Chelsea‘s takeover process seems to be getting more and more intriguing. Four bidders were finalized by the Raine Group who are overseeing the takeover. However, out of the four Ricketts family withdrew their bid. As a result, only three remain now, Todd Boehly, Sir Martin Broughton, and Stephen Pagliuca consortiums. But that’s not just it as many interested parties are still joining the consortiums. A financial group from Taiwan, Fubon has now joined hands with one of the bidders for the Chelsea takeover.
Raine Group has lent the three competitors extended deadlines to submit final and improved bids. Therefore, a number of famous personalities have taken this opportunity to fancy their chances with the final three. Fubon Financial, owned by the Tsai family have approached Sir Martin Broughton’s consortium to become a part of it. Sir Martin Broughton is leading a joint venture with Lord Coe in taking over Chelsea.
Who are Fubon owners Tsai, joining the Chelsea bid?
Fubon Financial is headed by Richard Tsai and his billionaire brother Daniel. They are headquartered in Taiwan and are one of the richest families in the country. Fubon Financial has several subsidiaries as well, in Fubon Asset Management, Fubon Insurance Co. Ltd., Fubon Securities, Fubon Bank, Fubon Life, Fubon Bank, and Fubon Bank Limited. Moreover, Richard Tsai himself has a net worth of $5.1 billion according to Forbes.
However, Fubon are no newcomer to the sporting arena. The Tsai family already own two professional sports team in Taiwan. The two teams are the Fubon Braves basketball team and the Fubon Guardians baseball team of the CPBL. The Fubon owners have now backed Sir Martin Broughton’s bid for the Chelsea takeover. Furthermore, the Tsais gave a “no comments” reply to the rumors possibly confirming their offer.
F1, Tennis stars enter the arena as well
However, Fubon are not the one who have added to Sir Martin Broughton’s Chelsea bid. Tennis star Serena Williams and F1 racer Sir Lewis Hamilton have joined forces as well with Sir Broughton. The duo’s investment came as a surprise since nobody expected them to enter the adventure. A seven-time F1 champion, Sir Hamilton has pledged an investment of around £10 million for the Chelsea takeover. However, Sir Hamilton’s involvement in the Chelsea takeover has raised everybody’s eyebrows. The Britain international was thought to be an Arsenal fan since childhood.
But he has now cleared the air regarding the same. Sir Hamilton said,
“..when I was younger and getting home and my sister Sam punching me several times in the arm, basically beat me, saying ‘You have to support Arsenal!’ I remember 5, 6 years old that 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. Ultimately I’m a sporting fan — it is the biggest sport in the world and Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world and most successful “
Sir Hamilton further continued that he wanted to be a part of something “great”.
He said,
“When I heard about the opportunity I was like, ‘Wow, this is one of the greatest opportunities to be part of something so great.”
The Chelsea takeover is approaching its final stage and Fubon, Serena Williams and Sir Hamilton might have just reinforced Sir Martin’s consortium. The result however will tell the final story.
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