Julius OkorieWhat do you think President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Rwandan President Paul Kagame have in common?
They are both Africans yes, I am sure everybody knows that. But one thing both men cannot joke with is their love for Premier league side, Arsenal, otherwise called the Gunners.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelPresident Kagame is not only a die-hard fan of the Emirate landlords but is in fact a sponsor of the club, alongside Bundesliga Giants, Bayern Munich.(Rwanda Sponsors the sleeve of Arsenal jersey).
Kagame is quick to congratulate the London club when they do well and does not also hesitate to criticise when they perform below par.
For instance, on Friday, 24th August, the Gunners lost 2-0 to Aston Villa and the President did not spare them, taking to the social media he said “We just must NOT excuse or Accept mediocrity. A team has to be built with purpose to win win win. So that when we lose….it was not to be expected! I am sure we all know on whose shoulders the heaviest burden rests. I hope they know too or even accept it!!!”
In the same vain Dangote, the richest man in Africa according to Forbes is equally a die-hard fan of the Gunners.
Dangote whose desire to acquire Arsenal has never been a secret for years, is full of regrets after missing an opportunity to acquire the club when it was valued at $2 billion about (₦3,277,240,000,000.00).
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In an interview with Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua, the billionaire businessman shared his aspirations of owning a football club, noting that he wished he had acted sooner on his interest in acquiring the English side.
Dangote revealed that his decision to focus his resources on a major refinery project ultimately led him to miss out on the chance to invest in Arsenal, a move he now reflects on with disappointment.
He said, “I think that time has passed. The last time when we had this interview, I told you as soon as I finish with the refinery, I am going to try and buy Arsenal.
“But you know everything has gone up and the club too is doing very well, Arsenal is doing extremely well right now. That time Arsenal wasn’t doing well.
“I think I don’t have that kind of excess liquidity to go and buy a club for $4 billion so to speak and use it as a promotional something.
“But what I will do is to continually be the biggest fan of Arsenal. I watch their games anytime they are playing. So, I will remain a major supporter of Arsenal but I don’t think it makes sense today to buy Arsenal.”
When asked if he regretted not buying when Arsenal’s value was lower, he said, “Actually, I regret not buying it before but you know my money was more needed in completing my project (Dangote refinery) than buying Arsenal.
I would have bought the club for $2 billion but you know I wouldn’t have been able to finish my project. So, It was either I finish my project or go and buy Arsenal.”
The largest shareholder on the Arsenal board is American sports tycoon, Stan Kroenke. Dangote may have missed Arsenal, but a refinery up and running and hopefully touching lives is certainly a big deal.
Win, win situation some would say, he retains his love for the club and enjoys their game and also has a running refinery a dream fulfilled.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
