Don’t ‘Visit Rwanda’, ‘Visit Tottenham’ instead

The modern world of football is all about money. The more money players and their agents want, the more games are added as the football executives also want a piece of the cake. ‘Revenue’ has become the key word in football operations, and the clubs are trying to find the most effective ways to get more money in order to be more competitive. On that path, there are (almost) no boundaries, so we can see that Borussia Dortmund gets money to sponsor the arm manufacturer Rheinmetall, while Arsenal, PSG and Bayern Munich all get money from the African country Rwanda for that famous “Visit Rwanda’ sign on their sleeve. All those clubs are faced with huge protests over those deals, but usually don’t care.

For example, Dortmund had a huge row with the fans, PSG renew it’s contact until 2028 ignoring online petition with over 75000 signs while Arsenal will face their battle with the fans now, as their current deal runs out at the end of the season. Increased violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where authorities say 7,000 people have been killed since January have brought Rwanda deal at the front again. The Congolese government accuses Rwanda of arming M23 rebels and sending troops to support the militants. Despite assertions from both the United Nations and United States, Rwanda has denied supporting the M23.

The Gunners for piece group is advocating against the ‘Visit Rwanda’ deal, telling Arsenal executives to put ‘financial gain aside’.

"In Congo, or amongst the Congolese community, they are ripping or cutting off the Visit Rwanda part of the Arsenal shirt. I believe that they can do the right thing. The good thing about it is that we have been in communication with representatives from Arsenal. At what point do we look at putting financial gains aside and look at the humanity of it? For Arsenal to continue with the sponsorship would be a great shame” campaigner Joe Mbu, who was born in DR Congo, told BBC Sport Africa.

More Rwanda controversy for the Gunners

"We had the (Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. The whole country in Congo was supporting Real" added his Congolese Tresor Kudabika. They also say that after recent polling, six in 10 Arsenal fans support ending the Visit Rwanda deal. So far, nobody from the club wanted to comment anything about the topic. The group also handed out armbands to supporters, which could be used to cover the Visit Rwanda logo on the sleeve of shirts, which they wore during the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace. They are also plotting a joint action with PSG supporters for the first game between the clubs in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"Visit Rwanda" sponsorship deal is another problem for Arsenal

Arsenal fans also used this campaign to mock their North London rivals Tottenham. Gunners For Peace has launched a video mocking the sponsorship, entitled ‘Visit Tottenham’, the club’s local north London rivals.

“The video is an advert for the delights of Tottenham as a tourism destination. The Tottenham stuff is a joke, a way to get other Arsenal fans talking on the terraces and in the pub. Obviously, none of us would accept Tottenham on the shirt, so why Rwanda? Where do we draw the line when it comes to these corporate deals? We know that Arsenal fans think about this stuff, so we’re just trying to make it easier for them to engage with us” said James Turner, a Gunners For Peace spokesperson, to The Athletic.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 34

Tuesday

Man.City - Aston Villa 2-1 (1-1)

/Silva 7, Nunes 90+4 - Rashford 18 pen/

Wednesday

Arsenal - Crystal Palace 2-2 (2-1)

/Kiwior 3, Trossard 42 - Eze 27/

Saturday

14:30: (1.63) Chelsea (3.80) Everton (5.70)

17:00: (1.67) Brighton (4.20) West Ham (5.00)

17:00: (1.20) Newcastle (6.75) Ipswich (14.0)

17:00: (5.00) Southampton (4.20) Fulham (1.65)

17:00: (1.62) Wolverhampton (3.80) Leicester (5.80)

Sunday

Sun 16:00: (1.70) Bournemouth (4.20) Man.Utd. (4.70)

Sun 18:30: (1.30) Liverpool (5.90) Tottenham (9.00)

***odds are subject to change***