Lewis Hamilton, seven-time Formula One world champion, and Serena Williams are preparing to join a consortium led by Sir Martin Broughton in bidding for English football club Chelsea.
Since the story broke, there has been a heated debate about whether Lewis’s interest is genuine or not. However, the 37-year-old revealed to Skynews that he is interested in becoming a Chelsea owner!
Hamilton was open about his goal in becoming the owner of one of the world’s most powerful football clubs. He stated that he is a football aficionado who has played football since he was a child.
“I’ve been a football fan since I was a kid. I played football from the age of four until I was 17 – I was in teams every year, I played in the school team every year through my childhood. I have been to numerous games. When I was young, around the corner from where I lived is where I used to play football with all the kids and a couple of my close friends at the time,” Said Lewis.
But Hamilton is an Arsenal fan!
Hamilton, a prominent Arsenal supporter, told how he became a Gunners fan – by his sister physically forcing him to!
However, he stressed that his former association with the north London club will have no bearing on his desire to work at Stamford Bridge.
“When I was young, around the corner from where I lived, I played football with all the kids and a couple of my close friends. I really wanted to fit in. I was the only kid of colour there, but the kids all supported someone different,” he stated.
“One was Tottenham, one was Man U, and I remember switching between teams when I was younger and getting home and my sister punching me several times in the arm, basically beating me to say I had to support Arsenal,” Hamilton added.
“So at five or six years old, I then became a supporter of Arsenal, but my Uncle Terry is a big Blues fan. I’ve been to so many games with him to watch Arsenal and Chelsea play. Ultimately I am a sporting fan. It is the biggest sport in the world, and Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world and most successful. When I heard of the opportunity, I thought, ‘wow, this is one of the greatest opportunities to be a part of something so great’,” the seven-time F1 champion concluded.
Interest from other parties
Another offer has seen Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca pair up with Larry Tanenbaum, who owns the NBA’s Raptors, the NHL’s Maple Leafs, and the city’s MLS team. Peter Guber, a Los Angeles Dodgers minority owner, has also joined the group.
Todd Boehly, another Dodgers minority owner, is leading another consortium that hopes to be named the preferred bidder.
The Raine Group, a New York-based merchant bank, has been handling the selling process launched by Abramovich last month in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The oligarch has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom and the European Union for his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his assets, including Chelsea, have been blocked.
