will be happy to see Roy back at Stamford Bridge.
‘They respect the job that he did here, what he achieved, he was a fantastic player for us. But it’s a game, we’re competitive, he’s the opposition. So whilst we’ll give him a nice reception, we want to beat him.’
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A banner commemorating the late midfielder was edited in the latest episode.
