Moses Kaketo 1mo Report this post #AstonVilla announce #VisitRwanda partnership English Premier League soccer side Aston Villa have brought in Visit Rwanda as their new front-of-shirt sponsor, through a deal described as the most important sponsorship agreement in club history. Club sources claimed the agreement could be worth up to £20million a year if bonuses are met. Visit Rwanda’s branding will appear on the front of all men’s, women’s and academy teams' shirts, as well as in a number of other prominent spaces, in an agreement that will be the most important sponsorship deal in the history of the football club. Visit Rwanda serves as the national #tourism brand of the country, aiming to promote the nation as a premier travel and investment destination, but it has proven controversial. As previously reported by The Athletic, its sponsorship deals with other European clubs have been the subject of protests and accusations of sportswashing. Following the allegations of Rwanda supporting #M23 , Arsenal, Bayern and PSG supporters staged protests against the country’s commercial ties to their clubs in 2025. PSG fans, for example, launched a #StopVisitRwanda petition, which was signed by more than 75,000 people. Visit Rwanda’s European partnerships currently include #ParisSaintGermain and #AtleticoMadrid , but its shirt sleeve deal with Arsenal, after being worth £10million a year, concluded after eight years at the end of last season. United Nations reports linked the #Rwandan government to the M23, which operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the mineral-rich nation that borders Rwanda to the west. Villa have been exploring ways to increase revenue, such as a stadium naming rights partner and a sponsor to the training ground, Bodymoor Heath. In January, Villa announced a training kit sponsor, Egyptian hotel chain El Gouna Red Sea. It is owned by Samih Sawiris, brother of Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris. 4 Like Comment Share Copy LinkedIn Facebook X To view or add a comment, sign in
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