Off to London. Three lucky winners will this Saturday watch the Arsenal v Manchester United Game at The Emirates.
It doesn’t matter whether Arsenal or Manchester United are at their worst run of form but for many football lovers, watching the two English giants play live in a stadium is still a major dream come true.
Three lucky Rwandans this Thursday left for London where they are expected to watch live the English Premier League (EPL) game between English football clubs Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirate Stadium this Saturday, April 23, after they were selected in a raffle draw by Gorilla Games. Both teams are battling for the 4th place.
Off to London.
In December last year, the online based betting company kicked off a promotion dubbed ‘Yes u can’ which would see three football lovers who participated in betting with at least Rwf1,000 and more stand a chance to win a trip to London to watch the two rival teams tussle it out on the pitch.
The three winners Patrick Makuza, Fiona Mukundente, and Innocent Nahasoni were announced on April 15 and they will be accompanied to London by sports journalist Rigoga Ruth to watch the game on Saturday which will kick off at 18:30 local time.
According to Chris Gakwandi, the Brand Manager at Gorilla Games, said the promotion was initiated to give people an opportunity to watch live their favourite teams play. To stand a chance, one had to bet with Rwf1,000 or more to be part of the draw.
Rigoga, who is also one of the brand ambassadors of Gorilla Games said that she was happy the draw eventually took place, despite delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and also applauded the fact that among the winners traveling to the Emirates there is a woman.
“I am simply happy to see that Mukundente is among the winners. It goes to show that women don’t only enjoy the beautiful game, they are also able to follow it to the extent of betting and even winning in a promo like this one,” said Rigoga, who posted a photo of herself at Kigali International Airport (KIA) on the way to London.
Gakwandi, left, from Gorilla Games, said the promotion is aimed at giving Rwandans a truel footballing experience.
When the promo was launched, many thought it wasn’t true and thought perhaps Gorilla Games was doing it to encourage more people to bet.
Nahasoni, an ardent Manchester United fan, said that he had never dreamt of ever setting his eyes on his favourite team playing, live.
“We didn’t know this was going to happen. I am a passionate Manchester United fan. I have always dreamed of sitting in stadium to watch Manchester United play but I never saw that happening, not even in my wildest dreams,”
“I cannot wait to sit in the stadium and watch the team play. Up to now I am yet to believe it,” the excited winner said.
On her part, Mukundente said that visiting the Emirates will be a major milestone.
“I didn’t see it honestly. I played because I had a dream of sitting inside an Arsenal stadium, it doesn’t matter which team is playing. It is as though I am still dreaming. Going to watch this game will be simply amazing,” she said.
Makuza said that he was watching TV at home with his wife when the advert of the promo was aired and she encouraged him to participate, you never know he could get a chance to go watch his favourite team live.
Though they won’t be going together, he is certain she will be happy for him since it was her idea for him to participate.
The three winners who are enroute to Heathrow, thanked the betting company for making them realise their dream of watching the two footballing giants face each other.
According to Gakwandi, Gorilla Games is taking care of their travel, accommodation, meals and other expenses to make their visit a memorable one. They will return to Kigali on Sunday, April 24.
“We are going to make sure that they have the best trip as a way of giving back to our loyal clients. We will ensure that they have the best footballing experience at The Emirates and also have a glimpse of popular London landmarks,”
“This is exactly what we promised people when we launched the ‘Yes u can’ promotion and we do hope that the trio will enjoy their experience,” Gakwandi said.
