Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck is confident he has not breached any rules or undermined the integrity of the club’s sale by facilitating a meeting between Tom Ricketts and the club’s former player Paul Canoville.

It has emerged that rival shortlisted bidders to the Ricketts family were disturbed to find out that Buck had been at a meeting involving Ricketts and Canoville at Stamford Bridge last Thursday.

And while Buck is insistent he did nothing to favour the Ricketts, Chelsea’s other shortlisted bidders may yet demand answers from Raine, the bank in charge of the sale, over why they helped to set up the meeting.

It is understood that Tom Ricketts contacted Raine over arranging a meeting with Canoville after the former player had backed the online #notoRicketts campaign. Ranie then asked Buck to set up the meeting, which he sat in on, but claims to have taken no part of.

Buck is also insistent he would have set up a meeting for any other group on the request of Raine and was not favouring the Ricketts by facilitating the Canoville meeting.

The Ricketts family’s bid to buy Chelsea has been hit by a series of controversies involving comments made or attributed to members of the family and Tom met with Canoville, as well as the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust and the Chelsea Pitch Owners on a visit to London.

But Raine’s involvement will only fuel fears that a conflict of interest exists between the bank and the Ricketts family, given the fact that two years ago the two groups formed a special purpose acquisition company seeking £247 million for a technology-media-telecom acquisition, including the possible purchase of a sports team, a sports gambling firm or a digital media and podcasting opportunity.

Rivals to the Ricketts family will question why Raine involved themselves in the family’s efforts to repair their damaged reputation ahead of naming them on the shortlist last Friday night.

One of the bidders for Chelsea who did not make it on to the shortlist told Telegraph Sport: “Maybe it was decided from the start that the Ricketts family should win. Is the whole bidding process a show?”

Another of the knocked-out groups said: “There have been people asking questions from the start over whether or not this has been even handed for all bidders.”

Telegraph Sport contacted Raine for comment, but, at the time of publication, had not received a response.

Raine had written to bidders on March 1 informing them not to contact any Chelsea directors during the sale process unless otherwise advised.

Shortlisted groups have been told they will get the opportunity to meet with Buck, Eugene Tenenbaum and Marina Granovskaia ahead of the April 11 deadline for improved offers, but some may want to know why the Ricketts family were given help with their bid.

Telegraph Sport last week reported how a number of bidders had been frustrated with Raine’s handling of the sale process, which will earn the bank a commission that runs into the tens of millions and is based on both Chelsea’s sale price and the money committed for future investment.

Raine has not commented when previously asked by Telegraph Sport whether or not any of their fee will be donated to charity.