Arsenal urged to put Visit Rwanda ‘financial gains’ aside

A number of Arsenal supporters are urging the club’s board to “put financial gains aside” in their calls for the Premier League to end its sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda.

The Gunners for Peace organization suggests that Rwanda would benefit from Tottenham’s proximity to the club’s former rivals.

Following more violence in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where authorities claim 7, 000 people have died since January, the African nation’s partnerships with Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Paris St-Germain have come under scrutiny.

Rwanda is accused of supporting M23 rebels with weapons and sending troops to the rebels by the Congolese government. Rwanda has refuted support for the M23 despite claims made by the United Nations and the United States.

Campaigner Joe Mbu, who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reported to BBC Sport Africa that “they are ripping or cutting off the Visit Rwanda part of the Arsenal shirt.”

Tresor Kudabika, a fellow Congolese who has changed his own kit to have the team’s logo on the sleeve, agrees that the team’s popularity is hampered by its close ties to Rwanda.

“We reached the (Uefa Champions League) quarter-final with Real Madrid,” the coach said. He claimed that the entire Congo was backing Real.

Visit Rwanda’s sleeve partnership with Arsenal started in 2018, and it is reportedly worth more than £10 million ($13.33 million) annually, according to campaigners.

PSG, a French club that plays for the Gunners in the Champions League semi-finals, renewed their partnership with Visit Rwanda until 2028.

Despite receiving 75, 000 signatures on an online petition calling for PSG to end the deal, the decision was made.

Mbu and his fellow campaigners are optimistic that North London will not follow suit.

“I think they can make the right decision,” he said. The positive aspect of it is that Arsenal representatives have spoken with them, Mbu said.

When should we consider putting financial gain aside and considering its humanity?

It would be a shame if Arsenal kept up the sponsorship.

A Rwandan government spokesperson defended their sports partnerships and claimed they helped boost the nation’s economy, while Arsenal stated that the club would not be making any comments on the Gunners for Peace campaign.

The Arsenal Rwanda Supporters Club’s secretary general, however, claimed that “the scale of dissent” was “overstated” by claims made by the club’s secretary general.

More than 10 nations gathered for a fan festival for Rwanda, which was recently held in Rwanda.

Olivier Nemeye, president of Arsenal Rwanda, said the festival “spreads strong pan-African support for the team and the Visit Rwanda collaboration.”

Before a billboard close to the Emirates Stadium with the message “Visit Tottenham,” Gunners for Peace first posted a spoof video online advertising the “beautiful streets” of Tottenham.

According to organiser James Turner, “It is a joke with a very serious punchline.”

We’re attempting to demonstrate that Rwanda is the only sponsor we can think of that can.

“It’s obvious that most Arsenal supporters would not want to be sponsored by Tottenham.

Simply put, we’re looking for a sponsor that best reflects the club’s values.

Prior to Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace on Wednesday, the group distributed armbands to supporters that could be used to cover the Visit Rwanda logo on a shirt sleeve.

People should feel free to sport Arsenal shirts, Kudabika said.

You can’t be embarrassed to wear an Arsenal shirt with Visit Rwanda on it.

Prior to the Champions League game against PSG at home on Tuesday, Gunners for Peace will be ordering more armbands, and they are also talking about potential joint action with the French club’s fans.

Since January, M23 launched an unprecedented offensive, seizing the cities of Goma and Bukavu, and raising concerns about a wider regional conflict, which has grown more severe in eastern DR Congo.

Rwanda has claimed that its forces are defying the Congolese army and allied militias, some of whom it claims have links to the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

Rwanda also denies that it is using its mineral resources in a criminal manner, as is alleged by DR Congo.

However, the rebels and DR Congo have agreed to suspend fighting until Qatar’s “peace talks” are concluded.

Following more than a week of talks characterized as “frank and constructive,” both parties jointly announced on Wednesday that they would work toward peace.

Rwanda’s government has been accused of investing in sport to improve its reputation internationally, a practice that critics have referred to as “sportswashing.”

Kigali is scheduled to host the World Road Championships for cycling in September in addition to the Visit Rwanda deals, but chances of the nation hosting a Formula 1 race appear to have waned.

The Rwandan government claimed that its sports partnerships had a significant impact on the nation’s economic transformation since 1994 and that African nations should become more active in this area.

A spokesperson told BBC Sport Africa that the Visit Rwanda tourism campaign helped Rwanda generate nearly $650 million (£488 million) in tourism revenue last year.

The few nations that have historically taken control of elite sport are no longer the ones who can no longer compete in it.

“Global sporting organizations are welcoming the rest of the world because they believe there is a chance to attract new fans.”

Given that Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, is a fan of the Gunners, Rwanda’s decision to collaborate with them seven years ago may not surprise you.

Kudabika insists that his club should cut those ties even though peace talks are still in progress.

He claimed that “Wearing Visit Rwanda is simply telling people that killing people in the Congo is acceptable.”