AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL has warned Aston Villa its partnership with Visit Rwanda will be used by the African nation to sportswash its “terrible” human rights record.

The Midlands club confirmed the agreement on Tuesday afternoon, describing it as the “most important sponsorship deal in the history of the football club,” with the Visit Rwanda logo to feature on the front of the men’s, women’s and academy teams’ shirts.

However, the deal has been met with scepticism by Amnesty, whose British head of campaigns Felix Jakens told PA: “It’s not new that Rwanda is using sportswashing to deflect attention from its terrible human rights record.

“Aston Villa should be well aware that Rwanda is seeking to leverage this partnership to create positive PR. The country is prolific in arbitrary detention, torture and the repression of free speech – these are abuses at home.

“We are seeing bloodshed right before our eyes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda is playing a significant role in fuelling that conflict – both through its support to the M23 rebels and the direct actions of its military in eastern Congo.

“Rwanda’s sportswashing needs to be called out, and we’d like Aston Villa and the Premier League to play their part in this.”

Premier League champions Arsenal had a sleeve sponsorship deal previously with Visit Rwanda which began in 2018 and only ended last month, with the Gunners coming under pressure during that time to terminate the agreement.

Francesco Calvo, Villa’s head of business operations, told the club’s official website: “There is a great range and depth of opportunities for collaboration, learning and innovation and we are looking forward to working with Visit Rwanda to deliver meaningful activations through tourism, investment and sporting development.”

Visit Rwanda is also the shirt sponsor of Atletico Madrid, and last year extended its deal with back-to-back European champions Paris St Germain until 2028. Under that renewal, the PSG men’s training kit and the women’s first-team kit carry the Visit Rwanda logo.