‘Celebrate for What?’ - Ugandan President Slams Arsenal Celebrations as he Declines Title Party Invitation [VIDEO]

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has sparked a conversation about Africa's passion for European football, dismissing the widespread celebrations of Arsenal's Premier League title and urging citizens to focus on development, poverty, and job creation instead.

The president expressed his surprise when he was invited to join festivities celebrating the English club's victory.

"They’re inviting me. Now, the other day, people were telling me that they’re inviting me. One of my people was inviting me to something called Arsenal," Museveni stated. "I said, ‘What is Arsenal?’ It is a European football club, which I don’t know what they have done, and I should go to celebrate. Celebrate for what?"

The Ugandan leader, who mentioned he was once a footballer himself, explained that he gave up the sport in 1966 to concentrate on pressing national matters.

"I was a footballer myself. Nobody can tell me about football, but I gave up football in 1966. I’m in Uganda. Liberation, poverty, jobs," he said. "So please, okay, you can have your Arsenal, you can have those things, but start with the people, please. Start with your own people."

Museveni questioned the logic of Africans becoming deeply invested in foreign football culture while their own communities face significant economic challenges. "How can you be celebrating European clubs when your people don’t have developments?" he asked.

His comments contrasted sharply with the jubilant mood across East Africa, where Arsenal fans celebrated the club's 2025-26 Premier League title after years of near misses. In neighboring Kenya, President William Ruto was among the leaders who congratulated the team.

"Our dreams may be deferred, but never extinguished. Congratulations to Arsenal, and thank you for exemplifying resilience and consistency. Let’s do it again soon," Ruto, an Arsenal fan, remarked.

Celebrations were widespread in cities like Nairobi, where fans in the club's red and white colours filled pubs and streets, singing and dancing late into the night. The victory also dominated social media, with supporters praising manager Mikel Arteta for leading the team to glory.

Arsenal's triumph marked their first league title after finishing as runners-up for three consecutive seasons, including a narrow loss to Manchester City by just two points in the 2023-24 campaign. The win also saw Arteta become the first person to win the Premier League with Arsenal as both a player and a manager.