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Opinion

Arsenal fans move to top spot when it comes to sanctimonious behaviour on oil money

1 year ago
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Arsenal fans were putting on a show on Saturday.

Whilst their team was not putting on much of a show on the pitch, struggling to a 1-1 draw at home to Brentford.

Arsenal fans maybe more accurately, making a show of themselves…

You see, they put on their moral crusader capes and raised a banner.

That banner reading:

“Arsenal FC – Class and Tradition. Something OIL money can’t buy”

Sports journalist Amos Murphy perfectly summing up the situation (irony) of this declaration from Arsenal fans:

The banner obviously aimed at Manchester City (who Arsenal play on Wednesday night in what could well end up as a title decider) in particular, as well as Newcastle United and others.

As Amos Murphy points out, Arsenal have a current sponsorship deal with UAE based Emirates that is reportedly worth £200 million.

The Emirates Group is a subsidiary of the Dubai government’s investment company, Investment Corporation of Dubai.

Emirates have poured money into the Gunners since 2010, that is 13 years now.

Personally, I have become heartily fed up with the constant demonstrations by Arsenal fans against their club taking their money from such a source.

Dubai may not now gain much of their wealth from ‘oil money’ but when it comes to human rights and democracy, surely Arsenal fans couldn’t stomach their club taking cash from such a source, or maybe not.

If you ask Newcastle United fans or Manchester City fans about where the money comes from to benefit their clubs, I don’t think you will find one rational person who would be celebrating the human rights situations in the countries / states where it comes from.

However, it is a complex situation and supporters such as these Arsenal fans making up their own sanctimonious (making a show of being morally superior to other people) rules as to exactly what is and isn’t acceptable, isn’t a great look.

In this intertwined and complex world we now live in, football fans have little option but to keep on supporting their own team, or stop going, with the government and football authorities taking no responsibility on dealing with where money comes from in terms of ownership, sponsorship or whatever.

As well as the Emirates cash, Arsenal fans have also seen their club take money from Rwanda for these past five years.

Rwanda is one of the poorest nations in the world and yet it gives £10m to Arsenal each year to ‘promote tourism’…

Scratching the surface, the reality is that Rwanda’s authoritarian president Paul Kagame (who has ruled since 2000 and was re-elected in 2017 with a 99(!!!) per cent share of the vote) is an Arsenal fan and holding complete power in this very poor country, makes the decisions on where the country’s wealth ends up.

I am sure the citizens of Rwanda are over the moon that it is Arsenal fans benefiting from the money leaking out of their country.

It was only last month we saw the Crystal Palace fans making a show of themselves, having a go at Newcastle United whilst Saudi Arabia state paid for adverts are on display at Selhurst Park.

Next no doubt will be Man Utd fans yet again, when the Carabao Cup final approaches, totally ignoring the fact that for these past 15 years their club has taken millions every year from Saudi Arabia state owned businesses in sponsorship deals.

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