"Sportswashing" Sudan
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John Ashworth
Feb 23, 2026, 7:14:34 AM (2 days ago) Feb 23
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The sordid backstory behind this soccer jersey
Human rights abusers are hiding behind sports. Will fan pressure force
teams to clean up their act?
February 23, 2026
Washington Post
By Geoffrey Mills and John Prendergast
Geoffrey Mills is a financial services executive. John Prendergast is
co-founder of the investigative organization the Sentry.
As lifelong friends from opposite sides of the Atlantic, we’re united
by our devotion to Arsenal: our favorite soccer club in the English
Premier League. As it is for many other Arsenal fans around the world,
rooting for the team is our shared escape.
Unfortunately, Arsenal and some other Premier League teams have a
sordid secret: They are one step removed from human rights abuses
unfolding in Africa.
The “Emirates: Fly Better” slogan emblazoned on the front of Arsenal’s
jersey promotes the state-owned airline in the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE regularly utilizes partnerships with athletic teams and
leagues to “sportswash” their connection to human rights abuses. Most
blatantly, the UAE reportedly provides arms and other support to the
Rapid Support Forces, a militia responsible for widespread atrocities
in Sudan’s brutal civil war — a relationship unaddressed by Arsenal
and denied by Abu Dhabi.
The UAE royal family’s investment in soccer is not limited to Britain.
They own teams across Europe, and New York City FC is primarily owned
by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a deputy prime minister and
member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, through his holding company.
Beyond soccer, the UAE’s extensive commercial branding deal with the
National Basketball Association is drawing increased pressure from
human rights organizations.
Sportswashing, whether for domestic consumption or international
reputation buffing, is not new. The Roman Empire relied on
gladiatorial combat and chariot races. Twentieth century dictatorships
hosted the Olympics and World Cups. Modern authoritarian states have
learned the same lesson: Sports can distract from repression and war.
Alongside “Fly Emirates,” Arsenal’s jersey features another troubling
partnership: the “Visit Rwanda” sleeve sponsorship. Rwanda is often
cited as a miraculous post-genocide turnaround story. After the
devastation of 1994, the government oversaw a dramatic rebound through
disciplined investments, little tolerance for corruption and
commitment to public services. In that context, it’s understandable
why Arsenal accepted Rwanda’s money.
But there is a darker side to this story. Rwanda’s economic success
has been underwritten in part by raw materials acquired through
repeated incursions into neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since 1996, Rwanda has invaded Congo multiple times, initially to
pursue those responsible for the 1994 genocide, but increasingly to
loot gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten. Its most recent invasion has
led to one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in eastern
Congo.
An effective fan-led coalition named Gunners for Peace (Arsenal fans
call themselves Gunners) has worked to educate supporters about this
unsavory relationship. Their belief was straightforward: Removing
“Visit Rwanda” from the jersey’s sleeve would end Arsenal’s
association with human rights abuses in Congo, and the logo could be
easily replaced with another sponsorship. And Arsenal has shown that
change is possible. Last November, the club decided to end its
relationship with the Rwandan organization at the conclusion of this
season. The decision followed similar action by German club Bayern
Munich and demonstrated something long dismissed as unrealistic in
modern soccer: Sustained fan pressure can make a real difference.
Which brings us back to the UAE and its reported support for the
Sudanese militia. The Emirati royal family has an ownership stake in
Manchester City, one of the world’s most famous clubs. And 85 percent
of Newcastle United is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Saudi Arabia is backing the other side in Sudan’s war, the Sudanese
Armed Forces, which has also been accused of committing atrocities.
There are encouraging signs of accountability on this front. In 2022,
Roman Abramovich — a Russian oligarch with financial ties to President
Vladimir Putin — was forced to sell Chelsea Football Club in the
Premier League after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That decision
established an unmistakable standard: Ownership and sponsorship are
not morally neutral when mass violence is involved.
In March 2023, Premier League clubs unanimously approved an expansion
of their “Owners’ and Directors’ Test” to include disqualification of
any owner found to have committed human rights abuses. Yet glaring
double standards persist. Financial and strategic relationships appear
to shield certain actors, like the Emirati royal family, from the
accountability imposed on others.
Given the lack of consequences for Premier League teams with deep ties
to the UAE and Saudi Arabia and the precedent of Arsenal, under fan
pressure, ending its relationship with Rwanda, it is left then to
supporters to demand that their teams hold to basic standards of human
decency in their financial affairs.
This pressure is just beginning. Sudanese activists recently gathered
outside Manchester City’s stadium, holding soccer balls signed by
Sudanese refugees with messages calling for an end to the war. They’re
collecting fan signatures to petition the Premier League to hold
Mansour accountable for his country’s role in prolonging and profiting
from the conflict. Gunners for Peace are considering pivoting from its
successful Rwanda campaign to one focused on the UAE. And Newcastle
United Fans Against Sportswashing has taken aim at Saudi ownership.
Ending Arsenal’s relationship with Rwanda removed a thorn from the
consciences of fans like us, signaling that complicity in abuses in
Congo should not be tolerated. The role of the UAE and Saudi Arabia in
sports like soccer and basketball is a much bigger thorn. But change
is possible with fan pressure and a stiff backbone.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/23/arsenal-sportswashing-uae-soccer-football/
END
______________________
John Ashworth
ashwor...@gmail.com
+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile, WhatsApp and Signal)
PO Box 403 - 00206, Kiserian, Kenya
Human rights abusers are hiding behind sports. Will fan pressure force
teams to clean up their act?
February 23, 2026
Washington Post
By Geoffrey Mills and John Prendergast
Geoffrey Mills is a financial services executive. John Prendergast is
co-founder of the investigative organization the Sentry.
As lifelong friends from opposite sides of the Atlantic, we’re united
by our devotion to Arsenal: our favorite soccer club in the English
Premier League. As it is for many other Arsenal fans around the world,
rooting for the team is our shared escape.
Unfortunately, Arsenal and some other Premier League teams have a
sordid secret: They are one step removed from human rights abuses
unfolding in Africa.
The “Emirates: Fly Better” slogan emblazoned on the front of Arsenal’s
jersey promotes the state-owned airline in the United Arab Emirates.
The UAE regularly utilizes partnerships with athletic teams and
leagues to “sportswash” their connection to human rights abuses. Most
blatantly, the UAE reportedly provides arms and other support to the
Rapid Support Forces, a militia responsible for widespread atrocities
in Sudan’s brutal civil war — a relationship unaddressed by Arsenal
and denied by Abu Dhabi.
The UAE royal family’s investment in soccer is not limited to Britain.
They own teams across Europe, and New York City FC is primarily owned
by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a deputy prime minister and
member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, through his holding company.
Beyond soccer, the UAE’s extensive commercial branding deal with the
National Basketball Association is drawing increased pressure from
human rights organizations.
Sportswashing, whether for domestic consumption or international
reputation buffing, is not new. The Roman Empire relied on
gladiatorial combat and chariot races. Twentieth century dictatorships
hosted the Olympics and World Cups. Modern authoritarian states have
learned the same lesson: Sports can distract from repression and war.
Alongside “Fly Emirates,” Arsenal’s jersey features another troubling
partnership: the “Visit Rwanda” sleeve sponsorship. Rwanda is often
cited as a miraculous post-genocide turnaround story. After the
devastation of 1994, the government oversaw a dramatic rebound through
disciplined investments, little tolerance for corruption and
commitment to public services. In that context, it’s understandable
why Arsenal accepted Rwanda’s money.
But there is a darker side to this story. Rwanda’s economic success
has been underwritten in part by raw materials acquired through
repeated incursions into neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since 1996, Rwanda has invaded Congo multiple times, initially to
pursue those responsible for the 1994 genocide, but increasingly to
loot gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten. Its most recent invasion has
led to one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in eastern
Congo.
An effective fan-led coalition named Gunners for Peace (Arsenal fans
call themselves Gunners) has worked to educate supporters about this
unsavory relationship. Their belief was straightforward: Removing
“Visit Rwanda” from the jersey’s sleeve would end Arsenal’s
association with human rights abuses in Congo, and the logo could be
easily replaced with another sponsorship. And Arsenal has shown that
change is possible. Last November, the club decided to end its
relationship with the Rwandan organization at the conclusion of this
season. The decision followed similar action by German club Bayern
Munich and demonstrated something long dismissed as unrealistic in
modern soccer: Sustained fan pressure can make a real difference.
Which brings us back to the UAE and its reported support for the
Sudanese militia. The Emirati royal family has an ownership stake in
Manchester City, one of the world’s most famous clubs. And 85 percent
of Newcastle United is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Saudi Arabia is backing the other side in Sudan’s war, the Sudanese
Armed Forces, which has also been accused of committing atrocities.
There are encouraging signs of accountability on this front. In 2022,
Roman Abramovich — a Russian oligarch with financial ties to President
Vladimir Putin — was forced to sell Chelsea Football Club in the
Premier League after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That decision
established an unmistakable standard: Ownership and sponsorship are
not morally neutral when mass violence is involved.
In March 2023, Premier League clubs unanimously approved an expansion
of their “Owners’ and Directors’ Test” to include disqualification of
any owner found to have committed human rights abuses. Yet glaring
double standards persist. Financial and strategic relationships appear
to shield certain actors, like the Emirati royal family, from the
accountability imposed on others.
Given the lack of consequences for Premier League teams with deep ties
to the UAE and Saudi Arabia and the precedent of Arsenal, under fan
pressure, ending its relationship with Rwanda, it is left then to
supporters to demand that their teams hold to basic standards of human
decency in their financial affairs.
This pressure is just beginning. Sudanese activists recently gathered
outside Manchester City’s stadium, holding soccer balls signed by
Sudanese refugees with messages calling for an end to the war. They’re
collecting fan signatures to petition the Premier League to hold
Mansour accountable for his country’s role in prolonging and profiting
from the conflict. Gunners for Peace are considering pivoting from its
successful Rwanda campaign to one focused on the UAE. And Newcastle
United Fans Against Sportswashing has taken aim at Saudi ownership.
Ending Arsenal’s relationship with Rwanda removed a thorn from the
consciences of fans like us, signaling that complicity in abuses in
Congo should not be tolerated. The role of the UAE and Saudi Arabia in
sports like soccer and basketball is a much bigger thorn. But change
is possible with fan pressure and a stiff backbone.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/23/arsenal-sportswashing-uae-soccer-football/
END
______________________
John Ashworth
ashwor...@gmail.com
+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile, WhatsApp and Signal)
PO Box 403 - 00206, Kiserian, Kenya
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