Pastor Dolapo Lawal issued a public apology on Wednesday after his viral sermon in which he had said, "Arsenal no fit win" and described the club as "dem dey cursed." The apology came after Arsenal clinched the Premier League title when Manchester City drew with AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
Lawal, the lead pastor of Zoe Household Global Church in Austell, Georgia, released a video addressing Arsenal supporters and inviting them to a special thanksgiving at his church. He told fans, "Arsenal fans, special thanksgiving for you for Zoe Household on Sunday. Make you come wit your jersey, we go thank God for una. Dis na my apology, public apology, special thanksgiving service for all Zoe Household campuses. Praise God. Congrats."
The reversal underlines how a single sermon sent online can ricochet after a sports result: three months ago Lawal told his congregation, "I no tok am? You dey hia wen I tok am three months ago say even if dem get 29 points lead, Arsenal no fit win," and later said, "E get di way you go dey watch club, no be prophecy, dem dey cursed." Those comments went viral after Tuesday night, and Arsenal fans dragged the pastor on social media, prompting his Wednesday response.
In his apology video Lawal leaned into a conciliatory tone. He said, "I just dey joke. I no dey curse Arsenal and God no tell me anytin about Arsenal. Na just normal banter wey I dey make wit Arsenal fans for my church," and again invited supporters to the church campus at 320 Riverside Pkwy 100A, Austell, GA 30168. He also emphasized the comments were not prophetic and framed them as banter rather than spiritual pronouncement.
Lawal’s background figures in why the episode drew attention. He leads Zoe Household Global and is a televangelist, songwriter, preacher and mentor who graduated from the University of Lagos with a degree in Computer Science. He published the book "Watchman's Prescription" in 2021, was born on November 13, and has two children with his wife, Temiloluwa Lawal. The earlier sermon — which labeled the club cursed and singled out Arsenal supporters in a joking aside — spread beyond his congregation and became a flashpoint online.
The tension in the story is plain: the same pastor who said "dem dey cursed" and warned a congregant against dating an Arsenal fan now insists he was joking and seeks to make amends in person. He told critics in the video, "And if you dey here, lady, if Arsenal fan ask you out, na bad sign. You need to go check yoursef say of all pipo, Arsenal?" and then offered public contrition and a public celebration. That mismatch — public sermon versus public apology — is what turned a local sermon into a national social-media story.
What happens next is concrete and scheduled: Lawal has invited Arsenal supporters to a special thanksgiving service on Sunday at Zoe Household campuses, telling fans to come wearing their jerseys for a communal service of thanks. The invitation is both an apology and an attempt to close the chapter in person; yes, he apologized and yes, he has opened his doors to the supporters he once mocked. For readers who want more on how Lawal has engaged public controversies, see his recent piece at
