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Sportswashing is rife in modern football
According to the Australian Human Rights Institute, sportswashing is the use of sport to redirect public attention away from unethical conduct.
Unfortunately, sportswashing is rife in modern football. In the 2000s, we saw the Abu Dhabi Royal Family take over Manchester City and the Emir of Qatar take over PSG, through groups bankrolled by them. What has followed has been a very successful few years for both the clubs and a legitimisation of the regimes through the loyal fan bases of these clubs. City have won everything there's to win of late, while PSG have been the home of the world's footballing elite - Messi, Neymar, Mbappe etc.
Qatar also hosted the 2022 World Cup, the preparation to which was clouded by the human rights violations of the workers building the stadiums. But now and throughout the future, when people think of the Qatar World Cup 2022, they will think of the story of Lionel Messi finally lifting the World Cup and not of the workers. That is an example of sportswashing working at it's best.
Saudi Arabia too have been investing in this heavily of late. The Public Investment Fund, controlled by the Saudi Crown Prince recently acquired Newcastle United, no doubt with the same objective that Abu Dhabi had with City or Qatar with PSG. That's not all however. Last summer, they began offering contracts, the riches of which were previously unheard of in football, to the world's best players so that they come and play in the Saudi Pro League. And it worked - Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema are just a few of the stars who traded prestigious European clubs for Saudi money this summer.
Football fans have an almost tribal loyalty to their clubs and players and that makes them forgive what else might be happening in the background as long as sporting success is achieved. That is how and why sportswashing is currently taking over football.