Rwandan President Paul Kagame praises ‘much alive’ Arsenal after win

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has praised Arsenal’s 3-1 win against north London rivals Spurs in the English Premier League match on Sunday.

He tweeted the team was “much alive”, saying the manager and players deserved credit.

His comments are remarkably different from his critical reaction last month when the Gunners lost their first game of the season to newly promoted Brentord.

“We just must NOT excuse or accept mediocrity. A team has to be built with purpose to win win win,” he tweeted after the game.

At the time he demanded “a plan that really works” and lamented that “fans don’t deserve to kind of get used to this”.

On Sunday, he said the win was “brilliant”.

Since 2018, the Rwandan government has had a controversial sponsorship deal worth more than £30m ($42m), which involves a “Visit Rwanda” logo displayed on Arsenal shirt sleeves.

Critics have said it is an example of an authoritarian leader of a poor, African country subsidising a wealthy football club. But the Rwandan government says the sponsorship more than pays for itself over in tourism revenue. BBC News