The United Arab Emirates (UAE) maintains a persistent record of severe human rights abuses, yet its involvement in international football often eclipses its negative human rights track record. The UAE’s adept global influence is epitomised through its ownership of Manchester City, a prominent and beloved British football club, by the UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister, Sheikh Mansour.
A substantial investment of approximately £1.45 billion in Manchester City serves as a form of “sportswashing,” effectively diverting attention away from the UAE’s ongoing human rights violations, leaving much of the world uninformed.
Additionally, he is the owner of the Manchester City football club, which has received substantial investments from the UAE. It is noteworthy that Amnesty International has raised concerns about the UAE’s human rights record, citing issues such as unfair trials, restrictions on freedom of expression, inadequate investigations into allegations of torture, gender-based discrimination, and the mistreatment of migrant workers.
Restricting Freedom of Speech
Within the UAE, freedom of expression is severely restricted and peaceful critics of the state are subject to arrest. Furthermore, the UAE has been implicated in potential war crimes, with reports of forced disappearances and torture of detainees in UAE-administered detention facilities in Yemen. The human rights record of Sheikh Mansour will disappoint many.
Child sex-trafficking remains a concern within the UAE, and the country has made limited efforts to address the plight of migrant workers who face penalties under the kafala system for leaving their employers. The UAE also permits domestic violence, marital rape, and other infringements on women’s rights, while same-sex relations are criminalized.
An increasing number of Manchester City fans are becoming aware that the club’s success has been intertwined with a country that heavily depends on exploited migrant labor and imprisons peaceful critics and human rights defenders.
City has declined to provide a comment on these allegations, asserting that the reports are founded on “hacked and stolen” material, which appears to be part of a deliberate and coordinated effort to tarnish the club’s reputation.
Poor Track of Human Rights Record
The UAE’s ownership of the highly popular Manchester City has provided the nation with a means to “sportswash” its image, enhancing its influence in the Western world. This strategy has been employed to support its political standing and divert attention away from its human rights abuses. Manchester City, along with its extensive fan base, possesses a unique platform that could be harnessed to voice concerns about the repressive UAE government and advocate for an end to the misleadingly glamorous image the UAE projects.
While Matthew Hedges experienced the fortune of being released, individuals like Ahmed Mansoor and numerous other prisoners of conscience continue to languish in detention in the UAE. Moreover, a wide range of vulnerable groups, including human rights defenders, women, children, migrant workers, and Yemeni civilians, remain at the mercy of the UAE government’s actions.
In light of these troubling human rights issues, Manchester City and their passionate supporters ought to reflect on whether it is appropriate for a state with such a track record of human rights abuses to invest in British football. This investment often serves as a means for the UAE to project soft power globally and obscure its true nature.
Manchester City Owner’s Family Involved in Human Rights Violation
The family of Manchester City owner, Sheikh Mansour, has faced allegations of human rights abuses following a trial in Abu Dhabi. His brothers have been widely criticized for their repressive actions, and the trial itself has been decried as “fundamentally unfair” by organizations such as The Guardian, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. These groups have strongly protested against the mass arrest of 94 individuals, claiming they were subjected to alleged torture while in Abu Dhabi’s detention facilities.
The regime, under the leadership of Sheikh Mansour’s brother, Sheikh Mohammed, who serves as the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, contends that the 69 individuals were operating as a front for the Muslim Brotherhood. They are accused of seeking to establish a conservative Islamist state, including through military means, as reported.
It is worth understanding that ruling families maintained their authority for centuries. In 2013, it remained a criminal offense to criticize the rulers, be part of a trade union, or establish any organization not officially licensed by the regime, as highlighted in the report.
Amnesty International has alleged that the owners of Manchester City from Abu Dhabi are engaged in “sportswashing,” using the allure of sports to improve their country’s “seriously damaged reputation.” Nevertheless, Sheikh Mansour has poured billions into Manchester City and the city itself.
In the year 2023, Manchester City faced charges for violating financial fair play rules, while Sheikh Mansour boasted an estimated net worth of approximately $21 billion.
Manchester City Supporters Keep the Human Right Abuses at Forefront
Manchester City supporters are being encouraged to keep the issue of human rights abuses in the United Arab Emirates at the forefront of their minds as the club vies for victory in the Champions League final this Saturday.
While Pep Guardiola’s team is often hailed as one of the greatest football sides in history, activists argue that they are also being used as a means of extensive sportswashing.
Nicholas McGeehan, a co-founder of the human rights organization Fair Square, suggests that winning in Istanbul would be the “optimal outcome” for Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a prominent member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family and the deputy prime minister of the UAE. Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group assumed ownership of Manchester City in 2008.
The question of whether this Manchester City dynasty will be remembered favorably in history is a matter of debate. However, there’s no denying that they are on the cusp of achieving more greatness.
Regardless of the outcome of the Champions League final, much of the discussion may fade into the background, at least temporarily. The brilliance of Manchester City has been so dominant that it has almost overshadowed everything else.
In Erling Haaland, they have a striker with unprecedented talent, and in Pep Guardiola, a football genius. Very few teams in history can compare to what City has become. This is precisely the way City’s owners would prefer it.
