Bayern Munich Ends Rwanda Deal After Fan and NGO Pressure

On 8 August 2025, FC Bayern Munich confirmed it had ended its controversial sponsorship deal with Rwanda. The “Visit Rwanda” logo will no longer appear in the Allianz Arena or on Bayern’s training kits.

The agreement, worth just over five million euros per year and scheduled to run until 2028, was terminated after months of pressure from fans and human rights groups. In its official statement, Bayern said the partnership would now be redirected towards “new cooperation for youth football” in Rwanda, including the expansion of the FC Bayern Academy in Kigali.

The Rwanda deal had faced growing criticism because of Kigali’s alleged military support for the M23 rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to UN reports and NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, M23 has committed widespread atrocities, including massacres, forced displacement, and child recruitment. For many, Rwanda’s image campaign in European football stood in sharp contrast with the bloodshed across its border.

The turning point came during a Bundesliga match on 23 February 2025. Bayern ultras, known as Munich Red Pride, unfurled a banner behind the goal that read:

Visit Rwanda! Anyone who watches with indifference betrays the values of FC Bayern!”

The slogan echoed club president Herbert Hainer’s own words days earlier, when he warned against ignoring the dangers of the far right in Germany. The fans’ message was clear: Bayern could not claim moral leadership at home while partnering with a regime accused of war crimes abroad.

Fan protests were amplified by diplomacy. In February, DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner wrote to Bayern, Arsenal, PSG, and Atlético Madrid, condemning the Rwanda deals as “stained with blood.”

“Countless lives have been lost. Your sponsor is directly responsible for this misery,” her letter read.

The pressure campaign found support abroad. The Human Rights Foundation, a New York–based NGO, lobbied Bayern’s leadership to cut ties. Activists recalled a similar case in 2024, when Bayern fans successfully pushed the club to end its deal with Qatar Airways over human rights concerns.

Rwandan authorities denied all accusations, accusing critics of trying to “undermine Rwanda’s international partnerships through disinformation.”

Despite Kigali’s objections, Bayern ended the sponsorship but kept a softer relationship with Rwanda, focused on youth football training. The financial details of this new cooperation have not been made public.

While Bayern pulled the plug, other clubs- PSG, Arsenal, and Atlético Madrid - continue their “Visit Rwanda” deals.

Arsenal fans, grouped under “Gunners for Peace”, have staged protests and joked on social media: “Anything but Rwanda, even Tottenham tourism.”

For now, Rwanda retains visibility across European football, but the Bayern case shows how fan activism and international diplomacy can change the business of sport.

The collapse of the Bayern-Rwanda deal proves that sponsorships are no longer untouchable. Supporters, NGOs, and governments can demand accountability from clubs.

As one Bayern fan told German TV: “Football is about values. If you ignore war crimes for money, you betray those values.”