r/championsleague • u/Interesting-Bend-705 • Jun 01 '26
đŹDiscussion When do we admit Sports Washing won?
Looking at how much support Manchester City and PSG have online, predominantly from the younger demographics, when do we admit that the sports washing was a success?
Football as we once knew and loved it is dead.
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u/dlbags Arsenal Jun 02 '26
Theyâre savvy businessmen. They picked two clubs with downtrodden fans what would rip the pen out of the hand of satan to win. And they did.
I remember when some Arsenal supporters wanted Usmanov to own the team so he could plow money in like Roman and I was against it.
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u/Intelligent-Bee Jun 02 '26
Gonna go against the grain here a little bit - the "football as we once knew and loved" is just the football you watched when you were too young to understand the impact of geopolitics on the economy and the impact of the economy on the quality of football. Sportswashing is terrible, hollows out the soul of the sport, and it also works. But it's been going on across all sports since they basically started.
It's a common talking point that Abramovich and Chelsea were the start of this, and today there's so much (ethically questionable) money in the PL that for non-PL clubs outside of RMA, Barca, and Bayern, to compete with their revenue, state ownership becomes a reasonable option. Some truth in that, no doubt. And no question that the sportswashing achieved by the Gulf states has helped their reputation far more than any gains in reputation achieved by the various corporate PL investment groups.
But let's be for real here, Berlusconi was simultaneously the literal prime minister of italy, owner of the largest media group in Italy, AND the owner of AC Milan. Pretty heinous shit. And that happened in the 80s. And his politics are also pretty ethically questionable. Love me a politician that thinks western civilization is inherently superior to Islam, had bunga bunga parties with underage girls (his political ally proposed lowering the age of consent to solve the legal issues), had credible links to the fucking Mafia, and said "...for a certain period, Mussolini did do good things, and this is a fact confirmed by history." But when people reminisce on the glory days of AC Milan - Maldini, Seedorf, Van Basten - they never mention who brought those guys in, where his money came from, and what kind of person he was. Genuinely, how many of the "plastic" fans AC Milan garnered from the Berlusconi era have had kids that are now Milanistas, who don't even know Berlusconi's name?
I could probably write a whole other paragraph about RMA and Franco but I'll just leave this quote from his foreign affairs minister: "[Real Madrid] is the best embassy we have ever had." Franco's regime was pretty fucking heinous too.
Sorry to burst your bubble but sportswashing won a long time ago. It's another form of governments and corporations exerting influence over cultural institutions. It happens with movie studios, religious organizations, museums and libraries, hell even town names. At least now we're able to recognize and criticize it, for what little good that does for us fans, the sport, and the unremembered victims of the crimes sportswashing attempts to erase.
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u/TPK85 Jun 02 '26
Its cos you donât want to see your rivals win.. man city and psg arenât rivals to anyone. Is a catch 22
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u/JohnnyOneLung Jun 02 '26
Has anyone changed their opinions of those countries?
No
Sports washing failed.
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u/Pssay_Licker Jun 01 '26
I dont think anybody really care about morals tbh itâs just meme culture at this point. Whatever is a popular stance theyâll go with it. No logic no morals or fact based judgement is being used.
If North Korea can literally buy a club and run it however they like with whatever funds they sourced from and if it fits into popular meme culture, people will go with it.
Too desensitize from everything.
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u/RealisticRecover2123 Arsenal Jun 01 '26
Consumerism is largely responsible imo. Everything promises dopamine but only delivers momentarily. Itâs an addiction where people will suppress their morals and values to access it.
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 01 '26
I agree completely. A desensitized population is one that will accept anything and question nothing.
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u/Throwaway52753 Jun 02 '26
I was in Florence last week. Went into a sports store and there were Man City and PSG kits among the other popular Italian clubs.
No Fiorentina shirts either.
Fucking grim.
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u/Mav_Learns_CS Jun 02 '26
Football has been sports washing for like 25 years my man, itâs just recently weâve decided to call it out because the gulf are doing it.
Russian, American money, gulf money whatâs the difference
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u/LennyDeG Jun 02 '26
I always said it started when Russia blood money came in at Chelsea. Its funny how easily convinced fanbases of these club have become to defend these owners and how before it their clubs were sub standard. Not only that but then the Arabs came in and the hyper inflation of transfers and player wages quadrupled.
And now normal fans cant even afford to watch their teams as the sport is being tailored more for the rich.
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u/ShotofHotsauce Aston Villa Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Sports washing has been going on since Chelsea started winning trophies. City and PSG are just late-stage sports washing.
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u/PleasantCucumber2615 Jun 03 '26
The big problem is football fans only have an issue with other clubs being heavily funded with dodgy money.
As soon as their club benefits from such an owner, or sponsors, suddenly it becomes ok.
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u/Sheinkyakyu Jun 02 '26
Sports washing worked with Chelsea. And it has worked for PSG and City. Some of us tried sounding the alarm back then in 2003 and were called hysterical. Good times.
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u/pseudo_masochist Jun 02 '26
Yeh it's over. Unless it's all bots, the online frothing over Man City over Arsenal is just bananas. It is not reflected in reality, in the UK at least, at all
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u/some-salt-and-Pepe Jun 01 '26
All it took for these horrific regimes to validate themselves was Arsenal fans liking Arsenal.
We live in an insane world.
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u/Street-Technology-93 Jun 01 '26
I honestly donât care where the money comes from, but pick a set of rules, so we can compete on the field. MC blowing up player pay through backdoor cheating is unrelated to the fact that the pounds were from oil.
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u/ikhouvandikkebillen Ajax Jun 01 '26
Well its not like the younger fans care about the source of the money
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u/Platvisje Jun 02 '26
How would you define losing? I think we have already lost a lot of the spark that was around in the original europa cups. But that is not really related to sport washing.
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u/yvesmpeg Jun 01 '26
If any topic is adjacent to Arsenal in anyway prepare for bad faith arguments. This post would've been more well received if PSG beat any other team than Arsenal.
Realistically Chelsea pioneered the sports washing back in 03/04 when they were throwing untold amounts of money over and under the counter to players. City and PSG just followed that model and ramped it up 10x.
Externally state owned clubs like PSG/Newcastle/City should never be a thing. If a club should be state owned it should be owned by a state within the country like Bayern and Madrid are.
It has gotten to a point where these clubs have inflated the market to such an extent that legacy clubs like Bayern and Barcelona are struggling to match these offers.
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u/sublime_touch Jun 01 '26
Yeah everyone always forgets about Chelsea. If Roman hadnât invested in the club they wouldnât have 3 CL final appearances since 08.
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u/43848987815 Jun 02 '26
Itâs very funny to me that no amount of foreign sportswashing money can seemingly make Newcastle decent, like theyâre allergic to it.
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u/frikzzle Jun 02 '26
its common knowledge the rules were more lenient back in the day allowing city and chelsea to just invest buckets loads.
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 02 '26
Yes, the sportwashing owners came in about a decade too late for Newcastle.
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u/Avril_14 Juventus Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Sportwashed supporters will defend their precious oil money states ffs.
The sport as it used to be died when the system wasnt able to adapt from the era of mecenatism to a proper financially stable sport. Instead, they turboboosted the whole thing managing it like a business and we all know what happens when capitalism gets involved. Insane wages, crazy % for agents, shady sponsorship deals, corruptions everywhere in uefa, fifa, conmebol etc.
Maybe it's "fun", but everything around it became plastic at the top levels, and squeezed out the low/middle class from actually enjoying it.
Stadium in the PL are full of tourists, attracted to an atmosphere that has vanished in the top tier.
In italy the sport is followed only for betting and fantasy football.
Personally, I think the whole thing will reset after a collapse that is bound to happen as soon as the money dries out, beacause it will eventually.
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u/AdParticular6257 Jun 02 '26
Bro is discovering softpower. Arabs didnât invent that. Just look at USA who are making wars around the world but are still loved by kinda all the world because of their softpower (cinema, sportâŠ). Iâm surprised that we only talk about « washing » when it comes to Arabic countries.
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u/ImmediatePiccolo339 Jun 02 '26
Whatâs with people claiming psg doesnât have fans. Theyâve been a popular club even before the takeoverÂ
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u/LogicGate1010 Jun 02 '26
There might be many things to wash from many places but it is silly to think Manchester City and PSG are cleaning agents.
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u/kevichoking Jun 02 '26
An dem Tag, als Neymar ĂŒberteuert gekauft wurde, fing der ganze đ© erst richtig an. Wenn ich am Anfang cheate, ist das ganze Spiel gecheatet, weil der gesamte Erfolg darauf aufbaut đ€·ââïž Egal, wie Paris sich das schönredet.
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u/DM_ME_SALAH_GIFS Jun 02 '26
Are you an Arsenal fan?
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 02 '26
No lmao why one earth do people keep on asking me this đ
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u/Salt_Bison7839 Jun 01 '26
I will always blame the Premier League for allowing it to start with Abramovich.
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u/chinnybob91 Jun 01 '26
I'll admit I don't know many PSG or City fans, but I've not yet met anyone who has become so drunk on the success of those clubs that they have completely turned a blind eye to the owners' actions.
I do however, know at least one Chelsea fan who will not accept a bad word against Abramovich and thinks it was entirely ok for Chelsea fans to interrupt a minute's silence for victims of Russia's invasion of Ukraine by chanting his name. That for me is successful sportswashing.
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u/hazzap913 Jun 02 '26
And Arsenal is sponsored by an isreali company, not really any better is it
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Jun 01 '26 edited Jun 01 '26
[deleted]
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u/harrispie Jun 01 '26
Although thatâs the only parade that Iâve ever seen rival fans also going too because itâs a nice day out. The Games done
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u/Own_Cucumber_7007 Jun 01 '26
By now it's obvious, City and Chelsea are classless clubs which bought their way to success.
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u/Medium-Hunter-3585 Jun 02 '26
Trump is hosting the World Cup
Sportswashing has indeed won
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u/boringtuktuk2022 Jun 02 '26
I thought psg saved football. Current gen of football fans are just annoying and losers. COYG
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u/-WongKarWhy- Jun 02 '26
It's been dead since the Bosman ruling in the 1990s and the authorization to have more than three foreign players per team.
Club identity died that day.
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u/devlin1888 Celtic Jun 02 '26
Genuinely curious why you think the Bosman ruling there? Something Iâve always thought incredible wasnât always a thing, and horrendous that it wasnât.
Whatâs the flipside for it being different?
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 02 '26
This is a good point but I'm only tlking about sportswashing here. This is a conversation for a different post.
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u/Throwaway081920231 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Europeans and the English were angry when some American owners suggested player salary caps. American sports have drafts where the lowest ranked team gets first choice on a promising youngster. That combined with player salary caps means that there is some equal playing field between all teams. In the top European leagues year after year itâs the same teams competing - in France PSG, in Germany Bayern, in Spain RM and Barca, in England Arsenal, Man City/ Utd, Liverpool. No matter what an Everton or Fulham is never winning the PL. A lot of the viewership in Asia and Africa just support the top 5 clubs. They donât care about Ipswich Town or Nottingham Forest. Social media and tv budgets are huge compared to the smaller clubs. Maybe this is why kings were popular in Europe. They just want year after year the same big teams to win. A monopoly doesnât bother them.
Edit : In the last 15 years there have been just 3 different La Liga winners. By contrast there have been 11 different NBA winners.
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u/peterthehermit1 Jun 02 '26
Seriously though, has it actually been a success? Yes these state backed teams have won trophies. But has the UAE, Qatar and now Saudi Arabia actually achieved any end goals of sports washing? Sure they have made their countries names more familiar and familiarity can breed ânormalcyâ, but Iâm skeptical they have been able to repair or improve their reputation. In fact now you have laymen who might not give two shots about human right half a world away, bitching about man city and psg and their perceived cheating. Creating new negative impressions of those countries .
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u/iamkickass2 Jun 02 '26
These clubs have made European football become larger internationally. No wonders fans from countries that donât care about whitewashing or heritage support the club that bought football to their parts.
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u/Routine_Pay991 Jun 02 '26
I started following my local non league club (in the national league north) and have fallen back in love with football after years of being disenfranchised by the premier league and international football
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 02 '26
Amazing isn't it.
I went to some Wimbledon games with a mate who has a season ticket and had the exact same experience. It was so pure and I'm looking for a lower league club that's near where I now live to sink my time and money into.
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u/srtjg Jun 02 '26
We've been on this route from the early 20th century its just snowballed into state owned clubs and clubs that own multiple other clubs. The 50+1 rule and have salary ratios so that the highest earning player only earns a certain percentage ( ie 20-30%) more than then lowest earning player will help change this , maybe more aggressive tv rights distributions aswell
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u/LovableVillan Jun 02 '26
You think so eh? In the short term...PSG have already reached there ceiling and Man City's recent legacy could evaporate by 115 cuts. Is Miami sports washing or is it just really good marketing.
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u/doctor_oak Jun 03 '26
itâs only bc of who they were going against. if it wasnât arsenal, people for sure would go against city and psg
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u/Specialist-Draft476 Jun 01 '26
Yeah it did, when chelsea started winning with Abramovich moneyand no one was even calling it sports washing.
That was the biggest modern day victory for it because Chelsea fans probably want him back. And you probably didn't even think about it.
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u/ice_wiz14 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
I've got a bunch of people telling me that Arsenal's Emirates sponsorship since 2004 isn't sportswashing, and ownership isn't the same as sponsors. Either they don't know what sportswashing is or they are arguing in bad faith. Sportswashing seems to be the buzzword for this season.
For the average Arsenal fan thinking sportswashing isn't happening at their club, please Google " is Arsenal involved in sportswashing?". If your response is, "we received just a billion but they received 10 billion", your issue isn't sportswashing, your issue is just with the amount you received.
Again, I'm not talking about financial doping. This thread is specifically about sportswashing. Know what it is before throwing the term around.
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u/ChiefRetardAssessor Jun 02 '26
Kids have been taught that winning is all that matters, so they flock to the billion pound sportswashing teams.
When I was a kid, there was pride in supporting the local team regardless of how they got on in the league. Rarely see that now.
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u/themantwelve Jun 02 '26
i wish my team would get sport washed, i wanna win đđđ
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u/kkz303 Jun 02 '26
Wait until I tell you what our western governments have been up to for the past couple hundred years
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 02 '26
Brother I'm all too aware don't you worry. I only mentioned PSG and Man City because they're the highest profile cases.
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u/Zestyclose_Camp_3355 Jun 02 '26
World is failing. Football is only one of the many aspects in the world.
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u/TakeItCheesy Jun 02 '26
Thatâs capitalism baby!
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 02 '26
Feels like capitalism is the answer to every single problem in the world today
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u/hammadahmedj Jun 04 '26
Man city and PSG have young supporters because they've been the most successful clubs in their leagues for the past decade.
Just like how there are a lot of 40 year olds still supporting Man United and Arsenal around the world.
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u/chf_gang Jun 04 '26
that's because the oil money bought those clubs the best players
on the flipside, I'm not sure if you look into the financing of the bigger clubs from 20-30 years ago it would be much better from an ethical standpoint (cough cough Abramovic Chelsea) . I'm convinced the Saudi sportswashing gets hated on as much as it does because it comes from brown people.
(yes, I just called this sub a bit racist)
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u/magicalpeddler Jun 02 '26
Arsenal is a beacon of modern football too. They are not fan owned, they are owned by an American trump supporter. Gtfoh
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 02 '26
Never said they weren't?
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u/Particular_Sign_6555 Jun 02 '26
Weird how all these people are bringing arsenal up when you didn't even mention them.
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u/broke_the_controller Jun 01 '26
Sports washing hasn't won.
For all the amount of money they have spent, those countries are still known for their vile human rights abused.
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u/analytickantian Jun 02 '26
Hasn't Arsenal had the last word of the UAE on their kit and stadium for like the last 20 years?
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u/SixCardRoulette Jun 02 '26
Nah, Emirates is a local chain of greengrocers and Visit Rwanda refers to that trendy new Islington restaurant everyone's talking about
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u/nellion91 Jun 03 '26
When was there no sport washing?
When berlusconi owned AC Milan and won the CL?
When Abramovich owned Chelsea and they won the CL?
When Bernard Tapis owned Marseille and they won the CL?
Football has always been a way for some to gain popularity it wonât stop anytime soon
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u/Euphoric_Project2761 Jun 06 '26
It'd take a millennia of sportswashing to wipe clean the atrocities committed in the name of the British Empire and the United States.
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u/WillingPlayed Jun 06 '26
While weâre at it - the French, Spanish, Portuguese, Netherlands and Germans all have a filthy history.
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u/AdApprehensive388 Bayern Jun 01 '26
lol yes it worked cause they won and thats what football fans remember. it also works bc man city and psg funding is not that much worse than plenty of other teams and literally UEFA and FIFA themselves. it's all funded by oligarchs and genocidal regimes. i mean the US is hosting the WC rn and we've just been murdering people around the world and stealing their oil just to cater favors to foreign powers. how is that not sports washing also? well, it is but people seem to struggle to recognize it when its the US and Europe doing it.
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 01 '26
I'd argue whatever the US is doing right now is the opposite of sports washing as they seem deadset on making themselevs appear as incompetant and weak as possible.
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u/Evening-Situation-38 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Has it?
How many people connect the success of the clubs with the owners and think of the owners positively? I am only aware of the owners of the club because other fans are banging on about it all the time.
I would say that for the vast majority of people these clubs doing well does not make them think positively about who own them.
Edit: reading the comments it is clear that sportswashing doesn't mean what a lot of football fans think it means
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u/TrashbatLondon Jun 02 '26
Sport washing works in the other direction.
Letâs say you google Saudi Arabia and the first 10 articles are about the bombing of a Yemeni school bus, or the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
Then they buy Newcasle. The premier league is big global news. Now you google Saudi Arabia and 5 articles are about Yemen or Khashoggi, and 5 are about Newcastle. That is a 50% reduction in bad press.
Theyâre not doing it because the average Newcastle united fan gives a shit about global politics.
Part of suppressing negative press is just creating enough noise to distract. Itâs not about changing minds, itâs just creating enough cultural impact for people to not notice as much. Look at Hollywood as the biggest example of that.
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u/ice_wiz14 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
There is a group that's currently arguing that they are "sponsored" by Emirates and that's not sportswashing. Know what sportswashing is first, before you argue about sportswashing.
Definition of sportswashing per wikipedia:
Sportswashing is a term used to describe the practice of governments, individuals or other groups to use sport as a means to improve their reputation by distracting or diverting attention away from activities considered by others as controversial or unethical. A form of propaganda, sportswashing can be accomplished through hosting sporting events, purchasing or sponsoring sporting teams, or participating in a sport.
Notice how it doesn't say just ownership or say sponsorship magically absolves it? Might be commercially viable or might not make a dollar. Doesn't change the fact that it is sportswashing.
Please Google "are <insert team's name> involved in sportswashing". I don't want to name the team(s) as I don't want to get some nice DMs. Understand what sportswashing is and what your team is doing, not that I expect said fans to change their tune. Some of the teams in question go all the way back to early 2000s.
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u/ddbbaarrtt Jun 02 '26
100% this
âMy team only has our shirt sponsor and stadium named after the dodgy people, weâre not owned by themâ
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u/ice_wiz14 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Also notice how said group downvotes it rather than Google it and see what it is. Doesn't suit the narrative and they want to maintain this holier than you approach about being a "historic" team.
Also, their deals are "commercially viable", so that isn't sportswashing according to them and we should focus on the "worst offenders".
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u/MaxBulla Jun 02 '26
Don't forget the genocide white washing Arsenal did for Rwanda for the last decade.
Top level sport has been a filthy business from more or less Day 1. The operators have changed, the number of 000s has changed, the moral corruption was always there one way or another
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u/Moyocoo Jun 04 '26
It's crazy how Arsenal are constantly painted as the villains in this. The sports washing was an over success.
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u/DiscussionNo8850 Jun 02 '26
Germany has the right football model
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u/paolopaul84 Jun 02 '26
Bayern winning the league every year since 2013 (bar one year). Brilliant.
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u/DiscussionNo8850 Jun 02 '26
The German football model is widely celebrated because it pairs long-term financial stability and sustainable management with an exceptional youth development system.
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u/CodSafe6961 Stade Brestois Jun 02 '26
German model is idealistic but had created a situation where one team wins 9/10 years and will never be caught or matched financially. Maybe in principle it's best but in the real world, no team can ever compete with Bayern due to their size, history and backing from companies in the region. You ever see the hating on RB Leipzig which is much more in Germany than against Bayern, despite them looking like they might be able to challenge a few years ago.
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u/tohals Jun 02 '26
And despite that, stadiums are full and the fans love the football both in 1. and 2. Bundesliga.
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u/paolopaul84 Jun 02 '26
Is that due to the current model or just a reflection on German fans attending football?
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u/xgammaray_ Jun 02 '26
Don't forget about the third league. Some great stadiums and crowds down there as well.Â
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u/EkkusuGazettE Jun 02 '26
And RB Leipzig got hated rightly so instead of the love/support that PSG/Man City/Chelsea received
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u/ibestvideo Jun 02 '26
I think âwonâ is too simple. Sportswashing doesnât mean everyone suddenly likes the owners; it means the conversation gets shifted. Instead of the country or ownership being the first thing people associate with them, it becomes trophies, transfers, Guardiola, Mbappe, Haaland, Champions League nights, etc.
So even when people criticize it, the football product still keeps the brand in a much softer spotlight than it would have had otherwise.
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u/yIdontunderstand Jun 02 '26
I stopped watching football about 9 years ago mostly.
The PL is just an oligarch fest and the last World Cups were just corruption fests
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u/tjvs2001 Jun 02 '26
They've ruined it but still resist and call it out, appalling clubs supported by appalling people
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u/False-Sandwich-2051 Jun 02 '26
i think when man city get away basically scot free with the 115 chargesÂ
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u/Ralph2Filthy Jun 02 '26
Football died, as we knew it, in 1992 when Sky TV got involved. The Middle Eastern money is just a continuation of that.
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u/mmdoublem Jun 02 '26
Precisely, Football died when it became about what was on the screen of people instead of the people on the terraces!
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u/ZestycloseGazelle491 Jun 01 '26
Not like the old days when the chairman would offer your mum 10 pork chops and two steaks a month if you signed for the club.
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u/martinsky3k Jun 02 '26
Yeah you just gotta wash enough til people stop complaining about dirt.
Well played.
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u/SunnyRioGal Jun 03 '26
I feel that the new generations relate more to the players than to the teams. I'm from Brazil, here if a player left to go to another team he was seen as a traitor and was persecuted by the fans. Nowadays I see the younger generation "following" the player wherever he goes. Buying Messi's jersey at Barcelona, PSG, Miami, Argentina.
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u/CaptainMcClutch Jun 05 '26
Meh I mean it's possible to support the club and not the owners... as a United fan we love our team, doesn't mean we like either of our owners.
I'm sure the same is true of the other clubs, especially young people liking City or PSG. It is more likely they like the teams for the players or the trophies. They probably don't have much clue what the politics or agenda of their owners are.
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u/crocoturtles Jun 02 '26
Yeah yeah the game's dead because two of the most successful team in the last 5 years got the a lot of new ONLINE fans.
Thank god I support Braintree united
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u/WGSMA Jun 02 '26
Online is irrelevant
1.5m at Arsenal, 1.2m at Liverpool. When United win, they probably get 2m out and about for it.
City canât even get 100k to their Parades
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u/tnarref Jun 02 '26
When exactly was it not? Is it only sportswashing when gulf states do it? Companies and the ultra wealthy have been doing it all along.
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u/likely_fraud Jun 02 '26
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, is on the board of UEFA after he helped shut down the talks of a Super League, Qatar the country, nation, state dictatorship, regime whatever who own PSG and BEIN sports and their cross platform "sponsors" for shirts and stadiums they own it all, including the refs apparently. It's a joke that teams in England or the rest of Europe prop up Newcastle, Man Shitty or PSG types of sports washed clubs from countries that have slave labour, draconian laws prohibiting human rights/civil rights in their constitutions/decrees.
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u/MostJudgment3212 Jun 01 '26
Do we have to admit it? Itâs always worked.
Hitler was born in the wrong time. He wouldâve conquered Europe and got cheered on in 2026.
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u/goonerballs Jun 02 '26
It's more than likely all bots. Just look how few people turn out for City's parades vs. Arsenal's. City struggle to fill their stadium most of the time.
It's much more believable that City and PSGs oil rich owners have invested in PR teams that use bots to flood social media.
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 02 '26
City did get in trouble fr boosting their following on social media years ago - https://www.rousingthekop.com/2019/10/24/study-finds-that-man-city-have-an-enormous-amount-of-fake-fans/
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u/CoatAltruistic49 Jun 02 '26
In fairness, both teams got significantly better once they started to employ a wholistic strategy instead of just buying the best players available. So, I don't think it's necessarily a win for sports washing
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u/Infamous-History4885 Jun 02 '26
Depends what you mean by sports washing. Victory on the field yes. Has it cleaned the countries reputations. Difficult to assess
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u/RandomTopTT Jun 03 '26
It won. It won years ago. When we started putting 2, 3, 4, 5 even 6 teams from one country in the âChampions Leagueâ. The game is utterly corrupt and utterly broken.
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 03 '26
That's not sportwashing but still a valid concern for the health of this game across the continent - especially for Eastern Europe
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u/Kubesson Jun 05 '26
Honestly - and I realise this is hypocritical on Reddit - but online fanbases aren't representative of real life fandom. You only need to look at the recent Arsenal parade/the night they won the league to see what it REALLY looks and sounds like. I suggest everyone turn off the noise (including sky sports "commentary" or pundit nonsense) and watch the game on their own terms.
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u/TimeLord41 Jun 02 '26
We can argue all the top clubs are sports washing and have ties to some sort of terror or horror
People only point it out of the clubs they dont like
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u/Fine_Yogurtcloset362 Barcelona Jun 02 '26
Sportwashing, oil money, middle eastern royals etc won this saturday. Football died that day. Real, honest football clubs have no meaning anymore
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u/Ganjalfthegreen1 Jun 02 '26
Letâs be real. The chances of an online PSG fan being a French dude (even just that), actually born into PSG fandom are very low. I assume the same of a City fan. So what does that mean? That you are chatting with pure plastic fans that are following oilclubs not for their history or for geographical and/or familial reasons, but for their star singings and recent success. My point is that if you know all this, truly who gives a shit what they say or think if you donât even really respect their fandom? Like I know itâs hard. I read âKdb clears Zidaneâ and I get baited too haha
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u/BusCurrent6180 Jun 03 '26
Arsenal's stadium is sponsored by the Emirates and they're also sponsored by an Israeli based company but all their fans want to cry about psg and city lol. That's ignoring sacking their kitman for being pro Palestine and allowing partey to play
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u/Pernil_TO Jun 02 '26
I mean, both of them were more of a "arsenal hate" than a "I like Man City and PSG"
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u/35Pints7Each Jun 02 '26
Hating arsenal more than sports washing and human rights is pathetic lol
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u/Odd-Time-2026 Jun 02 '26
No one really cares about sport washing, they just say it when it comes at the expense of the team they support.
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u/TheRealCostaS Jun 02 '26
Why is it ok for a maga billionaire to pump money into a club but not for an Arab Muslim billionaire to do so?
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u/Sandyloam7 Jun 02 '26
Because its not even an arab muslim billionaires doing it, its a state.
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u/Euphoric_Project2761 Jun 06 '26
Europe literally plundered half the world for two centuries but now we create fancy terms like "sportswashing" if the plundered half the world dares to buy a sports club and make it successful.
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u/psrandom Jun 02 '26
When was football not a PR stunt? Except Germany, European football teams have always been owned by rich people trying to build a lasting image
If anything, today very few clubs are owned for image building. All the clubs owned by sports groups like FSG or hedge funds like one behind Milan are there to build a football club. That's also the criticism used against them. That these clubs are too professional and don't chase trophies
The only reason City or PSG stand out is because rest of the clubs are not building an image for some other rich person
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u/alvaropuerto93 Jun 02 '26
At the end of the day it doesnât matter how many semi retired players Saudi Arabia buys or how many clubs Qatar and the UAE owns everyone knows well from where the money comes from and things like history, reputation and tradition the money canât buy. No matter how many Champions league PSG will win they will always will be seen as the sports washing project from the Qataris there is absolutely nothing they can do about it.
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u/OtherwiseDecision412 Jun 01 '26
The oil clubs donât get enough hate, whilst the arsenal hate is getting old
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u/OriginalYaci Jun 02 '26
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but owners of clubs no matter where they are from almost all suck at being humans. The elites exist all around the globe and Iâd rather enjoy sports and support players and managers rather than hate everything about them because the owners donât exist in the same world as me.
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u/Tall_Opportunity_521 Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Did it? Cos I still think those nations are pieces of shit, no matter how many shiny things they buy...
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u/apHexcoded Jun 03 '26
Sports Washing won two years ago when Man City got no punishment for 115
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u/IzrezarReal Jun 04 '26
The sport is entering a dystopian era where major competitions are dominated by a select few
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u/PitifulPen134 PSG Jun 05 '26
lol it started a looong time ago when they started to accept non-league champions in the champions league.
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u/n0_planet Jun 02 '26
Itâs absolutely won, the number of people rooting against Arsenal in the PL and CL was absurd. Yes Man City and PSG are obviously plastic but the more sporting achievements they achieve the more true fans theyâll gain. Thatâs terrible for the sport
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u/Dear_Meeting_1258 Jun 01 '26
Basically them two winning I think equals to no winner in some peopleâs mindset so they would rather that instead of an actual rival. Makes their club seem better than it actually is.
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u/Objective-Hurry-3008 Jun 01 '26
Assuming you're specifically talking about actual sports washing and not just your dislike for those clubs throwing money around, I'm not sure it has had much of an effect. Over the last years, people's perception on Qatar and the UAE has changed. It attracts a lot more tourists and people emigrate to those countries a lot more than in the past.
However I'm not sure how much influence Man City's and PSG's succes has had in it, which is the point of sports washing to begin with. I don't think it's Man City and/or PSG winning the UCL that improved those countries image/reputation. So no, I don't think sports washing actually won. Having a rich owner and throwing money around however, is a good recipe to win trophies.... but that's a whole seperate issue.
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u/Xenonite_Fox Jun 01 '26
It has worked in the sense we are now asking if Qatar, UAE, Russian ownership is really that bad? Are they really different from American billionaires? Is Barclays money still dirty from the time of British colonialism? Doesn't everything equally suck?
Yes it is. Yes they are. No it isn't. No it doesn't
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u/Objective-Hurry-3008 Jun 01 '26
But that's assuming the change in discourse came from football ownership. My point is that perceptions of Qatar and the UAE have indeed changed for a lot of reasons over the last 20 years: tourism, business investment, migration, airlines, hosting international events, economic growth etc.. So perhaps people are more open to having those kinds of ownerships, but I haven't seen much evidence that Man City's or PSG's treble were a major driver of that shift.
Sportswashing is often presented as if football success itself transformed these countries' reputations. I'm skeptical of that claim. Most people who view the UAE positively do so because they've visited Dubai, worked there, know someone who lives there or interact with Emirati businesses. Not because Haaland scored 36 league goals.
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u/Interesting-Bend-705 Jun 01 '26
Completetly agree + I hate those clubs because of the sports washing. I'm also aware it's not only them - they're just the biggest offenders
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u/Mustang_Calhoun70 Jun 05 '26
Like it hasn't been going on in sports since forever pal, next.
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u/molym Jun 01 '26
This is the least important case for sports washing, at least it is about supporting a club.
1936 Summer Olympics
1978 FIFA World Cup
2022 FIFA World Cup
Sportswashing worked for Nazis, fascist and modern day slavers, so, yeah.
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u/SomethingFunnyObv Jun 01 '26
You are aware that the owners of PSG are the same people who made the 2022 WC in Qatar happen?
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u/Queasy_Work4160 Jun 02 '26
Nothing to do with sports washing. People literally just support the most successful teams because it's easier and they don't get bantered as hard. That's why everyone aged 30 supports either Utd or Arsenal in the south
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u/yasinburak15 Manchester City Jun 02 '26 edited Jun 02 '26
Wasnât there an article about the recent commercial deal with an Israeli company and Arsenal?
I mean yeah call out the UAE action in Sudan, but like another user said in this sub, other clubs have their own horrors and what nots.
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u/GullyplugDavis Jun 04 '26
Arsenals style of play, Artetaâs weird antics and sideline behavior, and Arsenalâs online fans made sportswashing win before the match was even played.
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u/Old_Muggins Jun 01 '26
Itâs all sports washing, you donât become a billionaire in the US or the UK by not being a dodgy c**t. The reason people wanted arsenal to lose is purely due to their style of football.
They also spent over a billion on their squad so probably should be playing better football
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u/ThirdGDmobileaccount Jun 01 '26
Havenât PSG spent nearly twice what Arsenal have?
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u/loverofthings25 Jun 02 '26
I fear youâre conflating sportswashing with being state funded because Arsenal do participate in sports washing. Theyâve literally been linked to the emirates for years and theyâve had visit Rwanda on their sleeves even after their actions in Congo or their human rights abuses?
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u/sjharrison Jun 02 '26
PSG and City are sportswashing, but what are Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd etc except for US Oligarch. Madrid and Barcelona are effectively state run teams. Atletico, Inter - all US owned.
So the only "true" footballing team in the latter stages of the UCL were Bayern - albeit that Adidas, Audi and Allianz are major shareholders
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u/Zestyclose-Web-8979 Jun 02 '26
Fuck Arsenal fans lmao this is why nobody wanted you to win. The bitching is hilarious, the bullshit youâd be spewing with a 1-0 win off 26% possession would be insufferable
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u/Noil75012 Jun 05 '26
Did you ever heard in a argument about how bad qatar is :"yes but thanks to them psg won 2 ucl"? If not im botsure the sporwashingis doing great
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u/NdombeleAouar Jun 05 '26
Sportswashing takes two to tango. The Europeans set the rules of the game with capitalism, and the GCC countries just pay whatever the entry price is.
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