Aston Villa agree Visit Rwanda front-of-shirt deal worth nearly £20m a year | OneFootball

Aston Villa have struck a multi-year agreement for Visit Rwanda to become their front-of-shirt sponsor, worth nearly £20m a year.

The club said in a statement that it is the most important sponsorship deal in their history. Visit Rwanda replaces Betano after new Premier League rules on gambling advertising took effect this summer.

Villa believe the package is about 20 per cent higher than their previous deal, with several rivals still seeking sponsors. It is the first major contract negotiated by Francesco Calvo since he replaced Chris Heck as president of business operations a year ago.

The partnership is contentious. Visit Rwanda’s arrangements with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have long drawn scrutiny, with critics alleging sportswashing amid what human rights groups call an abysmal record.

Last year the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo described the deals as blood stained after violence involving Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the east. Arsenal ended their shirt-sleeve agreement by mutual agreement in November following protests by Gunners for Peace.

Bayern shifted their partnership away from a commercial agreement last year, while more than 75,000 PSG supporters signed a petition titled "Stop Visit Rwanda".

Villa frame the tie-up as a platform for expansion and collaboration across tourism, investment and sport, while Rwanda’s convention bureau sees it as a way to engage audiences and promote the country for visits and business.

Supporters who bought the new home shirt without a sponsor can have Visit Rwanda branding added free at the Villa Park or Bullring club stores.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com