Bayern Munich says it will no longer promote “Visit Rwanda,” the tourism arm of the Rwandan government, but insists it is not cutting ties with the country.
The Bundesliga champions announced Friday that their 2023 deal with the East African nation — set to run until 2028 — will change focus. Instead of advertising “Visit Rwanda,” the club will now work with the Rwandan government to expand a youth football academy in Kigali.
“The new arrangement transitions away from a commercial sponsorship to a dedicated partnership focusing on football development in Rwanda through the expansion of the FC Bayern Youth Academy in Kigali,” chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said in a statement on the club’s website.
The statement pushed back on headlines that the club had cut ties altogether.
“In some media coverage, the impression may have arisen, that FC Bayern had ended its partnership with the RDB. This is not correct. Following positive and constructive discussions, we have jointly decided to transition the commercial element of our previous agreement (‘Visit Rwanda’) into a new cooperation for youth football, running until 2028.”
Bayern did not give reasons for the change.
The original sponsorship placed “Visit Rwanda” branding on pitchside boards at the 75,000-seat Allianz Arena and promoted tourism and investment opportunities. The deal was reportedly worth about €5 million ($5.8 million) a year and replaced a controversial arrangement with Qatar.
In February, Congo’s foreign minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, wrote an open letter to Bayern, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain — all sponsored by Rwanda — urging them to end what she called “blood-stained sponsorship deals with this oppressor nation.” She linked the demand to Rwanda’s alleged support for M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a group accused of brutality during the latest flare-up in eastern Congo’s long-running conflict. Kigali denies the allegations.
That same month, Bayern fans unfurled a banner during a home game accusing the club of “betraying the values” of its supporters.
The fighting in eastern Congo intensified in early 2025. The United Nations estimates thousands have died. A US-brokered ceasefire between Rwanda and Congo remains fragile, even after both governments signed a peace deal in Washington.
Rwanda has in recent years poured money into sports sponsorships, signing high-profile agreements with Arsenal, PSG and, in April, Atletico Madrid — whose men’s and women’s teams will wear “Visit Rwanda” on their shirts. Those clubs have not commented on Wagner’s letter and may now face renewed pressure to reconsider.
