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By associating their regimes with world-class sports, Gulf monarchs seek to legitimise themselves as benevolent leaders of modernisation, all while perpetuating their status as the last absolute monarchies in the world. The global community, dazzled by these lavish sports spectacles, often overlooks the darker reality lurking behind the glitzy façade.
By PROFESSOR ZIYAD MOTALA
In recent years, the rulers and elites of the Gulf states, modern-day pharaohs of oil wealth, have systematically transformed global sports into a vehicle for global influence. Their investments, running into billions, are not driven by a love of the game but by vanity and a calculated effort to obscure their egregious human rights records while elevating their international standing. This practice, known as ‘sportswashing’, has permeated football, golf, tennis, motor racing, and boxing, as Gulf royals flaunt their wealth in an attempt to buy legitimacy and rewrite the narrative surrounding their regimes.
Perhaps the most glaring example is Manchester City, owned by Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the UAE’s ruling family. The club currently faces over 100 charges from the English Premier League for alleged violations of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, including inflating sponsorship deals linked to Emirati companies. These charges highlight a broader and unsettling issue: the belief among Gulf elites that laws and rules are mere inconveniences to be circumvented through the deployment of wealth and influence. Just as these rulers operate with impunity at home, they are confident they can skirt accountability on the global stage.
Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has raised sportswashing to unprecedented levels. By injecting massive sums into LIV Golf and Saudi soccer, and by luring top athletes with astronomical contracts, the kingdom has become a major player in global sports. This comes despite ongoing international criticism over its dismal human rights record, which includes the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and its brutal war in Yemen. In fact, as international sports stars and celebrities lend their names to Saudi rebranding efforts, these atrocities are conveniently sidelined, enabling the kingdom to present itself as progressive and modern.
The kingdom’s hosting of Formula 1 races in Jeddah serves a similar purpose. While the world watches sleek racing cars whiz around state-of-the-art tracks, the Saudi regime’s systemic suppression of women’s rights activists and political dissidents is obscured. Major boxing matches, too, have been held in Saudi Arabia, further enhancing its global image while shielding its authoritarian reality from scrutiny.
Tennis has recently been added to the Gulf rulers’ portfolio of interests, with Saudi Arabia investing heavily in high-profile tournaments. By sponsoring these prestigious events, Gulf elites continue to construct an image of modernisation, while brutally silencing dissent at home and maintaining their stranglehold on power.
These prestige-driven ventures are not merely distractions; they are strategic pillars in a larger campaign of image enhancement. By associating their regimes with world-class sports, Gulf monarchs seek to legitimise themselves as benevolent leaders of modernisation, all while perpetuating their status as the last absolute monarchies in the world. The global community, dazzled by these lavish sports spectacles, often overlooks the darker reality lurking behind the glitzy façade.
Beyond sportswashing, Gulf monarchs have deftly positioned themselves as indispensable allies to Western powers by aligning with key foreign policy objectives, most notably in their support for Israel. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have essentially normalised relations with Israel, and by aligning with Washington’s Middle East strategy, they have secured a level of protection from Western criticism. Their tacit, if not overt, support of Israeli policies, including the occupation of Palestinian lands, has solidified their standing in Western geopolitical calculations. So long as they remain strategically useful, their human rights abuses will continue to be ignored by the West.
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The UK, in particular, has long been a favoured destination for Gulf wealth. Even before Brexit, the British economy has become increasingly reliant on foreign capital, much of which originates from the Gulf and is funnelled into football clubs, real estate, and other industries. Gulf wealth has become deeply entrenched in the UK, with hundreds of billions of pounds invested in British financial institutions and properties. However, this economic dependence has come at a steep price: silence. Western governments, especially the UK, have consistently avoided confronting Gulf regimes over their human rights violations, whether at home or in Yemen, for fear of jeopardising these crucial investments.
The ongoing investigation into Manchester City and its potential violations of financial regulations places this troubling dynamic into sharp relief. The Premier League—one of the most revered sporting institutions in the world—now faces a critical test. Will it enforce its own rules, risking a confrontation with its wealthy Gulf patrons, or will it turn a blind eye and allow Manchester City to continue operating with impunity? The outcome of this case could set a pivotal precedent. If evidence of wrongdoing is found and yet Sheikh Mansour escapes accountability—whether due to the league’s reluctance or government intervention—it will send a clear message: the rule of law is for sale. Such a precedent will only embolden Gulf despots to continue their brazen manipulation of Western institutions.
The broader implications of Gulf sportswashing expose a far more profound problem. Western institutions, from sports leagues to governments, seem willing to sacrifice their values for financial gain. Gulf monarchs have expertly deployed their vast wealth to buy influence not only in sports but in global diplomacy. Their investments are not about the love of sport—they are about constructing a global narrative that shields their authoritarian regimes from scrutiny while allowing them to suppress dissent with impunity.
As the charges against Manchester City build, and as Saudi Arabia and its Gulf counterparts continue to pump billions into sports, the fundamental question emerges: will Western institutions uphold principles of fairness and accountability, or will they continue to capitulate to the whims of these modern-day pharaohs? For now, these Gulf rulers remain convinced that money can buy them legitimacy—and thus far, Western governments and sports organisations have done little to prove them wrong.
The investigation into Manchester City marks the beginning of what could be a significant reckoning. The world is watching to see how long sports institutions and Western governments will bow to the allure of Gulf wealth, or if they will finally take a stand for justice and integrity.
- Ziyad Motala is a Professor of Law at Howard University School of Law, Washington DC, and former Director of the Comparative and International Law Programme at the University of Western Cape.
This article was first published on the website of International Policy Digest.
