Nigerian billionaire denies Arsenal investment reports
• 'I have no intention of investing in the club', says Aliko Dangote
• Nigerian businessman is estimated to be worth $2.1bn
Jon Gambrell
Nigeria's wealthiest man has said he has no intention of investing inArsenal. Aliko Dangote said he will not be acquiring a stake in the club, after the Sunday Times reported he had registered his interest with Blackstone, the finance house charged with finding a buyer for the 15.9% stake being sold by Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith.
"I am a long-standing supporter of Arsenal Football Club and have been involved in conversations around investment in the past," Dangote said.
"However, I can say categorically at this time that I have no intention of investing in the club and will not be acquiring a stake. I wish Arsenal Football Club the best for the future and will continue to follow the team as a fan."
Forbes magazine lists Dangote as the third-wealthiest man in sub-Saharan Africa, estimating his net worth at $2.1bn (£1.45bn). His company, the Dangote Group, deals in sugar, cement, textiles and other commodities. He is also involved in Nigeria's oil industry.
Bracewell-Smith, the club's fourth-biggest shareholder, was forced off Arsenal's board in December 2008. Her decision to sell her shares through a financial firm likely means she will not sell to either the American businessman Stan Kroenke or the Russian investor Alisher Usmanov, who are Arsenal's two largest shareholders.
Kroenke, who owns Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, the NBA's Denver Nuggets and the NHL's Colorado Avalanche, already owns 29.9% of Arsenal's shares. He needs just 10 more shares to reach the threshold that would force him to make a takeover bid.
Meanwhile the Fiorentina goalkeeper Sebastien Frey, who has been linked with Arsenal, has not ruled out a move this summer. The 30-year-old is under contract with Fiorentina until June 2013.
"I have spoken to [Fiorentina's president Diego] Della Valle," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I will speak again with him after the holidays. In life, at times, you need new challenges and I cannot hide the fact that I need that. Perhaps finding new challenges doesn't necessarily mean leaving, it could also mean that I could stay provided the team is reinforced.
"Next season we will not play in Europe and that is why we need a strong team to be at the highest level in Serie A." AP
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