AC Milan in talks to promote war-torn DRC as tourist destination

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AC Milan is in talks with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo over a sponsorship deal to promote tourism in the central African country, which is locked in a brutal war. 

According to people familiar with the talks, the Congolese government has approved a multimillion dollar three-year sponsorship of the football club. Under the agreement, the club would promote Congo, a common shorthand for the DRC, as a tourist destination through banners at its San Siro stadium and a “Visit Congo” logo on the players’ shirts. 

AC Milan did not respond to a request for comment.

AC Milan is owned by RedBird Capital Partners, the New York-based investment firm founded by former Goldman Sachs banker Gerry Cardinale, which bought the club for €1.2bn in 2022. 

A Congolese cabinet minister said the deal “was confirmed” during a recent council of ministers and that they would work on “next steps” when the country’s high-level government delegation returns to Kinshasa after attending the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

Eastern DRC is beset by a war with rebel group M23, which is widely believed to receive backing from Rwanda’s government and troops. The group has been accused of mass killings, rapes of civilians and looting.

Rwanda has never acknowledged that it supports the rebels or that its soldiers are on the ground in DRC, despite the EU, UN and US supporting Congo’s claim.

The area affected by the fighting is home to the famed Virunga National Park, which is home to some 300 mountain gorillas.

Although the park is mostly closed to tourists at the moment, it said this week that “despite the conflict and heightened risks faced by park staff, indications suggest that the mountain gorilla population is continuing its steady rebound”. 

In 2021, three people, including then Italian ambassador Luca Attanasio, were killed by armed men in an ambush while they were travelling close to Virunga to visit to a UN World Food Programme initiative. 

The Italian foreign ministry currently recommends that Italian citizens avoid all non-essential travel to the country. Its website says: “In light of the current security situation in the country, we advise against trips to [the DRC] that are not absolutely necessary.”  

The US state department also advises its citizens to “reconsider” whether to travel to DRC and flags some areas as “do not travel” because of the threat of crime, civil unrest and kidnapping.

Rwanda already uses sports sponsorship to advertise itself as a tourist destination. 

Visit Rwanda, the country’s tourism organisation, has commercial partnerships with English Premier League club Arsenal, French champions Paris Saint-Germain, and German team Bayern Munich, three of the biggest names in football.

Tourism is a major source of foreign exchange earnings for Rwanda: luxury hotels and lodges have sprung up in recent years on the Rwanda side of the border with DRC, as wealthy travellers come to see gorillas. Meanwhile, in Congo, which has been blighted by instability, tourism is under-developed.

The presidents of both countries are big football fans. Congo’s Félix Tshisekedi follows PSG and Rwanda’s Paul Kagame is an Arsenal supporter. 

According to Pianeta Milan, an AC Milan fan website that first reported the partnership, the agreement would put the DRC, which is one of the world’s poorest countries but rich in biodiversity, on the international radar as a tourist destination thanks to the club’s large global audience.