Boehly responds to angry Chelsea fans after edit of Wilkins banner in Ted Lasso series

Wednesday saw the release of the second episode which sees fictional American coach Lasso face Chelsea with his newly-promoted side AFC Richmond.

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However, during Lasso's side's trip to Stamford Bridge, viewers noticed the show had edited one of the stadium's iconic banners.

It was dedicated to Blues legend Ray Wilkins, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 61 following a cardiac arrest.

Rather than reading 'They don't make them like Ray anymore', the series replaced 'Ray' with 'Roy', referencing Richmond's assistant manager and fictional ex-Chelsea star Roy Kent.

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After spotting the alteration, Blues fans took to Twitter to express their disgust at the decision to edit the commemorative banner.

Now, American co-owner Boehly has responded to fans in a rare public statement, insisting the decision was made before he took the reins.

Boehly said: "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."

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The Chelsea Supporters' Trust had called on the club to comment after the banner went viral on Wednesday.

A statement 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 CFC will address this in due course."

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A boyhood Chelsea fan, Wilkins made his debut for the Blues at the age of 17 in 1973, going on to make 89 appearances for them.

After having spells at Manchester United, QPR and AC Milan, Wilkins managed QPR and Fulham, before returning to Chelsea as assistant manager in 1998 until 2000. He then came back in 2008 until 2010.