Stefan Borson: Arsenal ready to agree ‘controversial’ sponsor deal with ‘big’ Gooner
Arsenal are set to make a decision on who will be their sleeve sponsorship partner moving forward.
Visit Rwanda has been Arsenal’s sleeve sponsor since 2018, but that agreement is set to expire at the end of this season.
Football Insider revealed on 10 October Arsenal are in advanced talks with Visit Rwanda about extending their partnership.
The Gunners’ existing deal with the African country’s tourist board is worth £10million a year, but Mikel Arteta’s side are looking to increase the value of the new contract to between £15-20m annually.
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider there are question marks around the process of the deal due to the fact Rwandan president Paul Kagame is an Arsenal fan.
Arsenal facing ‘question marks’ over Visit Rwanda deal
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness previously told Football Insider Arsenal should terminate their deal with Visit Rwanda due to its controversial nature.
Meanwhile, Arsenal fans have previously protested against the partnership after Rwanda’s government has been accused of investing in sport to improve its image globally.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “I think where you’ve got a high-value partnership, you take it. Visit Rwanda is obviously a bit of a controversial one.
“I think there are some question marks over the process there with the Rwandan president, who seems to be a big Arsenal fan.
“I very much doubt that Visit Rwanda has a ROI (return on investment) that justifies being on the sleeve of Arsenal. Now, maybe I’m being unfair, but I would be very skeptical as to whether the Visit Rwanda sleeve sponsorship has assisted the tourism of Rwanda.”
Visit Rwanda was announced last month as the official international tourism sponsor of the LA Rams, strengthening ties with Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, who also owns the NFL franchise.
The tourist board also agreed a similar deal with NBA franchise the LA Clippers, while it has other partnerships already in place with PSG, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal to make sponsor decision after new approach
Arsenal have also been approached by German software company SAP, which has a market cap of more than £250billion, to take on their sleeve sponsorship.
Borson said: “They have a choice. You can take the money and sort of hold your nose, or you can try and look in the market, which is a very difficult market.
“Now, it’s going to get a little bit different next season because I think a lot of the betting is going to come off the front of shirts and is going to be permitted on the sleeve.
“That might mean that sleeve sponsorship actually gets a turn up in terms of potential revenue, but we’ll have to see. Those conversations are presumably ongoing right now with most clubs in advance.
“But look, I think they’ll take the deal if they’ve got the deal.”
Arsenal generated the third-highest revenue in the Premier League in their latest published accounts for 2023-24, with their turnover surging from £467m in 2022-23 to £617m.
Meanwhile, their commercial income increased from £169m to £218m across the same period.
For more Arsenal and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.