The Gunners' Disputed Partnership Agreement with Visit Rwanda Is Ending This Coming Year

Arsenal Football Club has confirmed that its disputed sponsorship arrangement with Visit Rwanda will come to an end in June this upcoming year.

Context and Criticism

This deal, reportedly valued at around £10m per year, began in 2018 and has since come under fire.

The backlash is due to accusations of Rwandan assistance for the M23 militia in ongoing conflicts in the eastern areas of the adjacent DRC.

Earlier this year, Arsenal was criticized for issuing a severe rebuff to the authorities in Congo by not arranging a meeting with Congolese diplomat Thérèse Wagner to address the sponsorship.

Deal Composition and Aims

Visit Rwanda operates as a division of the the country's development agency, which is a government department.

It is widely believed that Arsenal committed to and continued this partnership chiefly to increase their following across the continent.

Nevertheless, the partnership has now terminated after both parties “jointly decided” to go their separate ways.

“Collaboratively, Arsenal and the Rwanda Development Board have outperformed the initial objectives of the partnership – supporting environmental protection and responsible tourism, encouraging numerous followers to explore Rwanda, and establishing a durable base for travel industry expansion,” declared an official Arsenal statement.

The release further noted that the partnership has also aided Rwanda's objective to emerge as an global sports center in Africa and host more global sporting events while delivering community soccer programs that have helped hundreds of young players and coaches improve their techniques and promote increased engagement in sport across the country.

Management Opinion and Fan Backlash

Richard Garlick, Arsenal's CEO, portrayed the arrangement as a “significant journey” and stated it had been “advancing” the club's goals.

But that is not how a section of Arsenal's fanbase, with the campaign group Gunners for Peace staging protests outside the North London venue during the initial Champions League semi-final match against Paris Saint-Germain in the end of April.

Activists unveiled a sign stating “Drop Visit Rwanda” and distributed armbands to cover up the Visit Rwanda logo on uniforms.

Industry Perspective and Fellow Clubs

Around that time, PSG extended their sponsorship arrangement with Visit Rwanda until 2028.

Meanwhile, the Madrid-based team inked a recent contract for the same period that has caused the logo being carried on the Spanish club's male and female kits.