Bayern Munich ends most of its “Visit Rwanda” advertising. The club itself is in the process of ending its commercial sponsorship arrangement with the East African nation. The move follows increasing criticism and allegations of Rwandan meddling in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As of Friday, Bayern Munich was still beaming the “Visit Rwanda” branding across its website. This branding showed up in a niche devoted to the club’s sponsors and partners. The club has recently declared that it will not be renewing this sponsorship in its current form.
The German football club has categorically rejected any suggestion that it is complicit in the DRC’s minerals sector. Bayern’s very public position has been that any security steps it takes are purely in defense of its own turf. The club categorically denies all allegations of “sportswashing.” For a start, they like to stress that their deal with Rwanda is all about fostering young footballing talent across Africa.
In recent weeks, Bayern Munich has signed a renewed partnership with Rwanda. This new three-year agreement will train the next generation of promising young football stars at a Bayern-Kigali-affiliated academy. This unique initiative to improve player development is simultaneously strengthening international relations.
“We are therefore transforming our commercial partnership into a talent programme and expanding the FC Bayern Academy in Kigali together with the RDB as both a football and social initiative. This remains perfectly aligned to our strategic objective of developing playing talent in Africa.” – Jan-Christian Dreesen
Here are Bayern fans protesting the deal at a match in February. Their display of hundreds of banners against the commercial partnership made the city government move to end the commercial partnership. Accusations leveled by the United Nations International Independent Experts triggered these protests. These activists allege that for over a decade, at least, Rwanda has been backing the M23 rebel group operating in the DRC. Rwandan authorities have accused Tutsi and other perpetrators of the 1994 genocide from the current regime in Rwanda of seeking refuge in the DRC. They allege that these people are under the protection of Congolese forces.
Rwanda has signed similar sponsorship deals with other major European clubs, like Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain. Since becoming a partner of Arsenal in 2018, the country of Rwanda has used its “Visit Rwanda” advertising on the club’s shirt sleeves. Likewise, a recent deal struck with soccer club Atletico Madrid has them placing advertising on their training and warm-up shirts.
No stranger to criticism and scrutiny, Bayern Munich has been subject to attacks over its sponsorship agreements. The club is resolute on its commitment to youth development in Africa.
“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.” – Jean-Guy Afrika
Bayern has still not released a timeline for the cessation of “Visit Rwanda”-related branding. They continued, what these new changes represent is the moving of the needle from commercial, particularly in this transition period. The club is continuing this work with an even deeper commitment to cultivating football talent in Africa. Through its academy initiatives, it hopes to cultivate this growth beyond the field as well.
