The Mailbox discusses Sadio Mane’s reasons for leaving Liverpool. Also: questions for Chelsea over Lukaku; and how their Arsenal deal is viewed in Rwanda.
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The view from Rwanda
As a Rwandan who has lived in the country for decades, I read Ian King’s article with interest. I would not dispute the fact that we have work to do regarding political space and human rights and I absolutely understand if people feel uncomfortable wearing the shirt with ‘Visit Rwanda’ if they don’t feel like it. However I feel like I need to give a different perspective.
Rwanda has made a remarkable transformation since the end of the Genocide against the Tutsi, but we are still one of the poorest Countries in the world and we desperately need tourists and investment to continue the transformation of the country as well as change the perception of it. The campaign is run and financed by the government because it has the resources but at the end of the day, you don’t need to support the government of Rwanda to visit Rwanda or invest in it. I understand the argument of sportswashing is that it’s hard to disentangle the two and governments benefit from that kind of PR but it’s difficult for me to see how else Rwanda can do this on such a large scale. For a lot of Rwandans, there is so much pride seeing our name on such an iconic shirt and a hope that it can translate into something tangible. There is no guarantee that the benefits will outweigh the costs of course, but that’s the risk you take.
I know the success or failure of Rwanda isn’t exactly high on the list of Arsenal fan’s priorities (which of course is understandable) but I thought you might want the perspective of a Rwandan. When you are a very tiny and poor country which is pretty much only known for war and genocide, your options kind of get narrowed down.
Turiyo Damascene
Kigali, Rwanda
Ian King: Arsenal exhortations to ‘Visit Rwanda’ strike an extremely unpleasant tone for just £10m a year
Mane’s motivation
Goodbye Sadio and thanks for the memories, no conversation about forward lines will be complete without the inclusion of SFM.
But Conor’s email got me thinking, just what are the real reasons for leaving?
One last big pay day? Surely you have enough money to see you through, even if you do contribute greatly to other people’s lives,
A new challenge? Surely the Bundesliga is not as challenging as the Premier League, it’s often…
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