Sir Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams, two of the world’s biggest sports stars, are spending millions of pounds on one of the offers they are fighting to become the new owners of Chelsea Football Club.
Sky News can exclusively reveal the full cast of supporters supporting the Chelsea takeover bid, led by Sir Martin Broughton, former Liverpool president and British Airways – the most famous of which are the seven-time Formula One world champion and former number one world tennis for women.
Sources close to the group said Sir Lewis and Mrs Williams – the highest-ranking members of each of the three remaining consortia – had promised approximately £ 10 million each for the offer.
Both Sir Lewis, who will compete for his team at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola this weekend, and Ms Williams, who won 23 Grand Slam tournaments, including seven Wimbledon titles, have become established investors in last years.
Image: Sir Martin Broughton
Serena Ventures, the tennis star’s venture capital fund, this week announced an investment in Opensponsorship, a UK-based sports technology startup, while Sir Lewis backed a number of early-stage companies such as Zapp, the London-based fast grocery delivery app.
Their participation in the Chelsea auction is unexpected – not least because Sir Lewis is a fan of Arsenal.
However, Sir Lewis and Mrs Williams have been in talks with the group led by Sir Martin for several weeks.
On Thursday morning, it was unclear which corporations the couple would use to invest in the Blues.
The consortium is uniquely led by the British among the trio of shortlisted participants and includes another UK sports icon in the form of Lord Coe among its supporters.
A source close to the group said the addition of Sir Lewis and Ms. Williams was a major investment decision because of their experience in building global sports brands.
They also pointed out that the couple’s participation is not the first time famous athletes have supported a Premier League club: LeBron James, a basketball legend, has been a small shareholder in Liverpool for more than a decade.
According to the consortium’s plans, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE), a holding company led by US private capital billionaires Josh Harris and Dave Blitzer, will own a controlling stake in Chelsea – although they will have to sell their minority stake in Crystal. Palace before that to complete the deal.
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0:23 Chelsea fans “must participate in ownership”
Their participation in the ownership and management of Crystal Palace since 2015 is also a distinctive factor among the other bidders for Chelsea.
Other investors in the Broughton-led group include: the Canadian Rogers family, which has a strong interest in media and telecommunications company Rogers Communications; John Arnold, who chaired the Houston 2026 FIFA World Cup nomination committee; and the Taiwanese Tsai family, which owns the baseball teams Taipei Fubon Braves and Fubon Guardians.
As Sky News reported on Monday, Alejandro Santo Domingo, heir to one of the world’s largest breweries and an investor in several North American sports franchises, is also investing in the offer.
Sources close to the offer, led by Sir Martin, said the diversity of the list of global investors was among the factors that persuaded Sir Lewis and Ms Williams to join.
An insider suggested that Sir Lewis was likely to play an official role in Chelsea’s future efforts to promote diversity, justice and inclusion if the offer was successful.
Image: Arsenal fan Sir Lewis has made efforts in Formula 1 to make the sport more inclusive
He and Ms Williams have been advocates in their respective sports and beyond in promoting equality, giving their names to a number of anti-discrimination initiatives.
The issue was highlighted earlier in the sale of Chelsea, when one of the bidders – a consortium led by the Ricketts family, which owns the Chicago Cubs – was forced to distance itself from historical Islamophobic remarks.
Sir Martin’s consortium is said to believe that it is best for the other consortiums to focus on the complexity of owning Chelsea, including the future redevelopment of Stamford Bridge’s home.
Image: Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Palyuka (l) talks to former player Ray Allen at a Cleveland basketball event. Photo: AP
Other Chelsea candidates, including billionaires Steve Palyuca and Larry Tanenbaum, also have significant real estate experience, but are fighting hard to succeed Roman Abramovich as Chelsea’s owner in nearly two decades.
The third remaining bidder is led by Todd Boelli, a private owner of the LA Dodgers, but who will see US investor Clearlake Capital fair as the largest individual shareholder.
HBSE’s extensive holdings of major sports science investment and technology asset teams have made it one of the most prolific sports asset owners in the United States.
He also has a major real estate operation, which will probably position him well in the battle for a Premier League club whose stadium is significantly smaller than its rivals.
Image: The preferred candidate for Chelsea can be announced at the end of the month. Photo: AP
The group’s founders have invested in more than half a dozen football clubs, including Real Salt Lake from the American MLS competition.
He also owns the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team and the New Jersey Devils hockey team.
It is also believed that the consortium plans to keep Bruce Buck, chairman of Chelsea, and director Marina Granovskaya in senior roles in the club, according to an insider.
According to his plans, he will make an immediate – albeit undisclosed – investment in the Chelsea team, gaming facilities, women’s organization and academy.
All three final candidates have been told to provide legal commitments that will guarantee at least £ 1 billion in investment in the club’s infrastructure, academia and women’s team if they buy it.
Raine Group, which is monitoring the sale process, is expected to select a preferred participant by the end of the month, after all parties are screened as part of a test for Premier League owners and directors.
Sir Martin’s candidacy was advised by Michael Klein, an investment banker who worked with him when he parachuted as chairman of Liverpool FC in 2010.
He has the support of the Creative Artists Agency, the world’s talent management agency, and Evolution Media Capital, a partnership for sports consulting and funding.
The deadline for the final offers for Chelsea arrived a week ago, although some names continued to appear in connection with him in the coming days.
Sky News revealed over the weekend that George Osborne, the former chancellor, had been parachuted to help Mr Bowley’s candidacy as Chelsea’s bid – perhaps the most politically charged sporting deal in British history – entered the latter. its phase.
The sanctioning of Mr Abramovich by the government and the disqualification from the Premier League as director of the club he has owned since 2003 have left the fate of Stamford Bridge in the hands of ministers.
Raine will be responsible for recommending a preferred government bidder to secure a special license approving the sale.
The True Blues consortium, a group of Chelsea supporters that includes former Blues captain John Terry as one of its founders, has thrown its weight behind Mr Palyuka’s candidacy.
Image: Former Chelsea captain John Terry
More than 10,000 Chelsea fans have expressed interest in holding more than £ 150m worth of shares as part of a deal that will lead to Abramovich being replaced as club owner.
The final offer was expected to cost Chelsea more than £ 2.5 billion – which would break the record for a sports club takeover.
If selected in time, the preferred candidate will have a look forward to the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool, although at times a weak season in the Premier League and elimination last week from the Champions League raised the prospect of a trophy-free campaign at Stamford Bridge.
Image: Roman Abramovich
The sale process was complicated by sanctions against Mr Abramovich, but did not dampen the interest of many billionaires who either control or own shares in a legion of North American teams, including baseball, basketball and ice hockey.
The group highlights the extent to which the English Premier League has become a magnet for financiers from across the Atlantic over the past 20 years.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United were all acquired by US-based businessmen during this period, and a significant number of other top-class clubs also have American support.
Last season’s Champions League winners were thrown into chaos by Russia’s war with Ukraine, with Mr Abramovich initially proposing to put the club in the care of his foundation and then officially launching it.
He initially set the price at £ 3 billion for the Stamford Bridge team, with the net proceeds donated to a charity set up for the victims of the war in Ukraine.
Spokesmen for the consortium of Sir Martin and the HBSE declined to comment on Thursday.
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