Arsenal have confirmed their eight year partnership with Visit Rwanda will end this summer, drawing a line under one of the most debated sponsorship deals in recent Premier League history. The club said both parties “mutually agreed” not to renew the arrangement, which began in 2018 and saw Rwanda’s tourism board become the Gunners’ first sleeve sponsor.
The deal, worth roughly £10m a season, had faced growing criticism from supporters. Earlier this year a group of fans launched a campaign calling for the partnership to be scrapped and even plastered a satirical “Visit Tottenham” billboard outside the Emirates before a home match against Crystal Palace, a dig that didn’t exactly mince words.
Political pressure was mounting too. In February, officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo urged Arsenal to terminate the agreement after Rwandan backed rebels seized Goma, fuelling tensions in the region. Human rights groups and critics also flagged concerns about Rwanda’s governance and civil liberties, raising questions over whether the link was appropriate for a club of Arsenal’s stature.
The club’s LGBTQ+ supporter group, Gay Gooners, welcomed the move on Wednesday, saying they had been pushing against the deal internally since 2021. A survey of more than 2,500 members in July showed only 2% wanted the partnership renewed, while 86% called for a replacement. Some cited Rwanda’s stance on LGBT+ rights as a key reason.
Despite the backlash, Arsenal insisted the agreement had been commercially successful. Chief executive Richard Garlick struck a diplomatic tone, thanking the Rwanda Development Board and saying the collaboration helped expand the club’s profile across Africa while supporting long-term ambitions to win trophies “in a financially sustainable way.”
Now the Gunners will look to secure a new sleeve sponsor ahead of next season , ideally one that boosts revenue without triggering another political storm. Whether the next deal generates headlines for better reasons remains to be seen.
