RWANDA JUST PAID ASTON VILLA £20 MILLION FOR A SHIRT AND KAGAME IS PLAYING THE LONG GAME Rwanda has signed a record £20 million per year sponsorship deal with Aston Villa. Visit Rwanda will now appear on the front of Villa shirts from next season. The country ended an eight-year sleeve deal with Arsenal. Now […]

RWANDA JUST PAID ASTON VILLA £20 MILLION FOR A SHIRT AND KAGAME IS PLAYING THE LONG GAME

Rwanda has signed a record £20 million per year sponsorship deal with Aston Villa. Visit Rwanda will now appear on the front of Villa shirts from next season.

The country ended an eight-year sleeve deal with Arsenal. Now they are front and centre on a Premier League club.

Rwanda generated $685 million from nearly 1.5 million visitors last year. The tourism industry is growing. The gorillas are bringing in money. And Kagame is spending it on football shirts.

What is the return on investment?

Aston Villa fans in Birmingham will now see Rwanda every time they watch their team. Tourists in Kigali will see Villa shirts in the streets. The connection is not random.

But here is the question nobody is asking. Rwanda is a small country. It has been accused of funding rebels in Congo. It has been criticised for its human rights record. It has been sanctioned by some Western countries for its role in destabilising the region.

And yet it is spending millions on Premier League sponsorship.

Who is actually benefiting from this deal? Is it the tourism industry? Or is it the image of a government that wants to be seen differently on the international stage?

Rwanda is playing the long game. The shirts are just the beginning.