Author: mcfagainstsportswashing.com
Manchester City stand at the pinnacle of modern football, a symbol of success in the Premier League era. Their domestic dominance, treble triumph, and global brand power are often celebrated as a sporting fairy tale—but that story comes with a dark, uncomfortable sub‑plot. Mounting allegations that the club’s ownership is linked, via the United Arab Emirates, to atrocities and possible genocide in Sudan have created a moral crisis that football can no longer ignore. This isn’t a fringe activist claim or a social media storm that will fade with the next matchday cycle. Human rights groups, politicians, and Sudanese activists…
While Manchester City lifts trophies and dazzles global audiences, another story unfolds far from the floodlights: a brutal, grinding war in Sudan. The club’s owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is not only a football investor but also a senior power in the United Arab Emirates, a state accused of backing Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia linked to atrocities, ethnic cleansing, and possible genocide. This collision of football glory and Sudanese grief is at the heart of what critics call “sportswashing” – the strategic use of elite sport to polish the reputation of governments facing serious human…
European football has long sold itself as a universal language of joy, community, and fair competition, yet its modern elite is increasingly entangled with geopolitical power and alleged human rights abuses. At the center of this collision stands Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice president of the United Arab Emirates and owner of Manchester City, whose success on the pitch now collides with grave allegations off it: that he played a central role in arming Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a militia accused of atrocities amounting to genocide. Intelligence reports, media investigations, and human rights advocacy point to a…
On matchdays at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City’s footballing brilliance can feel worlds away from the horrors unfolding in Sudan. Yet a growing body of investigations, human rights reports, and advocacy campaigns is drawing a straight line from Abu Dhabi’s glass towers to scorched neighborhoods in cities like El Fasher. At the center of this uncomfortable connection stands Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the billionaire vice president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and owner of Manchester City. Campaigners, journalists, and even some football fans are now asking a pointed question: can the architect of a global football powerhouse…
MANCHESTER-Even though a single player cannot ensure that a team wins championships, Manchester City will have a better chance of winning trophies if they can find more methods to give Erling Haaland scoring opportunities. Who is the New player boosting Haaland’s potential? With maybe the greatest goal scorer in world football at their disposal, City should make the most of this advantage. Kevin De Bruyne was the innovator who truly knew how Haaland worked during his tenure at Manchester City. Additionally, the Belgian is capable of making precisely the passes that the £51 million man seemed to like receiving. Savinho’s…
MANCHESTER-Ayaka Yamashita, a goalkeeper for Japan, joined Manchester City this summer as the third Japanese player to do so. The English Women’s Super League team revealed Yamashita’s signing from WE League powerhouse INAC Kobe Leonessa on Friday. What impact will Ayaka Yamashita have on City’s defense? Yamashita joined City during the summer, following 20-year-old former Tokyo Verdy Beleza forward Aoba Fujino and right-back Risa Shimizu, who was a free agent after leaving West Ham. Yui Hasegawa, a midfielder for Chelsea, plays for City, which lost to Chelsea in the previous season due to goal differential. “Joining a team and club…
MANCHESTER-When Manchester City takes on rival Manchester United at Wembley Stadium this weekend, they’ll be hoping to break their Community Shield curse. Who will start up front for united? The team led by Pep Guardiola has participated in the last three Community Shield matches, but they haven’t taken home the trophy since 2019. The recent curtain-raiser matches have left the Citizens unhappy after losses to Leicester City, Liverpool, and Arsenal. One of City’s problems in the Community Shield has frequently been a lack of passion. They have a reputation for being sluggish starters and frequently view the game as a…
MANCHESTER-Before the FA Cup final, Jack Grealish had a meeting with Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, where he was instructed to go back to his best before the following season. Will Pep unlock Grealish’s potential? Close to the player who, like all the people contacted for this story, requested to remain anonymous in order to preserve relationships, Grealish acknowledges that his 2023–24 season was essentially a write-off. He struggled to move on from City’s triple last year and was plagued by a series of injuries and off-field turmoil. Throughout the 2023–24 campaign, Guardiola has expressed his worries about…
MANCHESTER-The playmaker for Belgium, who was given permission to skip the team’s preseason tour of the United States in order to have a longer vacation, was one of nine first-team players to play again under Pep Guardiola this week. How did fans react to De Bruyne’s new hairstyle? In order to get as much rest as possible for another demanding season ahead, a major portion of Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup was allowed to forgo the trip to the United States because they excelled at the summer’s European Championships. But with the team’s inaugural competitive match of the new campaign rapidly…
MANCHESTER-Julian Alvarez, a striker for Manchester City, has agreed to join Atletico Madrid for a reported £81.5 million. The initial payment of £64.4 million (75 million euros) and any future add-ons of £17.1 million (20 million euros) comprise the charge. What makes Alvarez a key signing for atletico? It would be a selling record for City, exceeding the £50 million Chelsea spent in 2022 on Raheem Sterling. Alvarez declared that he would make his choice on his future until after Argentina’s football participation in the 2024 Olympics concluded. Last Friday, the hosts, France, eliminated the squad. The 24-year-old’s manager, Pep…