After months of , Bayern Munich has announced that it will no longer promote “Visit Rwanda,” the tourism arm of the African country’s government.
“The new arrangement transitions the relationship away from a to a dedicated partnership focusing on football development in Rwanda through the expansion of the FC Bayern Youth Academy in Kigali,” read a statement on the club website posted on Friday.
Previously, the agreement had been that Bayern would also display ‘Visit Rwanda’ advertising on pitchside hoardings and “promote .”
A letter written by Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner in February called on and two other clubs sponsored by Rwanda — Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) — to end “blood-stained sponsorship deals with this oppressor nation” in relation to the conflict between the two countries, where a fragile ceasefire currently holds. It sparked global interest on the clubs’ relationship with the country, which has invested heavily in sports in recent years.
Bayern changes Rwanda focus
Rwanda is widely accepted, including by the United Nations, to be supporting M23, a rebel group of ethnic Tutsis who have captured swathes of territory in DR Congo and been accused of brutality of various kinds. While a is in place between Rwanda and DR Congo,
Shortly after that open letter, Bayern Chairman Jan-Christian Dreesen told DW that he had “personally sent two employees to Rwanda to monitor the situation. Our colleagues will return this week and report back.”
No such report was ever made public and Bayern repeatedly ignored requests for an update from DW. Later that month, Bayern fans raised a banner criticizing the partnership. It read: “Visit Rwanda — whoever looks on with indifference is betraying the values of FC Bayern!”
“This remains perfectly aligned to our strategic objective of developing playing talent in Africa,” the statement read.
It also confirmed that the contract expiry date of 2028 remains unchanged.
Jean-Guy Afrika, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board, part of the government, reaffirmed his country’s aims.
“This continued partnership with FC Bayern helps ensure that talent development remains anchored in our broader vision to position Rwanda as a global hub for tourism, investment, and high-performance sport,” he said.
PSG, Arsenal and Atletico now face questions
Other clubs with ties to Rwanda have also been silent on the issues raised by Kayikwamba Wagner, with PSG extending their deal in April and Atletico Madrid signing on to have “Visit Rwanda” as their main shirt sponsor for men’s and women’s teams in the same month. They too may now come under renewed pressure to follow Bayern’s lead.
The commerical aspect of the Rwanda deal was believed to be worth about €5 million ($5.8 million) a year to the Bundesliga champions.
But any loss had already been offset , owned and operated by the government of the United Arab Emirates announced on Wednesday. Given that country’s human rights record, that too seems likely to spark controversy.
Edited by: Chuck Penfold
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