Nigeria's successful businessman and the wealthiest individual in Africa, Aliko Dangote, is reportedly on the verge of acquiring a 60 percent stake in Valenciennes, a football team in French Ligue 2, according to French media reports. Valenciennes, founded in 1913, has played 40 seasons in Ligue 1 and 36 seasons in Ligue 2. Despite having won the Ligue 2 championship twice, they have never clinched the Ligue 1 championship.
Dangote is the CEO of the Dangote Group, which is the largest industrial conglomerate in Africa. In the past, he had expressed an interest in purchasing Arsenal, a Premier League team, but the deal did not materialize.