Topline
Serena Williams and Sir Lewis Hamilton have reportedly backed a bid to buy Chelsea Football Club from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, according to Sky News on Thursday, as the global bidding war to own one of soccer’s most famous clubs intensifies.
Serena Williams has backed a bid to buy Chelsea FC
Key Facts
Williams and Hamilton, two of the sporting world’s biggest and most-decorated stars, have reportedly backed a takeover bid for the club spearheaded by former British Airways and Liverpool FC chairman Sir Martin Broughton, Sky News reported.
Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Hamilton and 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams are each set to invest around £10 million ($13.1 million) if Broughton’s bid is successful, the report said.
Both stars have experience as investors, building global sports brands and promoting equality in their respective sports, with an insider telling Sky News that Hamilton is “likely to play a formal role in Chelsea’s future efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion if the bid is successful.”
Other investors joining Broughton’s coalition include brewing billionaire Alejandro Santo Domingo, the chair of Houston’s 2026 FIFA World Cup bid John Arnold, the Tsai family of Taiwan—which owns the Taipei Fubon Braves and Fubon Guardians baseball teams—and Canada’s Rogers family, which holds a big interest in the media and telecoms company Rogers Communications.
Key Background
Broughton’s consortium is one of three fighting to acquire the famous club after nearly two decades under Abramovich. The coalition is the only one that is British-led, with the other two bids backed by well-known American investors Todd Boehly, who owns part of the LA Dodgers, and Steve Pagliuca, who co-owns the Boston Celtics. The club is expected to sell for over £2.5 billion ($3.27 billion), though the sale and current management of the club has been complicated by the sanctions levied against Abramovich by the British government for his reported ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Surprising Fact
Hamilton’s involvement in Chelsea would come as a surprise given his long standing support of Arsenal, a major rival of the club.
Further Reading
Inside The Last Days Of Abramovich’s Reign At Chelsea FC (Forbes)
Chelsea FC sale: Sir Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams pledge funds to Broughton bid (SkyNews)
Why Owners Of U.S. Sports Teams Have The Advantage In Chelsea’s Global Bidding War (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/04/21/serena-williams-lewis-hamilton-join-uk-bid-to-buy-chelsea-from-russian-billionaire-abramovich-report-says/