Officials in Kigali are putting on a brave face amid a push by the Democratic Republic of Congo to have European football clubs cancel the lucrative “Visit Rwanda” sponsorship deals over its alleged backing of the M23 rebels.
Congo’s Foreign minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner has urged the clubs Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain (PSG) to end their "blood-stained" sponsorship agreements with Visit Rwanda following worsening humanitarian crisis in the country.
Ms Wagner further urged Formula One to end talks with Rwanda over hosting a race, saying the Liberty Media-owned sport risks having its brand "smeared by a blood-stained association".
German club Bayern Munich has been listening and sent representatives to Kigali to hold talks with government officials on the matter.
Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo confirmed meeting representatives from Germany.
“We met with the representatives and we talked, as we have continuously done with all our partners. Rwanda’s sports partnerships contribute to our tourism and economy,” she said.
She turned to Kinshasa, advising them to focus on their internal problems.
“Instead of running around the world blaming Rwanda, DRC would be better off focusing on governing their country correctly and developing sports partnerships that benefit the Congolese people,” Ms Makolo said.
Although Arsenal and PSG are yet to publicly comment on the issue, Bayern Munich Chief Executive Officer Jan-Christian Dreesen has said the club is monitoring the situation in DR Congo.
“It’s a conflict that has generated international reactions, we are dealing with it of course. I have personally sent two employees to Rwanda to monitor the situation,” he told DW.
“Our colleagues will return this week and report back. We are in touch with the Germany Foreign Ministry and authorities. We will take everything into consideration and discuss the next steps.”
Speaking to Sky news on Tuesday, DRC minister Wagner said the football clubs were being sponsored by "a country that is wreaking havoc in the Great Lakes region, and that is a de facto a warmonger."
"In the DRC, thousands of people have been killed, including children... children who certainly also cheer for Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich or Arsenal. And so there is a need to reconcile that. How do these clubs know that the money used is not money that is derived from the sales of minerals for example... mined in the DRC through horrific human rights violations? How do these different football clubs reconcile with their conscience with the ideals that football represents bringing people together? I believe that these clubs are still soul-searching, and we are waiting and looking forward to hearing from them to engage in a constructive conversation,” the minister said.
The UN reported that up to 3,000 people were killed as M23 rebels captured the city of Goma, while hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced just this year.
Reacting to the appeals by Congo, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame said: “The efforts they are using to go and appeal to Arsenal or whichever other group we are working with… is a wasted effort. I think they should direct the effort towards managing their own problems, their own politics properly.”
The five-year partnership inked in 2023 with Bayern Munich requires the club, working with Rwanda’s Ministry of Sports to set up a football academy for girls and boys to strengthen the development of football in the country, and send coaches to Rwanda to conduct training.
In addition, the club has to display “Visit Rwanda” branding on matchday LED boards at the club’s 75,000-seater Allianz Arena and different activities are organised to promote tourism and investment opportunities in Rwanda.
The partnership has been described by Bayern as "platinum" and is in excess of $5.15 million a year.
Meanwhile, Kigali is assuring cycling fans and participants that the much-anticipated Tour du Rwanda 2025 will take place, despite security concerns that forced some teams to pull out of the race.
The Belgian cycling team, Soudal Quick-Step, announced that it would not participate in the Tour of Rwanda (2.1) due to security concerns emanating from the war in eastern Congo.
"Rwanda is safe for cyclists and visitors. The race will take place, and the route remains the same," Ms Makolo said.
She also added that preparations for the World cycling championship slated for September are also in progress.
"Preparations continue for the World Championship. It is a city race and was always planned for Kigali. We look forward to welcoming all the cyclists and visitors."
Organisers of the races have also reassured fans and participants that Rwanda has taken stringent security measures to ensure safety, promising an “exciting and smooth” race experience for everyone.
The Tour du Rwanda 2025, mark its 17th edition as an international race and its seventh year as a UCI 2.1 event, will run from February 23 to March 2, 2025.
Some 16 teams are expected to compete in this year’s race, with a diverse mix of continental teams and national squads.
Continental teams iLotto Dstny Dev Team, Bike Aid, and UAE Team Emirates Gen Z will battle it out with Rwanda’s own Team Amani, Java-InovoTec, and May Stars.
National teams representing Rwanda, Angola, South Africa, Eritrea, and Ethiopia are expected to bring their best cyclists to the competition.
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