Arsenal players celebrating a goal
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Politics and sports, when mixed results into a bitter concoction. This is exactly what happened when time came for negotiations for the renewal of a sleeve contract between Arsenal and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).
In June 2026, Rwanda pulled off a daring deal with Arsenal, one of Europe’s most popular clubs for an eight-season “Visit Rwanda” sleeve deal.
Although the amount the African country parted with in this deal, it faced stiff opposition from both the club’s fans and politicians. Mid this week, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame dropped the bomb shell.
“Our sleeve sponsorship deal with Arsenal failed, following unfruitful commercial negotiations,” said Kagame distancing the decision from politics.
For that reason, the “Visit Rwanda” deal is set to end in June 2026. The agreement had made Rwanda the club’s first Official Sleeve Partner.
Sources have however revealed that earlier this year, Bayern Munich terminated its own Visit Rwanda agreement. This followed persistent pressure from fans, who fronted ethical issues.
On the other hand, the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust expressed dissatisfaction with their own deal with the African country during the club’s most recent Advisory Board meeting.
In February, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) formally urged Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain to cancel their sponsorships with Visit Rwanda.
They accused Kigali of supporting M23 rebels in eastern Congo. Kagame denied these, allegations, blaming political witch hunt.
“The reason for renewal is to look at whether new conditions demand different things from either party. For the last contract, we didn’t get so much in this area, and we can’t be paying for it so much,” he said.
Kagame added that he will continue being an Arsenal fan. “Of course, I will even go and watch them in their stadium when I have time,” he said during a press conference in Kigali on Thursday.
He added that the latest talks broke down after negotiators could not agree on proposed revisions.
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