Nigerian football fans are calling on billionaire Aliko Dangote to channel his investment into the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) rather than Arsenal. Explore their reasons and the potential impact on local football.
Football fans have taken to social media, urging Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of Dangote Group, to invest in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). This comes after the billionaire businessman expressed regret over not purchasing Arsenal Football Club when its value was around $2 billion.
In an interview with Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua in New York, Dangote explained that his financial commitment to the Dangote Refinery project in Nigeria prevented him from pursuing his interest in buying the English Premier League giants. He had previously indicated plans to buy Arsenal after completing his refinery project but has since shelved this ambition.
When asked if he regretted not buying Arsenal at a lower value, Dangote responded, “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 interview clip quickly went viral, sparking numerous reactions from Nigerian football enthusiasts, who are now calling on Dangote to channel his wealth into developing the NPFL.
Owochejo Francis commented, “Why can’t you establish a football club here in Nigeria to help create more job opportunities and further promote the local league? As the richest man in Africa, if you own a club here, others will follow in your footsteps.”
Arong Usang echoed this sentiment, suggesting, “Buy our Nigerian teams and sponsor them. The salaries of English players are enough to run our league with ease. So act like Ifeanyi Ubah… It’s not only the English Premier League that plays football.”
Adeniyi Adeleke also proposed that Dangote should make a significant investment by owning a stadium. “Sir, why not invest in the Nigerian football league by having your team, stadium, and much other stuff?”
Others, like Adeiza Valentine, suggested, “Kano Pillars are there; it is not too late to buy a football club.” Johnbosco Nazic further emphasized the potential impact of such an investment, stating, “He should buy one club in the Nigerian league and transform it into a bigger club that can compete in Africa.”
Nze Chimereze supported the idea, noting, “Spend that same money on Kano Pillars, Rangers of Enugu, and Kaduna Warriors. Those talented guys in Nigeria and Africa need opportunities to showcase their talent to the world also.”
Similarly, Kachi Phils encouraged Dangote to look within the local league, saying, “You are here looking for a foreign team to buy while local teams are doing well; just that they need financing and a little touch of polishing are here.”
Some fans compared Dangote to the late Moshood Abiola, with Isa Oladele urging, “Why can’t he (Dangote) invest part of the money in our local clubs here? And challenge local investors to buy some of the clubs and improve our league. I miss the late MKO.”
Twitter user Aluko01 also weighed in, tweeting, “If you are so interested in football and you love Nigeria, please buy a club or have a club in the NPFL; it will boost the league.”
These calls reflect the growing desire for Dangote to play a pivotal role in enhancing Nigeria’s football scene, potentially bringing the NPFL to a new level of recognition and competition.
