The UAE sports corruption acts have been evident through the exploitation of Manchester City, which is owned by the Emirates. While it is well-known that the UAE has been using football for sportswashing its foul global reputation, the country will also be taking over Derby County F.C.
A country that is overly possessive of its global reputation and completely helpless of its conducts, the United Arab Emirates is known for following the wicked paths indirectly. In another such attempt, an Emirati businessman, Khaled bin Zayed Al Nahyan is set to takeover the EFL Championship football club, Derby County.
Khaled bin Zayed is the chairman of Bin Zayed International LLC, who has also made high-end football bids in the past. The Emirati billionaire has previously failed in acquiring popular English Premier League clubs, including Liverpool F.C. and Newcastle United F.C., while his half brother Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan was involved in UAE sports corruption acts.
In 2018, Liverpool have rejected a world record bid of Al Nahyan worth £2 billion. In the following year, he attempted to purchase Newcastle for nearly £350 million, which was also rejected. However, Khaled bin Zayed’s, or may be the Arab nation’s, fate has now changed, as Derby County has agreed to his takeover deal. However, the latest bid is coming under questions, due to the UAE sports corruption reports of the past.
Khaled bin Mohammed is being viewed as the indirect source of the UAE to sportswash the extensive human rights violations, which have been staining the country’s image at an international level. At first, it was Manchester City F.C. that was used by the Emirates to manipulate the world’s most popular sport.
Mansour bin Zayed acquired the Man City club in 2008, and has since been dominating the sport to intensify its image as a soft power. In 2014, the country was found breaching the UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, when it was fined £49 million and was restricted to name only a 21-man Champions League squad in the next season. Despite that, the UAE’s sports corruption actions didn’t sport.
Four years later, the Emirates was found involved in another breach, where Mansour bin Zayed was allegedly neglected the FFP rules, as he continued to bulk up the sponsorship deals with his own money. He funnelled millions of pounds into the club using the Etihad Airways and an investment firm, Aabar. In 2019, UEFA opened investigation into Man City, citing the UAE sports corruption allegations.
In February 2020, the club was banned from the UEFA Champions League for two seasons for violating the FFP rules and was fined with £26.9m. However, the rich owners of Manchester City were able to pull the club back using the rope of multiple high-end lawyers. Consequently, the ban was lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July 2020, while the fine was also reduced to £9 million.
The events that have unfurled in Manchester City club since Mansour bin Zayed’s takeover have revealed the extent of the UAE sports corruption. The country is supporting brutal wars, killing innocent civilians using advance weapons, detaining human rights defenders and is involved in several such violations.
However, as the Emirates also focuses on gaining global power, it has been making sports one of its crucial tools to cover its harsh reality. The upcoming takeover of Derby County by Khaled bin Zayed is also probably an indirect attempt of the UAE to diversify the economy and exploit football.
