Formula One star Lewis Hamilton, who was part of a consortium bidding to buy Chelseasaid that he was forced to support Arsenal as a child, although he now describes himself as a “sports fan.”
Hamilton and tennis star Serena Williams have joined a consortium led by Sir Martin Broughton to acquire Chelsea. The representative for the seven-time F1 champion said he plans to invest more than £10 million ($13 million).
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“When I was a kid, around where I lived, I used to play football with all the kids and a few close friends at the time. I really wanted to fit in. I was the only black kid there.” . Hamilton said.
“I know all the kids support someone else, someone who has Tottenham HotspurOne is Manchester United. I remember switching between these teams when I was a kid and coming home and my sister Sam punching me in the arm several times, basically beating me up, saying ‘You have to support Arsenal!’
“I remember when I was 5 or 6 years old, I became an Arsenal fan. But my uncle Terry was a huge fan of the Blues, so I went to a lot of games with him to watch Arsenal and Chelsea play. After all, I’m a fan of sport – it’s the biggest sport in the world and Chelsea is one of the biggest and most successful clubs in the world.
“When I heard about the opportunity, I said, ‘Wow, this is one of the greatest opportunities to be a part of something so amazing. “
Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who own multiple teams including the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, are also backing Broughton’s bid.
Hamilton said he entered the bid with 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams as a way to better engage with the community.
“We talked about it. We talked many times. Serena and I are very close, so we keep in touch often. She is an athlete and a phenomenal woman. We talked. About it, she asked me what I thought about it, and I Hamilton told her I was going and she was so excited to do it.
“First, we’re trying to get a team and grow it forward. This is a team, it’s all about the community. That’s what really makes a team, it’s the people in and around it. They took the lead in working in D&I and became more diverse and progressive. So it’s not that we’re aligning ourselves with the previous owners, our goal is continue some of the work they’ve done and have even more impact and engagement with the community.”
Hamilton, a seven-time F1 champion, said he would not be “in the hands” of the rest of the consortium if their bid for the club were to be successful, but he added that he wanted to be involved. as a way to “educate fans.”
“Well, right now my main focus is to continue in Formula 1 and this is not my first investment or business. But yes, it’s something that I’m excited about. can’t do like that. some others are part of it,” he added.
“We haven’t won it yet, but if we do, there’s going to be a lot of opportunities to get in more and more over time, which is super exciting and especially outside of racing, want to help helping to achieve the success they already have and helping it to be even more successful.The part where we fit well and what they did there is D&I. You see in that sport there is a lot of work to be done. It’s got to be to be more diverse and inclusive. It’s a great platform to engage and educate a lot of the amazing fans out there.”
There are two other bidders for Chelsea – LA Dodgers owner Todd Boehly and Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca – being considered by US bank Raine Group, which is overseeing the sale.
Chelsea has for sale by Russian owner Roman Abramovich between the sanctions against him by the British government following the invasion of Ukraine.
