Serena Williams' shock link to huge Chelsea takeover bid
Tennis superstar Serena Williams and seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton have been linked to a takeover bid for Premier League giants Chelsea.
Williams and Hamilton are part of a consortium lead by former Liverpool and British Airways chairman Sir Martin Broughton, one of three bidding for the club after long-time Russian owner Roman Abramovich was forced out due to sanctions enacted in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
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Abramovich is not allowed to profit from the sale under sanctions imposed by the UK government, a response to the billionaire's links to Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The remaining £1.5 billion ($AU2.63 billion) debt owed by the club will be wiped by Abramovich.
Sky News has reported both Williams and Hamilton are prepared to make multi-million dollar contributions to the bid, however a spokesman for Hamilton declared speculation of a £10 million pound investment on his part was inaccurate.
Hamilton's interest in Chelsea was slightly unexpected given his longstanding support of Arsenal, however Sky's Mark Kleinman reported the Mercedes driver intends to play a 'formal role' in Chelsea's future efforts to promote diversity and inclusion in the sport, should their bid be successful.
Two other bids are in play for the Premier League giants, spearheaded by Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca and Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly respectively.
Broughton's ownership group would include a significant stake from Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.
Lewis Hamilton & Serena Williams have joined Sir Martin Broughton’s bid to buy Chelsea FC, and they have agreed to invest more than $25 million in the deal.
The club is expected to sell for more than $4 billion.
(h/t @SkyNews) pic.twitter.com/GVRPntxrhx— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) April 21, 2022
HBS&E owns the Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils, as well as a portion of Premier League club Crystal Palace.
Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, is already a minority owner in NWSL club Angel City FC.
If the bid including Williams and Hamilton is the group that ends up buying Chelsea, the two stars will join LeBron James as athlete minority owners of Premier League teams.
James and Maverick Carter bought a 2% stake in Liverpool in April 2011.
Liverpool's primary owners are the Fenway Sports Group, the consortium that owns the Boston Red Sox.
Wimbledon's Russia ban prompts controversy
Wimbledon has barred all Russian and Belarusian players from this year's championships due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
But the decision from the All England Club (AELTC) organisers has been condemned swiftly by the men's and women's tours, as well as by American great Martina Navratilova.
The move is the first time players have been banned on the grounds of nationality since the immediate post-World War Two era when German and Japanese players were excluded.
The world's most celebrated tournament is the first tennis event to ban individual competitors from the two countries, meaning men's world No.2 Daniil Medvedev, from Russia, and women's fourth-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, of Belarus, will be banned from the June 27-July 10 tournament.
In a statement on Wednesday, the AELTC said it had to play its part in the efforts of government, industry, sporting and creative institutions to "limit Russia's global influence through the strongest means possible."
"We recognise that this is hard on the individuals affected, and it is with sadness that they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime," AELTC chairman Ian Hewitt said in the statement.
The players have also been banned from the UK grass-court tournaments held in the build-up to Wimbledon.
The ATP, which governs men's tennis, said the "unilateral decision" by Wimbledon to exclude players from Russia and Belarus was "unfair" and could potentially set a damaging precedent for the game.
"Discrimination based on nationality also constitutes a violation of our agreement with Wimbledon that states that player entry is based solely on ATP Rankings," the men's governing body said.
"Any course of action in response to this decision will now be assessed in consultation with our board and member councils."
The Women's Tennis Association said it was "very disappointed" with the decision and was now "evaluating its next steps and what actions may be taken regarding these decisions".
With Yahoo Sport US/AAP
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