Sir Martin Broughton’s bid to purchase Chelsea has received backing from two sporting greats of their respective fields. Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton recently confirmed that he as well as tennis superstar Serena Williams are now a part of the consortium to buy the London club.
Sir Broughton’s bid was one of the three to have made it to the final round; since then, the British businessman has amassed the backing of several key figures linked to Chelsea FC and beyond, including Lord Sebastian Coe and ex-Blues captain John Terry.
Hamilton, meanwhile, confirmed his involvement in the Chelsea bid. Reportedly, the seven-time Formula One champion has agreed to pledge 10 million pounds to Broughton’s bid along with 23-time Grand Slam winner Williams – whose involvement the Englishman confirmed in the same interview.
“We spoke about it. I told her I was going to be involved and she was happy to join,”
Hamilton told BBC Sport.
However, one individual left unimpressed by Hamilton’s involvement in the Chelsea bid was his F1 adversary, Dutchman Max Verstappen. The 24-year-old questioned Hamilton’s links to Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal, claiming that, being a PSV Eindhoven fan, he would never jump at the opportunity to buy direct rivals Ajax.
“I thought he was an Arsenal fan, no? If you are an Arsenal fan going for Chelsea, that is quite interesting. But everyone does what they want with their money so let’s see what comes out of it.”
the 2021 Formula One champion claimed.
Despite the popular backing, it is reported that Broughton’s bid still trails the one led by LA Lakers and LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly. The American and his consortium remain confident that they will win the vote to buy the club from Roman Abramovich.