Arsenal’s controversial sponsorship partnership with Visit Rwanda will end in June, the club have announced.
The deal, reportedly worth in the region of £10m a year, began in 2018 and has come under scrutiny amid Rwanda’s support for the M23 militia in conflicts taking place in the eastern part of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. In February, Arsenal were accused of delivering an “outrageous” snub to the Congolese government by not meeting the foreign minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, to discuss the deal.
Visit Rwanda is an arm of the Rwanda Development Board, a government department, and it is widely believed Arsenal signed and stuck by the partnership in order to grow their fanbase in Africa. The arrangement has now, however, come to an end after both parties “mutually agreed” to go their separate ways.
“Together, Arsenal and the Rwanda Development Board have exceeded the original goals of the partnership – promoting conservation and sustainable tourism, inspiring millions of supporters to discover the country, and creating a lasting foundation for tourism growth,” read an Arsenal statement. “The partnership has also supported Rwanda’s ambition to become an international sporting hub in Africa and host more global sporting events whilst delivering grassroots football initiatives that have helped hundreds of young players and coaches develop their skills and inspire greater participation in sport across the country.”
Richard Garlick, Arsenal’s chief executive officer, described the partnership as a “significant journey” and claimed it had been “driving forward” the club’s ambitions. But that is not how a section of Arsenal’s fanbase viewed the arrangement, with the campaign group Gunners for Peace protesting outside the Emirates Stadium during the first leg of the Champions League semi-final encounter with Paris Saint-Germain in late April with a banner that read “Drop Visit Rwanda”. They also distributed armbands to cover up the Visit Rwanda logo on kits.
In the same month PSG extended their sponsorship arrangement with Visit Rwanda until 2028 while Atlético Madrid signed a fresh deal for the same period that has led to the logo being carried on the Spanish club’s men’s and women’s shirts.
