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

Aston Villa have agreed a multi-year front-of-shirt sponsorship with Visit Rwanda worth nearly £20m a year, replacing Betano.

According to ExpressAndStar.com, Villa were required to find a new partner after Premier League gambling advertising rules took effect this summer.

The club consider it the most important sponsorship in their history and an excellent one, with the value understood to be about 20 per cent higher than the Betano deal as rivals still seek sponsors.

It is the first major contract negotiated by Francesco Calvo since he replaced Chris Heck as president of business operations a year ago.

Visit Rwanda’s ties with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have faced scrutiny. Critics accuse Rwanda of sportswashing and rights groups call its record abysmal, while DR Congo last year labelled such deals blood-stained after violence involving Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo.

Arsenal ended their sleeve deal by mutual agreement in November after protests by Gunners for Peace. Bayern shifted their Visit Rwanda tie-up away from a commercial agreement last year, and more than 75,000 PSG supporters backed a Stop Visit Rwanda petition.

Villa say the partnership reflects their growing international reach, with plans for collaboration across tourism, investment and sporting development. Rwanda Convention Bureau chief Janet Karemera said it aims to reach global audiences and promote the country for visits, investment 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