Hamilton confirms Chelsea bid as ‘one of greatest opportunities’
Lewis Hamilton speaks passionately about joining bid to buy Chelsea and clears up Arsenal fandom; Hamilton, along with Serena Williams, is backing Sir Martin Broughton’s consortium after Roman Abramovich put club up for sale
By Matt Morlidge
Last Updated: 22/04/22 11:41am
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Lewis Hamilton has spoken of his excitement at joining a consortium in a bid to buy Chelsea, calling it “one of the greatest opportunities” as Formula 1’s most successful driver aims to help the club “move forwards”.
As revealed by Sky News on Thursday, Hamilton is one of the investors backing Sir Martin Broughton’s attempt to acquire the west London club and is understood to have committed £10m to the bid.
Tennis legend Serena Williams is also among the backers of the Broughton consortium, spearheaded by the former Liverpool chairman.
Speaking to the media for the first time since his involvement was made public, a passionate Hamilton confirmed his interest on Thursday.
“Ultimately, I’m a sporting fan,” he told reporters at the Emilia Romagna GP.
“It’s the biggest sport in the world and Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world and one of the most successful. When I heard about this opportunity I was like, ‘Wow’, this is one of the greatest opportunities to be a part of something.”
Hamilton has said many times before he is an Arsenal fan – but explained his love for Chelsea on Thursday.
“I’ve been a football fan since I was a kid, I’ve played since I was a kid, from four to 17 in teams every year,” he stated. “I played every year through childhood, I’ve been to numerous games.
“When I was young, around the corner from where I lived, I used to play football with all the kids and a couple of my close friends at the time, and I really wanted to fit in. I was the only kid of colour there.
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“All the kids supported someone different – one was Tottenham, one was Man United and I remember switching between these teams when I was younger and when I’d get home my sister punching me several times in the arm, and saying, ‘you have to support Arsenal.’
“So I remember at five, six years old I then became a supporter of Arsenal but my uncle Terry is a big Blues fan, so I’ve been to so many games with him to watch Arsenal and Chelsea play.”
Hamilton on Williams involvement and Chelsea hopes
Broughton is leading one of three remaining bids for Chelsea after Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale.
Hamilton said he and Williams were “constantly in touch” after being contacted by Broughton about the opportunity – which he insists is “very much aligned” with his values.
“We did speak about it – Serena and I are very, very close,” said the 37-year-old. “She’s a phenomenal athlete and woman. She asked me what my thoughts were on it and I told her that I’m going to be a part of it and she decided to join.
“Naturally I heard about it in the news, everyone was obviously aware of it. I got contacted and Sir Martin took time to speak to me on the phone and explain his and his team’s goals if they were able to win the bid that was incredibly exciting and it very much aligned with my values.
“As a kid, I remember collecting all the stickers and getting the books with trading cards – I remember filling all those up as a kid and trading them for pennies, for sweets, with other kids.
“When I was younger I was trying to actually play for a team, try out for Stevenage but I ended up following racing.
“I could have only ever dreamed being a part of the team, an integral part of the team, so that’s for me the most exciting thing.”
Questioned on Chelsea’s previous owners’ human rights, Hamilton said “we’re trying to acquire a team and move it forwards.”
“It’s all about the community,” he explained. “That’s what really makes a football team, the people in and around it.
“They’ve been quite leading in their work, becoming more diverse and progressive. It’s not that we’re associating ourselves with previous owners, our goal is to continue the work they’ve already done, having more of an impact and engaging more with the community.”
More to follow…