Nigerian industrialist and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has expressed regrets for not seizing the opportunity to purchase Arsenal Football Club when it was valued at approximately $2 billion.
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.”
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