Just six months after inking a five-year partnership deal with Visit Rwanda, German football giants Bayern Munich on Saturday, February 24, launched a fan club in Rwanda. The official opening of the Bayern Munich fan club Rwanda took place in Kigali and was attended by various guests including Amavubi head coach Frank Torsten Spittler and Bernard Hirmer, the director of coaching at FC Bayern Munich Academy in Rwanda among others. ALSO READ: Over 40 football prospects to join Bayern Munich Academy Rwanda Emmanuel Turatsinze, the chairperson and founder and the fan club, told Times Sport that they have been applying for membership for the past two months until the German side honored idea to recognize its Rwandan fanbase. Turatsinze emphasized that the fan club will be vibrant as they hope to support the German champions in one accord. I am so proud to see the tremendous enthusiasm for the FC Bayern fan club in Rwanda and that the club itself is supporting us. It already feels like a family though we are just joining the fan community, Turatsinze said. “The fan club will become a hub for football lovers to connect. We will foster a vibrant and social community of Bayern fans across the country and build a new pillar in Rwanda-German relations,” he added. Going forward, he said, Fc Bayern Fan Club Rwanda has a long-term vision that goes beyond just cheering for the club. “We aim to be a vibrant community, embracing Rwandan culture and giving back to society. Watch parties and tournaments will grow our fan club family, while local partnerships root us in the community. From charity events to culture exchange, this fan club, united by our colors and the love for Bayern, aspires to leave a lasting impact, both on and off the pitch,” he said. Founding a fan club is a dream come true for Turatsinze who began to support Bayern at a tender age. “I have been supporting Bayern since I was young. There was one guy from Germany who used to watch the Bundesliga in Gikondo and every time my brother and I would go to visit him, he was watching Bayern games. That’s when I ended up falling in love with the club,” he recalls. The Bayern Munich fan club Rwanda currently comprises 70 members. Bayern Munich is Germany's most successful club having won 33 league titles and 14 international trophies. The launch coincided the club’s Bundesliga clash with RB Leipzig. Bayern won match 2-1 thanks to a brace from Harry Kane.
