#sportswashing

#sportswashing

As paramilitary fighters from the brutal Rapid Support Forces (RSF) overran the largest city in western Sudan carrying out mass executions, rapes and ethnic cleansing with weapons supplied by the United Arab Emirates the NBA's annual in-season tournament, the Emirates NBA Cup, tipped off on Halloween night, proudly sponsored by the very same Gulf state. The tournament is the most visible example of the NBA's expanding partnership with the UAE

Ronaldo is the only foreign player worth what he earns because of the global exposure he brings to the league and the country. Many others are paid far more than they deserve.

As a Mancunian, I feel anger and shame at the complicity of our city's commercial links with the United Arab Emirates, reported to be funding the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which are committing war crimes in Darfur. I work as a medicolegal report writer at Freedom from Torture and have borne witness to the awful impact of the Janjaweed militia (which has morphed into the RSF) on people from Darfur.

Canadian company Premier Tech said on Friday it had broken off its sponsorship deal after the team was targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters at several races this year, with stages of the Vuelta a Espana grand tour in August and September disrupted by demonstrators before the race was abandoned by organisers. The sponsors removed their full name from riders' jerseys at the Vuelta.

On top of the conflict of interest that comes with being both a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and a Fox commentator, and in between his duties as " guy who says fuck and denigrates Birmingham City, the soccer club he co-owns," Brady has now signed up to do some good old fashioned sportswashing. On Monday, Brady announced that he will return to the football field for the, ugh, Fanatics Flag Football Classic, a three-team tournament set to be held in March of 2026

Yesterday Qiddiya Gaming, which is backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). announced it was taking full ownership of RTS, making it the second-biggest stakeholder for Evo. Chief strategy officer Muhannad Aldawood called it "a strategic step that will further strengthen our esports business and unlock new opportunities across the broader gaming ecosystem." He added, "most importantly, this will enable Qiddiya to keep fueling the continued growth of Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world's largest fighting game event since 1996, with unlimited potentials."

Since the acquisition by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Newcastle United finds itself at a crossroads with executive instability, lack of transfers, and overlooked projects.