Opposition to Visit Rwanda sponsorship

[Monty]

I did think that this Calvo from Juve was bad news.

[PaulWinch again]

There is no "can" in this. The club will ignore any online petition.

This.

It is important to air our feelings on this but there is zero chance anything changes as a result of it. 

Of course, but I’m not sure anyone really expects it to. Airing the views and making it clear is key.

[django]

Kudos to those organising this. As others have said it won’t change anything directly unless it became something which became an overwhelming issue for a majority of our fans.

Sadly it won’t have that kind of cut through as so many people aren’t aware of political issues in this country let alone half way across
the world. Of those people who are made aware of the concerns not all will care. There are enough degrees of separation between the repression in Rwanda and Congo and the money being paid to the club. That’s why sports washing works so well.

It’s important not to just shrug though and to remind the club of their moral responsibilities. If nothing else they might consider potential
commercial impacts of dubious future deals.

[Coop]

No disrespect to Cardiff fans, but there's a lot more of us!.....

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/09/cardiff-red-to-blue-kit-vincent-tan

[Olneythelonely]

That didn’t cost the club £60m+. Not to say I don’t think this isn’t worthwhile, it is, but only to show that we’re not happy. There isn’t a 1% chance of them breaking the already signed contract.

[PaulWinch again]

No clearly - but the more dissatisfaction they see, reduced shirt/merch sales as well, they might think twice about the next deal.

[cdbearsfan]

That didn’t cost the club £60m+. Not to say I don’t think this isn’t worthwhile, it is, but only to show that we’re not happy. There isn’t a 1% chance of them breaking the already signed contract.

I don't think so. But I think fan pressure might, at least, make them reconsider when it comes to renewing the deal. I think fan pressure is the main reason they are no longer affiliated with Arsenal.

[Coop]

That didn’t cost the club £60m+.

No, of course not. It's just an example of the little people standing up and winning.

[PeterWithesShin]

It almost certainly won't make any difference, but doing nothing 100% won't.

[purpletrousers]

That didn’t cost the club £60m+. Not to say I don’t think this isn’t worthwhile, it is, but only to show that we’re not happy. There isn’t a 1% chance of them breaking the already signed contract.

I don't think so. But I think fan pressure might, at least, make them reconsider when it comes to renewing the deal. I think fan pressure is the main reason they are no longer affiliated with Arsenal.

I got in touch with gunnersforpeace.co.uk a while back to offer solidarity/aporeciation and potentially a Rw voice, for me the existence of that campaign was so important that people were speaking out.

There was a horrific moment in 2020 when a well known musician was kidnapped and in jail at risk, I failed to get a broadsheet Africa correspondent engaged (it was a possibly useful time as Queen was due to be visiting Rw for CHOGM Commonwealth, though got cancelled due to covid).

Before I could get any press engagement around him, Kizito Mihigo, (the last message from that journo “I’m not sure we can take it further for the moment”)…

It was a painful failure to get the message my friend’s friend had been murdered in jail.

If anybody is interested in his story

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-51667168

Referenced again here recently due to a current case, also tortured.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/02/25/jailed-critic-in-rwanda-faces-30-year-sentence-0

I’m in touch with one journalist but will be v limited in my capacity.
Coop I DM’d you. I hope, I’ll go check.
Others pls DM me if you have capacity.

My friend kidnapped/tortured and was possibly due to be killed for his peacemaking efforts of doing trauma workshops that acknowledged pain and wrongdoing on all sides, is a v unusual/remarkable character forgiving/befriending/teaching torturer/jailer in situ and got out, hence the doc film being made.

His friend Mihigo did not get out. Others are there now, reporting being tortured. This stuff is real, live and ongoing. I hope I’ve not being arguing with a bot/govt voices in one social media platform but time needs to be used wisely.

I need others to find folk with time and energy on Reddit, TwitterX, Villa Talk, and well I guess I’ll stir the hornet/gammon nest again on some of the FB groups, perhaps once there is a contact email/website.

Thank you to the PR offer from a dear member of this parish.

I’ll be honest because of past warnings I’ve been wondering if I should not say all this publicly and putting myself/others at risk but of course that is exactly the climate of fear that silences the Rw diaspora I’ve witnessed first person, people being literally afraid to speak out.

Please if you have time/capacity to help do.

I’m realising a photo with a banner eg outside the ground for the first home fixture is a minimum, and ideally pre Super Cup, I can get PSG contacts no doubt via the Arsenal lot, if anybody is up for that.

Bizzarely I know someone about to go to Rw who will be at that match, not sure if they are willing to be engaged.

We know it can be incorrect but ChatGPT fir what it’s worth on activism and impact

Visit Rwanda sponsorship: football fan activism by club and tangible impact

Arsenal

* By far the largest and most organised campaign.
* Supporters formed Gunners for Peace, staging protests outside the Emirates, distributing armbands to cover the Visit Rwanda sleeve logo, erecting a “Visit Tottenham” billboard, producing campaign videos, lobbying the board and attracting support from Congolese fans.
* Some PSG supporters joined protests before the Champions League semi-final.
* Campaigners also cited polling suggesting majority support among Arsenal fans for ending the deal.
* Tangible impact: Yes. Arsenal announced the sponsorship would end in June 2026 after eight years. While the club did not explicitly attribute the decision to protests, campaigners and BBC analysis described it as a significant victory for supporter activism.
* References:
    * BBC Sport – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cj45z1yq2nzo
    * BBC Sport – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c3epgezjw8xo

Bayern Munich

* Bayern supporters displayed banners criticising the sponsorship and joined wider criticism after renewed fighting in eastern DR Congo.
* Activism was less centralised than Arsenal’s but was visible inside the stadium.
* Tangible impact: Partial. Bayern scaled back the commercial partnership, replacing much of the tourism branding with a youth football development programme centred on the FC Bayern Academy in Kigali. The relationship continued but in a reduced form.
* References:
    * BBC Sport – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c15v10l5w2go
    * Associated Press – https://apnews.com/article/f432b0eed377b0f83d27a8227124d335

Paris Saint-Germain

* Some PSG supporters displayed anti-Visit Rwanda banners.
* A handful joined Arsenal supporters outside the Emirates carrying a “Drop Visit Rwanda” banner before the Champions League semi-final.
* Tangible impact: No direct success. PSG renewed the sponsorship through 2028 despite criticism.
* References:
    * BBC Sport – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c15v10l5w2go
    * BBC Sport – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c3epgezjw8xo

Atlético Madrid

* Opposition emerged almost immediately after the sponsorship announcement, but there has not yet been evidence of a sustained organised supporter campaign comparable to Arsenal’s.
* Tangible impact: None so far. The three-year deal remains in place.
* References:
    * BBC Sport – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c15v10l5w2go

Aston Villa

* The sponsorship was announced in July 2026.
* Human rights organisations criticised the deal immediately, while online supporter opposition has been widespread and some fan groups have begun organising.
* Organised matchday activism is still in its infancy.
* Tangible impact: Too early to assess. No commercial or club response yet.
* References:
    * Reuters – https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/villa-criticized-over-visit-rwanda-sponsorship-deal-2026-07-15/

Overall assessment

* Arsenal is the clearest example where fan activism appears to have had a meaningful real-world effect. Although Arsenal never acknowledged campaign pressure as the reason, the organised, sustained campaign coincided with the club ending the sponsorship, and multiple commentators described it as a victory for supporters.
* Bayern Munich achieved a more limited outcome: the sponsorship was restructured rather than terminated.
* PSG and Atlético Madrid have so far resisted supporter pressure and maintained or expanded their relationships.
* Aston Villa is at the beginning of the same cycle. Given the precedent at Arsenal, many observers are watching to see whether supporter pressure develops into a sustained campaign.

[Dogtanian]

We are up to 378 signatures now on the petition. I have been thinking about how we get more attention for it and unfortunately that means the murky world of social media.

I've set up an Instagram account, Blue Sky account, and X (urgh) account as Villa Fans 4 Ethical Sponsorship.

The idea being that we can use them to post things, comment under Villa news where appropriate, and generally get more attention.

Firstly, if you can please follow them on any accounts you have:

X
@vf_4_es

Blue Sky
vf4es.bsky.social

Instagram
vf4esd

Secondly, if you can like and re-post when we post things on them, that would be a great help.

Thirdly, can you please let us know of anything you think we can post, links to stories and articles we can draw attention to, or posts from others that we can engage with or support with likes and re-posts.


Lastly, if anyone has social media experience or graphic design skills that can help us produce posts that will draw engagement, please let me know.

[Dogtanian]

Oh, I am thinking that with two new shirts to be announced that will have the sponsorship on them, we can do something for their social media announcements when they come.

If anyone has any ideas, please shout up!

[Dogtanian]

I am crap at this, but here is something simple I am going to post on the accounts with a link in the text to the petition. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[PeterWithesShin]

Copy and paste the link as well as posting the pic. People would be more likely yo sign if it's just one click.

[Dogtanian]

Yep, going to put it in the post text as a link.