Rwandan President and Arsenal fan Paul Kagame frustrated by defeat
“We just must NOT forgive or accept mediocrity,” he tweeted after Friday's road game. To win, win, win, a team must be established with purpose.”
Rwandan President Paul Kagame, an Arsenal fan, has expressed his displeasure at the team’s unexpected loss to a newly promoted club on the first day of the English Premier League season.
Brentford defeated Arsenal 2-0 following a 74-year hiatus from the Premier League.
Mr Kagame frequently mentions the Gunners, a government-sponsored soccer team.
“We just must NOT forgive or accept mediocrity,” he tweeted after Friday’s road game. To win, win, win, a team must be established with purpose.”
We must simply refuse to accept or excuse mediocrity. To win, win, win, a team must be built with a specific goal in mind. So that when we lose, it’s not a surprise! I’m sure we all know who bears the brunt of the responsibility. I hope they are aware of it and even accept it!!! End
August 13, 2021 — Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame)
He demanded “a plan that genuinely works” and bemoaned that “fans don’t deserve to kind of get used to this” in two more rapid-fire tweets.
Since 2018, the Rwandan government has had a contentious sponsorship arrangement with Arsenal for more than £30 million ($42 million), which includes a “Visit Rwanda” emblem on Arsenal jersey sleeves. Critics claim it is an example of a poor African country’s autocratic government subsidizing a wealthy football team. The Rwandan government, on the other hand, claims that the sponsorship pays for itself in tourism earnings.
The landlocked country has recovered from ethnic warfare and genocide in the 1990s under President Kagame’s leadership. The World Bank lauded the country’s “extraordinary development successes” in 2018.
Mr Kagame, on the other hand, has been chastised both at home and abroad for his political and human rights record.
