FC Bayern Munich: partnership with Visit Rwanda refocused on the development of an academy in Kigali

FC Bayern Munich (Bundesliga) have transformed their sponsorship agreement with the Rwanda Development Board, covering the 2023-2028 cycle, into an academy deal providing for the development, by both entities, of an academy for young players in Kigali (RWA), announced the club on 08/08/2025.

The agreement, which initially gave the tourism brand Visit Rwanda "platinum partner" status, the second level in the German club's sponsorship hierarchy, for the entire duration of the contract (five seasons), was valued at €5.2m per year. From 2025-26, it will become "a dedicated partnership focusing on football development," according to Bayern, who have withdrawn the agency's logo from their communication media.

The original partnership had been criticised by the club's supporters, who unfurled a banner against it at a match at the Allianz Arena (Munich, GER) in February 2024, with the words "Visit Rwanda - whoever looks on with indifference is betraying the values of FC Bayern!" Critics of the partnership deplored in particular the role played by the Rwandan army in the ongoing conflict in…