Nigerian billionaire has explained why he decided not to pursue his long-time ambition of buying , revealing that he chose to focus his attention and resources on completing the Dangote Refinery project instead.
Speaking during an interview with , Dangote said he once came very close to making a move for the Premier League club when Arsenal was valued at around $2 billion. However, he eventually concluded that investing in his refinery project was the more important and sensible decision at the time.
“I’m a big Arsenal fan, yes, I nearly bought the team,” Dangote said.
“When I was focused on buying Arsenal, I was also focused on getting the refinery to completion. At the time, Arsenal was worth about 2 billion dollars, so I asked myself: should I put my 2 billion dollars into Arsenal and allow the business to suffer, or continue the business and remain a very big supporter of Arsenal?”
Dangote explained that he ultimately chose to continue supporting the club as a loyal fan rather than becoming its owner.
“So I decided to continue to support them and watch their games. Any time Arsenal plays, I always wear the jersey. I am a fan, and it is better for me to remain a fan and continue to fund my business,” he said.
The billionaire further added that the value of has increased significantly over the years, making the idea of a takeover far less attractive today.
“And today they are worth billions, so it is no longer worth the investment,” he added.
