Bayern Munich Refocus Rwanda Partnership Away from Sponsorship Amid Sportswashing Criticism

Bayern Munich has restructured its agreement with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), reducing the prominence of the ‘Visit Rwanda’ tourism campaign and shifting the focus to football development.

The original five-year deal, signed in 2023 and valued at around €5 million (AUD 8.1 million) annually, featured stadium branding at the Allianz Arena and global tourism promotion.

In recent months, the partnership faced political scrutiny following allegations of Rwanda’s support for the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In February, the DRC’s foreign minister urged Bayern to reconsider the arrangement.

Bayern Munich Reputational Considerations

Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said he sent representatives to Rwanda to assess the political context before making changes. The new three-year agreement, running through to 2028, centres on expanding the FC Bayern Academy in Kigali and delivering football and social development programmes.

“In constructive talks about our future direction, we agreed that the developmental nature of our work in Kigali was a special part of our relationship with the RDB,” Dreesen said.

“We are transforming our commercial partnership into a talent programme, expanding the FC Bayern Academy in Kigali as a dual football and social initiative. This remains perfectly aligned to our strategic objective of developing playing talent in Africa.”

The changes reduce traditional sponsorship activation in favour of grassroots engagement. While this may lower Bayern’s commercial returns, it also helps mitigate reputational risks. The ‘Visit Rwanda’ brand has already disappeared from the club’s official website, though Bayern has not confirmed its removal from other assets.

RDB Refocuses on Sports Infrastructure

RDB CEO Jean-Guy Afrika described the change as an evolution in strategic priorities.

“As we enter a new phase, we are refocusing resources to accelerate sports development, with an emphasis on talent identification, coaching excellence, and sports infrastructure,” Afrika said.

RDB continues to hold other high-profile football sponsorships, including sleeve branding with Arsenal, a long-term partnership with Paris Saint-Germain renewed earlier this year, and a three-year deal with Atletico Madrid.

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