Arsenal and Visit Rwanda end partnership after 8 years amid human right controversy

English football team Arsenal says it will terminate its partnership with Visit Rwanda at the end of this season, when the brand will cease to appear on the Gunners’ sleeves.

The Premier League leaders and the East African nation’s tourism board first joined forces in 2018 for a deal reportedly worth more than $13 million a year.

But it’s been a controversial partnership for Arsenal, with the team coming under fire over Rwanda’s human rights record and its reported support for M23 fighters in eastern DR Congo, something Kigali denies.

Visit Rwanda said the separation is part of a broader strategy to conquer new markets, in particular in the United States, where it has signed a deal with the LA Rams basketball franchise.

Arsenal said in a statement that the partnership had exceeded its goals of promoting conservation and sustainable tourism and that millions of its supporters had been inspired to visit Rwanda. The team thanked Rwanda for helping it invest in its long-term vision to win major trophies.