Arsenal FC is ending its controversial partnership with Rwanda at the end of the season. Fans had also recently mobilized against it.
According to CEO Richard Garlick, Arsenal FC owes its current success in part to a highly controversial partner. Since 2018, the Gunners have been promoting the Central African country of Rwanda as part of the “Visit Rwanda” tourism campaign, for which they are being paid handsomely. But that will soon come to an end.
On Wednesday, the Premier League leaders announced that they had “amicably” agreed with the Rwanda Development Board to end the partnership at the end of the season. “Visit Rwanda” was the first sleeve sponsor on Arsenal’s jerseys and remains so today. However, the partnership, which was the subject of much debate from the outset, had recently come under even greater criticism.
Bayern also reacted in the summer
The Rwandan government is accused of human rights violations and supporting the M23 rebel group, which is fighting government forces in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo in an escalating border conflict. In February, the DR Congo called on Arsenal and other clubs advertising with the slogan “Visit Rwanda” to end the “blood-stained” partnership.
At the time, FC Bayern was one of those clubs, having joined forces with the Rwandan Development Board in 2023 for an initial period of five years. Last August, however, the record champions announced that they would be converting the commercial part of the agreement, and thus the “Visit Rwanda” sponsorship, into a pure sponsorship agreement for youth soccer.
Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain, on the other hand, extended its contract in April until 2028, while Rwanda’s tourism authority gained another top European club as a partner in Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal sees cooperation goals “exceeded”
During this time, protests by Arsenal fans against the partnership had reached a new peak. Among other things, the group “Gunners for Peace” distributed armbands to supporters at a home game to cover up the lettering on the sleeves. Their ironic “Visit Tottenham” campaign attracted even more attention. Now they are delighted that their club has actually responded. “We all know that money rules the world, but when fans come together and raise their voices, you have to listen to them,” Gunners for Peace wrote on Instagram.
Arsenal announced on Wednesday that the original goals of the collaboration had been “exceeded.” These were to “promote nature conservation and sustainable tourism, inspire millions of fans to discover the country, and create a lasting foundation for tourism growth.” “Visit Rwanda has helped the club invest in our long-term vision of winning major trophies in a financially sustainable way,” explains CEO Garlick. Arsenal is said to have pocketed around eleven million euros annually from the deal.
