{"id":2000110516,"date":"2026-04-30T09:34:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T07:34:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/?p=2000110516"},"modified":"2026-05-01T10:04:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T08:04:50","slug":"president-kagame-attends-atletico-madrid-arsenal-champions-league-semi-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/president-kagame-attends-atletico-madrid-arsenal-champions-league-semi-final\/","title":{"rendered":"President Kagame attends Atl\u00e9tico Madrid\u2013Arsenal Champions League semi-final"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Office of the President confirmed the visit in a statement released on April 30, noting that the President attended the fixture featuring two of Rwanda\u2019s primary \u201cVisit Rwanda\u201d partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Upon his arrival at the stadium, President Kagame was received by Atl\u00e9tico Madrid President Enrique Cerezo Torres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The match remained a tightly contested affair throughout both halves. Arsenal took the lead just before the interval when Viktor Gy\u00f6keres converted a 44th-minute penalty following a foul by Atl\u00e9tico defender D\u00e1vid Hancko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">President Kagame attends UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg between <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/VisitRwanda?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#VisitRwanda<\/a> partners Arsenal FC and Atl\u00e9tico Madrid FC. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NbkF4AqxZM\">pic.twitter.com\/NbkF4AqxZM<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Presidency | Rwanda (@UrugwiroVillage) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UrugwiroVillage\/status\/2049641722037014572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 30, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Atl\u00e9tico Madrid found their response in the 56th minute after a handball by Arsenal\u2019s Ben White led to a penalty, which Juli\u00e1n \u00c1lvarez successfully converted to level the score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both clubs maintain partnerships with Rwanda under the &#8220;Visit Rwanda&#8221; initiative, which promotes the country\u2019s tourism and investment potential globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The partnership with Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, which runs from 2025 to 2028, includes branding at the club\u2019s stadium and on training kits, as well as technical cooperation such as coaching development programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the relationship with Arsenal has spanned eight years, featuring the &#8220;Visit Rwanda&#8221; logo on the club&#8217;s shirt sleeves and various promotional activities at Emirates Stadium, including player visits to Rwanda\u2019s key tourism sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result leaves the tie balanced ahead of the return leg, which is scheduled for May 5, 2026, at Emirates Stadium in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The latest appearance follows President Kagame\u2019s attendance at another high-profile UEFA Champions League semi-final earlier in the week at the Parc des Princes in Paris, where Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern Munich in a 5-4 encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/this_evening_at_riyadh_air_metropolitano_stadium_in_madrid_president_kagame_attended_the_uefa_c_4_-c5e6e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110529\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The match was played at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hhhgqjpwsaagg18-c0bb3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110528\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Upon his arrival at the stadium, President Kagame was received by Atl\u00e9tico Madrid President Enrique Cerezo Torres.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hhhgqjowyaaccsy-36979.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110527\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">There was a large turnout of fans at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/this_evening_at_riyadh_air_metropolitano_stadium_in_madrid_president_kagame_attended_the_uefa_c_1_-c7d9c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110526\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Kagame was presented with a gift by Atl\u00e9tico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo Torres.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/this_evening_at_riyadh_air_metropolitano_stadium_in_madrid_president_kagame_attended_the_uefa_c_3_-81770.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110525\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Kagame engaged in talks with Atl\u00e9tico Madrid officials.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/this_evening_at_riyadh_air_metropolitano_stadium_in_madrid_president_kagame_attended_the_uefa_c_2_-799da.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110524\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Kagame being received at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"666\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/this_evening_at_riyadh_air_metropolitano_stadium_in_madrid_president_kagame_attended_the_uefa_c-42b2b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110523\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium was packed with more than 70,000 football fans, including President Kagame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/this_evening_at_riyadh_air_metropolitano_stadium_in_madrid_president_kagame_attended_the_uefa_c_6_-d7e73.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110522\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Atl\u00e9tico Madrid and Arsenal drew 1-1.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/this_evening_at_riyadh_air_metropolitano_stadium_in_madrid_president_kagame_attended_the_uefa_c_5_-90dfe.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110521\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The first leg between Atl\u00e9tico Madrid and Arsenal took place in Madrid.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hhhgqqowcaaoil4-c2b42.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110520\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Kagame follows the match between Atl\u00e9tico Madrid and Arsenal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hhhgqjsxuaae5ul-efbb5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000110519\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Atl\u00e9tico Madrid promotes Rwanda\u2019s tourism through the \u201cVisit Rwanda\u201d campaign.<br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Paul Kagame attended the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg between Atl\u00e9tico Madrid and Arsenal F.C. at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, which ended in a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000110520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000110516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default 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