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MUNICH: Bayern Munich signaled Friday they will cut down on “Visit Rwanda” branding as they move “away from a commercial sponsorship” with the African nation facing a backlash over alleged support for rebels in neighboring Congo.

Bayern dismissed allegations of “sportswashing” when they signed a five-year Rwanda deal in 2023. It included advertisements in the stadium and what Bayern called events “to promote tourism and investment opportunities in Rwanda.”

At the time, they replaced a controversial sponsorship deal with Qatar. Rwanda has similar sponsorships with European soccer giants like Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.

Some Bayern fans displayed a large banner at a game in February protesting the deal, amid accusations from the United Nations that Rwanda has backed rebels in neighboring Congo.

Now the German soccer champion say they have reached a new deal with Rwanda which turns the existing sponsorship deal into a three-year agreement focusing on developing young soccer players at a Bayern-affiliated academy in the country.

“In constructive talks about our future direction, we agreed that a very special part of our relationship with (the Rwanda Development Board) was the developmental nature of our work in Kigali through the FC Bayern Academy,” Bayern chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen said in a statement.

“We are therefore transforming our commercial partnership into a talent program and expanding the FC Bayern Academy in (Rwanda’s capital) Kigali together with the RDB as both a football and social initiative. This remains perfectly aligned to our strategic objective of developing playing talent in Africa.”

Bayern didn’t specify how soon they would drop “Visit Rwanda” branding as part of the move, which is described as a transition. As of Friday afternoon local time, the branding was still displayed under a section of the Bayern website listing club sponsors and partners.

The RDB’s chief executive, Jean-Guy Afrika, was quoted by Bayern as saying the changes to the partnership aimed to “accelerate sports development,” adding: “This continued partnership with FC Bayern helps ensure that talent development remains anchored in our broader vision to position Rwanda as a global hub for tourism, investment, and high-performance sport.”

Rwanda’s presence in European soccer has grown steadily since 2018, when it first partnered with Arsenal to put “Visit Rwanda” branding on the London club’s shirt sleeves.

An agreement with PSG was signed in 2019 and renewed in April this year. It covers branding in the stadium and included shirt-sleeve sponsorship at the Club World Cup. A three-year deal to sponsor Atletico was agreed in April including branding on training and warm-up shirts.

Rwanda is accused of supporting the M23 rebel group, the most potent of more than 100 armed
groups vying for dominance in mineral-rich eastern Congo just across the border with Rwanda. Rwanda also has been accused of exploiting eastern Congo’s minerals, used in smartphones, advanced fighter jets and much more.

However, Rwandan authorities allege some of those who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide fled into Congo and are either working with or are being protected by the Congolese army. They have denied involvement in Congo’s minerals sector and said any security action taken is to protect its territory.

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Friday that China was pleased to see Moscow and Washington improving their relations, state media said.
Putin and US President Donald Trump are set to hold talks in a bid to end the war in Ukraine. Both sides have confirmed preparations for a summit are underway and have suggested that a meeting could take place next week, although no firm date or venue has been set.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that Xi had talked to Putin on Friday at the Russian leader’s request.
Putin briefed Xi on the “situation of recent contact and communications” between the US and Russia, as well as the situation in Ukraine, it said.
“China is glad to see Russia and the US maintain contact, improve their relations, and promote a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis,” state news agency Xinhua’s English service quoted Xi as telling Putin.

Moscow and Beijing have deepened their ties since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
China has never denounced Russia’s war nor called for it to withdraw its troops, and many of Ukraine’s allies believe that Beijing has provided support to Moscow.
It insists it is a neutral party, regularly calling for an end to the fighting while also accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.
In the call on Friday, Xi “pointed out that complex issues have no simple solutions” and said “China will always... support making peace and promoting talks,” CCTV reported.
Putin is set to visit China on a trip beginning in late August.
He will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
He will also hold talks with Xi.
China has been mentioned in media reports as a possible venue for the Putin-Trump summit, with speculation that Trump could join Putin there in early September. The Kremlin has not ruled out such a meeting.