By Kudra Maliro
Violence-ravaged Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has raised the offside flag on some of the world's top football clubs – Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain – over their sponsorship links with the "Visit Rwanda" campaign.
Sport has nothing to do with bloodshed; still, the beautiful game unwittingly finds itself caught in the ethical labyrinth of a humanitarian crisis triggered by the depredations of M23 rebels in eastern DRC, including the bustling cities of Goma and Bukavu.
The controversy stems from the Congolese government accusing Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels, a charge Kigali has consistently denied. Rwanda alleges that the Congolese military collaborated with Hutu militias responsible for the 1994 anti-Tutsi genocide.
These insinuations have stirred international concern, spotlighting the region's instability and broader implications.
Caught in the geopolitical storm are high-stakes football sponsorships that generate millions of dollars worth of revenue for the marquee clubs of the English Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1.
Appeal to clubs
DRC's foreign minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, recently urged Arsenal, Bayern Munich and PSG to reconsider their sponsorship deals with the Rwanda Development Board's "Visit Rwanda" initiative, labelling the revenue accruing from these arrangements as being "stained with blood".
The "Visit Rwanda" slogan has been featured on Arsenal's jerseys since 2018. PSG and Bayern Munich followed suit in subsequent years. While Arsenal was promised US $40 million over three years, the campaign fetched PSG $8-10 million.
Bayern signed a five-year partnership with Rwanda in 2023 to promote football development and tourism.
What began as a celebrated initiative to boost African tourism through the popularity of club football worldwide has now become a contentious issue.
DRC's campaign against Rwanda's association with global sports hasn't stopped at football.
Congolese officials have appealed to Formula One's CEO Stefano Domenicali, urging him to reconsider Kigali as a potential Grand Prix host city by citing Rwanda's alleged military aggression and the displacement of over 700,000 people since early this year because of violence perpetrated by M23.
The Congolese ministry of health reports that nearly 3,000 bodies piled up in morgues around Goma in the aftermath of the latest M23 rebel offensive.
Rwandan position
Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo attributes the security breakdown and social disorder in DRC to the Congolese government's alleged failure to redress the grievances of its citizens.
"They are victims of systematic ethnic violence perpetrated by the FDLR (a militia linked to the Hutus). The FDLR is an armed group that has been designated a terrorist organisation by the US,'' Makolo tells TRT Afrika.
''They were founded by the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis and have vowed to return to Rwanda to 'finish the job' they failed to complete in 1994. Rwanda will never allow this to happen," she says.
Makolo argues that if the Congolese government were truly serious about peace for its people and regional stability, it would dismantle the FDLR, thus protecting its population and eliminating the threat posed to Rwanda.
In its counter-accusation, DRC has charged Rwanda with using the M23 to pillage minerals in Congolese territory.
"The RDF (Rwandan army) ignored a ceasefire I had agreed upon with my Rwandan counterpart and instead bombed houses and hospitals in Goma, resulting in around 3,000 deaths, according to the UN," foreign affairs minister Wagner states in her letter to the CEO of Formula One.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame announced in December last year that his country would bid to host a Formula One race in the capital city of Kigali.
Funding quagmire
For Kagame, hosting Formula One is part of "a broader strategy for the country to use sport to strengthen economic growth, tourism, and global visibility".
Rwanda, known as the Country of a Thousand Hills, aspires to become the first African state to host a Formula One Grand Prix on the continent since 1993. The letter from the Congolese government raises questions about the source of funds that Rwanda is using to host the Grand Prix.
"DRC believes that the looting of these blood minerals by Rwanda represents an annual contribution of $1 billion to its economy," says a UN report.
Makolo argues that Rwanda's sports partnerships and the "Visit Rwanda" campaign bring joy to millions, besides creating jobs, attracting more tourists and generating revenue.
"It is time for the Congolese people to have the opportunity to benefit from this as well, but this will only become a reality when the DRC government stops investing in the persecution of part of its population and in attacks against Rwanda and instead focuses on providing services and progress for its people," she tells TRT Afrika.
"These allegations are a blatant attempt to divert attention from those truly responsible for this crisis."
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