Latest news with #JanChristianDreesen
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Bayern drop ‘Visit Rwanda' sponsorship amid conflict backlash
MUNICH, Aug 9 — Bayern Munich will end a sponsorship promoting tourism in Rwanda after controversy relating to the ongoing conflict in the region. Bayern yesterday announced its partnership with the African nation, initially signed in 2023 and set to run until 2028, would shift to focus on a youth academy. '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,' Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said in a statement. The statement did not expressly mention the underlying reasons for the shift, but German media yesterday widely reported the decision was motivated by criticism as a result of the escalating conflict. In February, Bayern fans held up a banner at a home game saying the deal 'betrayed the values' of the club. The Rwandan government has been accused of disregarding human rights and supporting rebels fighting against government forces in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the beginning of 2025, violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo intensified. The Rwandan-backed M23 armed group and Rwandan troops seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, in January, and then Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, in February. The UN estimates thousands have died as a result of the attacks. The deal included 'Visit Rwanda' advertising at Bayern's 75,000-seat Allianz Arena home ground and replaced a controversial deal with Qatar, which was also criticised by the club's supporters. Following criticism of the previous deal, Bayern sent staff to Rwanda to assess the situation on the ground. The new contract runs until 2028. Premier League side Arsenal and Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain also have faced criticism for similar sponsorship deals with Rwanda. — AFP
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Bayern Munich to move away from its ‘Visit Rwanda' sponsorship this season after criticism from fans
Bayern Munich has signalled a significant reduction in its "Visit Rwanda" branding, transitioning away from a commercial sponsorship with the African nation following a backlash over its alleged support for rebels in neighbouring Congo. The German football champions announced a new agreement that reconfigures their existing partnership into a three-year deal, focusing instead on developing young players at a Bayern-affiliated academy in Rwanda. The original five-year deal, signed in 2023, saw Bayern dismiss allegations of "sportswashing" at the time. It included prominent "Visit Rwanda" advertisements within the stadium and aimed to promote tourism and investment opportunities in the country. This agreement had notably replaced a controversial sponsorship deal with Qatar. Rwanda maintains similar high-profile sponsorships with other European football giants, including Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, and Atletico Madrid. Public discontent with the partnership escalated in February when some Bayern fans displayed a large banner protesting the deal during a game. This came amid accusations from the United Nations that Rwanda has been backing rebel groups in eastern Congo. Under the revised terms, the focus shifts to a developmental initiative. Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen stated: "In constructive talks about our future direction, we agreed that a very special part of our relationship with (the Rwanda Development Board) was the developmental nature of our work in Kigali through the FC Bayern Academy. We are therefore transforming our commercial partnership into a talent programme and expanding the FC Bayern Academy in (Rwanda's capital) Kigali together with the RDB as both a football and social initiative. This remains perfectly aligned to our strategic objective of developing playing talent in Africa." Bayern did not specify the timeline for phasing out the "Visit Rwanda" branding, describing the change as a transition. As of Friday afternoon local time, the branding remained visible on a section of the club's website listing sponsors and partners. Jean-Guy Afrika, chief executive of the Rwanda Development Board, was quoted by Bayern as saying the changes aimed to "accelerate sports development," adding: "This continued partnership with FC Bayern helps ensure that talent development remains anchored in our broader vision to position Rwanda as a global hub for tourism, investment, and high-performance sport." Rwanda's presence in European football has steadily increased since 2018, when it first partnered with Arsenal to feature "Visit Rwanda" on the London club's shirt sleeves. An agreement with PSG was signed in 2019 and renewed in April this year, covering stadium branding and shirt-sleeve sponsorship at the Club World Cup. A three-year deal to sponsor Atletico Madrid, including branding on training and warm-up shirts, was agreed in April. The accusations against Rwanda centre on its alleged support for the M23 rebel group, which is the most potent of over 100 armed factions vying for dominance in mineral-rich eastern Congo, just across the border. Rwanda has also been accused of exploiting eastern Congo's minerals, which are crucial for products like smartphones and advanced fighter jets. However, Rwandan authorities counter these claims by alleging that some participants in the 1994 Rwandan genocide fled into Congo and are either collaborating with or being protected by the Congolese army. They have consistently denied involvement in Congo's minerals sector, asserting that any security actions taken are solely to protect their own territory. ___
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Bayern Munich veers from Rwanda sponsorship after criticism
Bayern Munich has signalled it will cut down on 'Visit Rwanda' branding as it moves 'away from a commercial sponsorship' with the African nation facing a backlash over alleged support for rebels in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Bayern dismissed allegations of 'sportswashing' when it signed a five-year deal with Rwanda in 2023. It included advertisements in the stadium and what Bayern called events 'to promote tourism and investment opportunities in Rwanda'. At the time, it replaced a sponsorship deal with Qatar. Rwanda has similar sponsorships with European football giants like Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid. Some Bayern fans displayed a large banner at a game in February protesting against the deal amid accusations from the United Nations that Rwanda has backed rebels in the DRC. Now the German football champions say they have reached a new deal with Rwanda that turns the existing sponsorship into a three-year agreement focusing on developing young football players at a Bayern-affiliated academy in the country. 'In constructive talks about our future direction, we agreed that a very special part of our relationship with [the Rwanda Development Board (RDB)] was the developmental nature of our work in Kigali through the FC Bayern Academy,' Bayern Chief Executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said on Friday in a statement. 'We are therefore transforming our commercial partnership into a talent programme and expanding the FC Bayern Academy in Kigali together with the RDB as both a football and social initiative. This remains perfectly aligned to our strategic objective of developing playing talent in Africa.' Bayern didn't specify how soon it would drop 'Visit Rwanda' branding as part of the move, which it described as a transition. As of Friday afternoon, the branding was still displayed under a section of the Bayern website listing club sponsors and partners. RDB Chief Executive Jean-Guy Afrika was quoted by Bayern as saying the changes to the partnership aimed to 'accelerate sports development', adding: 'This continued partnership with FC Bayern helps ensure that talent development remains anchored in our broader vision to position Rwanda as a global hub for tourism, investment, and high-performance sport.' Rwanda's presence in European football has grown steadily since 2018 when it first partnered with Arsenal to put 'Visit Rwanda' branding on the London club's shirt sleeves. An agreement with PSG was signed in 2019 and renewed in April this year. It covers branding in the stadium and included shirt-sleeve sponsorship at the Club World Cup. A three-year deal to sponsor Atletico was agreed in April, including branding on training and warm-up shirts. Rwanda is accused of supporting the M23 rebel group, the strongest of more than 100 armed groups vying for dominance in the mineral-rich eastern DRC just across the border from Rwanda. Rwanda also has been accused of exploiting the eastern DRC's minerals, used in smartphones, advanced fighter jets and much more. Rwandan authorities alleged that some of the people who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide fled to the DRC and are either working with or are being protected by the Congolese army. They have denied involvement in the DRC's minerals sector and said any security action taken is to protect its own territory.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bayern Munich shifts away from 'Visit Rwanda' sponsorship after criticism
MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich signaled Friday it will cut down on 'Visit Rwanda' branding as it moves 'away from a commercial sponsorship' with the African nation facing a backlash over alleged support for rebels in neighboring Congo. Bayern dismissed allegations of 'sportswashing' when it signed a five-year Rwanda deal in 2023. It included advertisements in the stadium and what Bayern called events 'to promote tourism and investment opportunities in Rwanda.' At the time, it replaced a controversial sponsorship deal with Qatar. Rwanda has similar sponsorships with European soccer giants like Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid. Some Bayern fans displayed a large banner at a game in February protesting the deal, amid accusations from the United Nations that Rwanda has backed rebels in neighboring Congo. Now the German soccer champion says it's reached a new deal with Rwanda which turns the existing sponsorship deal into a three-year agreement focusing on developing young soccer players at a Bayern-affiliated academy in the country. 'In constructive talks about our future direction, we agreed that a very special part of our relationship with (the Rwanda Development Board) was the developmental nature of our work in Kigali through the FC Bayern Academy,' Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said in a statement. "We are therefore transforming our commercial partnership into a talent programme and expanding the FC Bayern Academy in (Rwanda's capital) Kigali together with the RDB as both a football and social initiative. This remains perfectly aligned to our strategic objective of developing playing talent in Africa.' Bayern didn't specify how soon it would drop 'Visit Rwanda' branding as part of the move, which is described as a transition. As of Friday afternoon local time, the branding was still displayed under a section of the Bayern website listing club sponsors and partners. The RDB's chief executive, Jean-Guy Afrika, was quoted by Bayern as saying the changes to the partnership aimed to 'accelerate sports development,' adding: "This continued partnership with FC Bayern helps ensure that talent development remains anchored in our broader vision to position Rwanda as a global hub for tourism, investment, and high-performance sport.' Rwanda's presence in European soccer has grown steadily since 2018, when it first partnered with Arsenal to put 'Visit Rwanda' branding on the London club's shirt sleeves. An agreement with PSG was signed in 2019 and renewed in April this year. It covers branding in the stadium and included shirt-sleeve sponsorship at the Club World Cup. A three-year deal to sponsor Atletico was agreed in April including branding on training and warm-up shirts. Rwanda is accused of supporting the M23 rebel group, the most potent of more than 100 armed groups vying for dominance in mineral-rich eastern Congo just across the border with Rwanda. Rwanda also has been accused of exploiting eastern Congo's minerals, used in smartphones, advanced fighter jets and much more. However, Rwandan authorities allege some of those who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide fled into Congo and are either working with or are being protected by the Congolese army. They have denied involvement in Congo's minerals sector and said any security action taken is to protect its territory. ___ AP soccer:
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Bayern Munich shifts away from 'Visit Rwanda' sponsorship after criticism
Bayern Munich signaled Friday it will cut down on 'Visit Rwanda' branding as it moves 'away from a commercial sponsorship' with the African nation facing a backlash over alleged support for rebels in neighboring Congo. Bayern dismissed allegations of 'sportswashing' when it signed a five-year Rwanda deal in 2023. It included advertisements in the stadium and what Bayern called events 'to promote tourism and investment opportunities in Rwanda.' At the time, it replaced a controversial sponsorship deal with Qatar. Rwanda has similar sponsorships with European soccer giants like Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid. Some Bayern fans displayed a large banner at a game in February protesting the deal, amid accusations from the United Nations that Rwanda has backed rebels in neighboring Congo. Now the German soccer champion says it's reached a new deal with Rwanda which turns the existing sponsorship deal into a three-year agreement focusing on developing young soccer players at a Bayern-affiliated academy in the country. 'In constructive talks about our future direction, we agreed that a very special part of our relationship with (the Rwanda Development Board) was the developmental nature of our work in Kigali through the FC Bayern Academy,' Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said in a statement. "We are therefore transforming our commercial partnership into a talent programme and expanding the FC Bayern Academy in (Rwanda's capital) Kigali together with the RDB as both a football and social initiative. This remains perfectly aligned to our strategic objective of developing playing talent in Africa.' Bayern didn't specify how soon it would drop 'Visit Rwanda' branding as part of the move, which is described as a transition. As of Friday afternoon local time, the branding was still displayed under a section of the Bayern website listing club sponsors and partners. The RDB's chief executive, Jean-Guy Afrika, was quoted by Bayern as saying the changes to the partnership aimed to 'accelerate sports development,' adding: "This continued partnership with FC Bayern helps ensure that talent development remains anchored in our broader vision to position Rwanda as a global hub for tourism, investment, and high-performance sport.' Rwanda's presence in European soccer has grown steadily since 2018, when it first partnered with Arsenal to put 'Visit Rwanda' branding on the London club's shirt sleeves. An agreement with PSG was signed in 2019 and renewed in April this year. It covers branding in the stadium and included shirt-sleeve sponsorship at the Club World Cup. A three-year deal to sponsor Atletico was agreed in April including branding on training and warm-up shirts. Rwanda is accused of supporting the M23 rebel group, the most potent of more than 100 armed groups vying for dominance in mineral-rich eastern Congo just across the border with Rwanda. Rwanda also has been accused of exploiting eastern Congo's minerals, used in smartphones, advanced fighter jets and much more. However, Rwandan authorities allege some of those who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide fled into Congo and are either working with or are being protected by the Congolese army. They have denied involvement in Congo's minerals sector and said any security action taken is to protect its territory. ___
