President Yoweri Museveni says he turned down an invitation to celebrate Arsenal’s Premier League title win last weekend.
Speaking at the opening of the 12th Parliament on Monday, 25 May 2026, Museveni said he has no interest in foreign football clubs and wants leaders to focus on fighting poverty in Uganda instead.
“One of my people invited me the other day,” he told MPs. “He said there’s something called ‘Arsenal’. I asked, ‘What is Arsenal?’ They said it’s a European football club that won something, and that I should go and celebrate with them. Celebrate what? Please don’t distract me. I played football myself, but I gave it up in 1966. I am in Uganda now.”
Museveni said leaders should prioritise raising household incomes and making sure government programmes meant to lift Ugandans out of poverty are actually working.
“You can have your Arsenal if you want,” he said. “But start with your people first. How can you celebrate a European club when your own people have no income?”
Arsenal clinched the 2025/26 Premier League title after Manchester City dropped points, ending a 22-year wait for the league trophy.
The win sparked celebrations across Uganda, with thousands of fans holding street processions, concerts and watch parties in Kampala, Mbale, Jinja, Kabale and other towns.
