Ted Lasso angers Chelsea fans with insensitive club hero snub in latest episode
Some Chelsea fans are furious at the latest episode of Ted Lasso after a banner tribute to club legend Ray Wilkins was edited to include the name of AFC Richmond’s hard-line assistant coach Roy Kent.
The Chelsea banner ‘They don’t make her like Ray anymore’ hangs permanently on the East Stand of Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge. In the third season of the Apple TV Plus show, Ray was replaced in relation to Roy Kent, an ex-Chelsea player on the show.
The banner, created by fans for Ray Wilkins after his death and funded by donations, is regularly seen at televised matches at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge.
Ray Wilkins died suddenly in 2018 at the age of 61 after a glittering career that spanned 25 years playing for Chelsea, AC Milan and others. He later served as assistant manager at the club during the 2009/10 season in which Chelsea won the Premier League title. Wilkins played 179 games for Chelsea from 1973 to 1979.
Some Chelsea fans are angry
Some Chelsea fans took to Twitter to express their disbelief and anger at the lack of respect at replacing the name on a commemorative banner. Posting on social media, fans are upset at the disrespect shown to one of their beloved heroes, even if the show’s creators were unaware of the banner’s meaning. iMore has reached out to Apple and Chelsea Football Club for comment.
The Blue Dodger (opens in new tab)a Chelsea FC fan Twitter account, which has over 100,000 followers, said: “Chelsea and the owners may not have been aware and it could all have been Apple TV and the production team. It would be disappointing if people at Chelsea watched the episode and didn’t say, “This needs to be changed right away.”
“For some it’s not that deep, but for others it will be, so let’s not go that route. Having an ‘I’m not offended, so no one else will be’ attitude is foolish in my opinion. Who knows, Ray might have found it hilarious! He was a naturally funny guy! We’ll never know, and his family would have the best idea.”
Don’t like it when Ted Lasso puts up a banner to commemorate a deceased player. Show some respect. pic.twitter.com/SBbjvSfFSaMarch 22, 2023
In the latest episode of Ted Lasso, titled ‘(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea’, AFC Richmond play their first game in the Premier League. The show, which is Apple TV Plus’ most popular original, stars Roy Kent, a former Chelsea player who is known as a club legend.
Chelsea also promoted the episode with one Promotional video by head coach Graham Potter (opens in new tab) alongside official promotional photos of the AFC Richmond team taking on Chelsea superstars Kai Havertz and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Replacing Ray with Roy was easy, but Apple might have scored an own goal here.