Lewis Hamilton, Serena Williams back Broughton bid for Chelsea
Motorsport giant Sir Lewis Hamilton and tennis superstar Serena Williams have both pledged millions of pounds to a possible bid for Chelsea Football Club.
According to Sky News, the two celebrity sportspeople had committed around £10m each to a bid being led by ex-British Airways and Liverpool FC chair Sir Martin Broughton.
It described the involvement by Hamilton as “unexpected”, given he is an avowed Arsenal fan, but noted both he and Williams had made a number of investments in recent years.
Williams’ venture capital fund Serena Ventures announced an investment in sports technology startup Opensponsorship this week, while Hamilton was known for backing early-stage tech firms such as instant grocery delivery firm Zapp.
Sky News cited sources close to the bidding group as saying both Williams and Hamilton had been in talks with the Broughton consortium for a number of weeks.
The Broughton bid is the only British one among the three remaining on the shortlist, with LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca leading the other two.
Chicago Cubs owners Tom and Laura Ricketts withdrew their bid, made in partnership with American billionaires Dan Gilbert and Ken Griffin, after backlash from Chelsea faithful.
Fans held a small demonstration outside Stamford Bridge opposing the Ricketts’ bid, after discriminatory emails sent by patriarch Joe Ricketts in 2009 came to light.
Chelsea FC was put on the market by its Russian oligarch owner Roman Abramovich on 2 March, after Russia’s violent and ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Just over a week later, Abramovich was sanctioned by Downing Street, leading to Chelsea being run under a special licence essentially preventing Abramovich from making any money from it.