That just means you're informed enough and care enough. Respect. The wash was with them paying the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Zidane and David Beckham to put a happy face on their human rights abuses. I'm glad it doesn't work on you but sadly it works on millions of others.
Cheers Kevin, another great and important read. I boycotted the 2022 World Cup and can’t imagine myself watching anything FIFA-backed again under the correct regime. As for the nation-state clubs, nothing PSG or Man City achieve will justify what those clubs now represent. It’s frustrating players go there, but they are just young people in a football, money-driven bubble. I laugh at myself thinking Arsenal had a chance against PSG when they couldn’t afford the January striker to save their season! After all, who can spend upwards of £200 million
mid-season from teams who have loads to play for? Oh, PSG and City!
I too am a lifelong Arsenal fan struggling with my own necessity for cognitive dissonance with the ownership . Our moral high ground feels very shaky when looking down the pyramid. I did so enjoy The Arsenal Women celebrating the European triumph, apparently an achievement that cost the club money. Was this sportswashing or just a loss leader to promote the brand ?
You're so right. Now we have to deal with this new version of the "Club World Cup" bollocks as well. As a Liverpool fan (hanging on sort of) I would rather we'd have not taken part in Qatar and allowed ourselves to be a marketing tool for human rights abuses. When Liverpool released a PR statement saying they move hotels... Well whoop de fucking do. You're still in the same country where that other hotel was built by slave labour and the amount of people that died making the stadium you played in there, you may as well have gone for a kickabout in a graveyard.
Excellent write up as always. I admit I was fascinated by the football on display but did have to consider the backdrop to it all. The most disturbing part of this all to me is the Saudi Arabia World Cup. Despite an uproar about Qatar, nobody did anything to prevent it from essentially happening again.
I get it. It's tough and this is the hardest it has been because they're actually likable.
This is the latest problem we now have to deal with, any football purist can't help but love the attitude, tactics and intelligence of what we saw.
I had to remind myself how much I hate QSG. I had to remind myself why.
I understand the paradox of being part of what you're trying to tear down and how futile and hypocritical that can feel but I also know the alternative is worse and it's what they really want.
Throughout history one of the strongest weapons for fascists has been apathy. Qatar don't want you to talk about the man behind the curtain and that's why we should make sure people never forget. They may not care, but they also shouldn't be allowed to escape it.
If you'd like to read it, I wrote something similar, I hope it can inspire you as your words inspired me. I could feel the pain in your words, but you still told your truth.
When I struggle and I do, two words keep me going:
Maybe instead of just lecturing us, Western pundits should ask deeper questions about why their own football systems concentrated power for so long and why they failed to include or uplift the rest of the world.
To be fair, you make important points about the risks of private equity in football. We’re not ignoring that financialization and unchecked ownership models can harm the game anywhere, whether in Europe, Africa, or the Gulf. But what’s frustrating is how these critiques are often delivered with an air of moral superiority, especially when power is shifting away from traditional Western centers.
For many of us across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America this moment in football is not just about money or geopolitics. It’s about dignity, visibility, and finally being treated as equals in a game we’ve loved and contributed to for generations.
We’ve produced legends. We’ve supported European clubs with unwavering loyalty. We’ve lived this game. Yet we’ve been made to feel peripheral only welcome when it suits legacy powers, rarely trusted to shape football’s future on our own terms.
Now that influence is spreading through new leagues, new hosts, and yes, new money there’s a sudden panic. Some of it, understandably, comes from “sportswashing fatigue” and concerns about transparency or values. Fair enough. But let’s be honest those same concerns were often quiet when European giants monopolized TV rights, hoarded talent, or looked the other way on governance scandals.
That’s why many Africans resonate with someone like Gianni Infantino. It’s not because we blindly support FIFA. It’s because, for once, there’s a global football leader who seems to understand that Africa and Asia are tired of playing second fiddle to Europe and UEFA. Who at least talks about inclusion not just preserving the status quo.
This shift in global football isn’t about undermining tradition. It’s about finally getting a seat at the table. Not to dominate but to participate fully, with respect.
PSG were fantastic but didn’t change my mind one iota about Qatar. Where’s the wash?
True enough, and it didn't change my mind either.
That just means you're informed enough and care enough. Respect. The wash was with them paying the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Zidane and David Beckham to put a happy face on their human rights abuses. I'm glad it doesn't work on you but sadly it works on millions of others.
Cheers Kevin, another great and important read. I boycotted the 2022 World Cup and can’t imagine myself watching anything FIFA-backed again under the correct regime. As for the nation-state clubs, nothing PSG or Man City achieve will justify what those clubs now represent. It’s frustrating players go there, but they are just young people in a football, money-driven bubble. I laugh at myself thinking Arsenal had a chance against PSG when they couldn’t afford the January striker to save their season! After all, who can spend upwards of £200 million
mid-season from teams who have loads to play for? Oh, PSG and City!
Thanks again
I too am a lifelong Arsenal fan struggling with my own necessity for cognitive dissonance with the ownership . Our moral high ground feels very shaky when looking down the pyramid. I did so enjoy The Arsenal Women celebrating the European triumph, apparently an achievement that cost the club money. Was this sportswashing or just a loss leader to promote the brand ?
Thanks for reading, guys!
You're so right. Now we have to deal with this new version of the "Club World Cup" bollocks as well. As a Liverpool fan (hanging on sort of) I would rather we'd have not taken part in Qatar and allowed ourselves to be a marketing tool for human rights abuses. When Liverpool released a PR statement saying they move hotels... Well whoop de fucking do. You're still in the same country where that other hotel was built by slave labour and the amount of people that died making the stadium you played in there, you may as well have gone for a kickabout in a graveyard.
I'm tired of this shit. Thanks for having a soul.
Excellent write up as always. I admit I was fascinated by the football on display but did have to consider the backdrop to it all. The most disturbing part of this all to me is the Saudi Arabia World Cup. Despite an uproar about Qatar, nobody did anything to prevent it from essentially happening again.
Thanks for reading Luke, as always.
I get it. It's tough and this is the hardest it has been because they're actually likable.
This is the latest problem we now have to deal with, any football purist can't help but love the attitude, tactics and intelligence of what we saw.
I had to remind myself how much I hate QSG. I had to remind myself why.
I understand the paradox of being part of what you're trying to tear down and how futile and hypocritical that can feel but I also know the alternative is worse and it's what they really want.
Throughout history one of the strongest weapons for fascists has been apathy. Qatar don't want you to talk about the man behind the curtain and that's why we should make sure people never forget. They may not care, but they also shouldn't be allowed to escape it.
If you'd like to read it, I wrote something similar, I hope it can inspire you as your words inspired me. I could feel the pain in your words, but you still told your truth.
When I struggle and I do, two words keep me going:
No pasarán
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts, much appreciated.
My pleasure. Stay strong. No pasarán
Very good
Maybe instead of just lecturing us, Western pundits should ask deeper questions about why their own football systems concentrated power for so long and why they failed to include or uplift the rest of the world.
To be fair, you make important points about the risks of private equity in football. We’re not ignoring that financialization and unchecked ownership models can harm the game anywhere, whether in Europe, Africa, or the Gulf. But what’s frustrating is how these critiques are often delivered with an air of moral superiority, especially when power is shifting away from traditional Western centers.
For many of us across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America this moment in football is not just about money or geopolitics. It’s about dignity, visibility, and finally being treated as equals in a game we’ve loved and contributed to for generations.
We’ve produced legends. We’ve supported European clubs with unwavering loyalty. We’ve lived this game. Yet we’ve been made to feel peripheral only welcome when it suits legacy powers, rarely trusted to shape football’s future on our own terms.
Now that influence is spreading through new leagues, new hosts, and yes, new money there’s a sudden panic. Some of it, understandably, comes from “sportswashing fatigue” and concerns about transparency or values. Fair enough. But let’s be honest those same concerns were often quiet when European giants monopolized TV rights, hoarded talent, or looked the other way on governance scandals.
That’s why many Africans resonate with someone like Gianni Infantino. It’s not because we blindly support FIFA. It’s because, for once, there’s a global football leader who seems to understand that Africa and Asia are tired of playing second fiddle to Europe and UEFA. Who at least talks about inclusion not just preserving the status quo.
This shift in global football isn’t about undermining tradition. It’s about finally getting a seat at the table. Not to dominate but to participate fully, with respect.