Club Sale | It’s done!

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Not to bring the discussion back to the topic discussing different owners and their merits -- but this angle that you highlight will be discussed ad nauseam if we were to be bought be a ME owner.

To be honest, any talk about the fans of this team becoming the subject of "sports washing" is -- in my opinion -- nonsense. Sportswashing is a term used to describe "the practice of individuals, groups, corporations, or governments using sports to improve reputations tarnished by wrongdoing". So, why does this not apply in this case? These ME investment entities, and in the long run, the countries -- are only relevant active and relevant as investors. As 'doing business'. They are to no meaningful extent acting to spread religious or political views. They are not "successful" in the sense of a product of a system, they sat on a gold mine and are now investing the returns from it. And a country like Qatar literary tops different type of lists of attractive investors/investments. Everyone that matters are already tripping over themselves to do business with them. Qatar are as clean as they get. If they want to buy Heathrow, they can buy Heathrow, and in fact have bought a major stake in it. A Russian billionaire with a dubious past would not be invited to any such discussions. China is in many areas prevented from investing in key infrastructure like air- or sea-ports. Qatar will own shares in all big listed companies in the western world through index focused investments. They are never turned away as an investor.

We are simply all in bed with these guys already. If we were to be bought by for example Qatar, we all know how media will spin it. Now those football hooligans are lending themselves as useful idiots so that these dictators can do business in the west and keep oppressing their population. That is just not in touch with reality. If anything -- it is to a statement like that -- that I would like to add "ignorance is always bliss".
 
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People would still complain if Scrooge McDuck bought the club. If an oil state buys the club, I'm still going to enjoy Ten Haag football under them just like I enjoy it under the Glazers.

As the American *********** Sean Corey Carter says "... And it's much bigger issues in the world I know but I first had to take care of the world I know..."
 
The saving factor for Qatar is that it is so tremendously rich while having a really tiny population (350k). Hence their population is largely content (compared to for example the Saudi’s). They have an almost tenfold amount of residents due to all migrant workers, and they have very few rights although it improved a bit lately. With the system they have, the lack of safe guards or whatever, it is well known that you always gets violations and that it would be really really bad if that type of society faced some real adversity. How to tackle women’s rights are quite frankly not easy. It is a big issue, you could claim that they hold half of their population hostage. At the same time, that is not a view that is shared by half of the population. In a way, I do think change in this field must come from within. You can’t roll in with Tanks and set it right, so to speak. Probably.

I would however say that the ‘sports washing’ angle of being owned by Qatar is just dumb. It’s quite frankly a term taken by people who don’t understand it or our society and then applied to a situation on which it does not fit. Everyone that matters declared Qatar sufficiently clean decades ago. We don’t blockade their energy products. We don’t prevent them from investing in the West. They want to buy Heathrow, go ahead, will the politicians say. In the private sector, nobody would shy away from letting them invest in infrastructure, real estate or whatever. It’s the opposite, everyone are tripping over each other to do business with them. What is there to wash?

I would however take a stance against the Saudi. Simply because you got an issue there that is outside of religion and recent tribal way of life. Their most powerful leader is a tremendously evil man who out of spite had a journalist murdered and slaughtered. It is also a stance supported at least in some way by the western community. Have something like this happened in Qatar? We can of course assume that bad things happen there, it always does when you don’t have the safe guards. But they don’t have the same level of problem with an unsatisfied part of the population and have not been caught red handed. Should that really matter? Of course it should. If there is a punishment for doing something like that, it’s preventive.

If it was up to me, I would certainly prefer us getting bought by Jimmy Ratcliffe even if it meant that we mostly had to live of self generated money. But some infrastructure investment is needed. But we could get far by just having a competent management. But it’s not up to anyone of us. It’s up to the Glazers. Who decided not to ask us at all what we think about a new buyer. Which isn’t surprising.
Out of curiosity then, would you have any advice for myself?-

I work for one of the UK's largest military engineering companies, with one of our primary export partners being Saudi Arabia. We've sold them a large quantity of software and hardware over recent years and provided them with real-time support during conflict. Furthermore, we've identified Saudi Arabia as our biggest potential growth market for future years across all our overseas partners.

Would you say that I should quit my job? Write an email to our CEO demanding a change in strategic direction? Or carry on as normal, due to military matters being completely different from sport?
 
And they are close friends with the former Israeli PM. Anyone associated or close to the Israeli state is just as bad.

Well they are Jewish so they are likely to know Israelis. You are skirting dangerously close to anti-semitism. Is that how it's going to be under our new arab rulers?

If you want to rant about Israel why not do it in the current affairs thread where we can ignore it?
 
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Well they are Jewish so they are likely to know Israelis. You are skirting dangerously close to anti-semitism. Is that how it's going to be under our new arab rulers?

If you want to rant about Israel why not do it in the current affairs thread where we can ignore it?
You’re the only person to mention Judaism here buddy.
 
Can someone please calm me down and tell me that Dubai doesn't kill gays and treat women with respect unlike Qatar and Saudi? Want to be able to watch United with a good conscience even if Sir Jim isn't coming..


Was hoping for Dubai so I'd be glad with that solution
Dubai are probably the most westernised of the oil countries, aren't they?


Ever since Tifo said one small sentence "there has been talk of Dubai and Qatar" (which was likelg referencig Ornsteins tweet around a month ago), aggregators and shit rumour tweets like the one above have basically jumped on it and spun it as a new development.
 
Can someone please calm me down and tell me that Dubai doesn't kill gays and treat women with respect unlike Qatar and Saudi? Want to be able to watch United with a good conscience even if Sir Jim isn't coming..


Who the hell is that guy? Some rando making up stuff? Because it sure looks like it.
 
Who the hell is that guy? Some rando making up stuff? Because it sure looks like it.

Yes he's exactly that. There is no evidence at all that ICD are interested and there have not been any reports to suggest they are. Indeed, the Athletic reported last month that Dubai are not interested in acquiring a football club (this does not necessarily preclude any wealthy businessmen from Dubai, but the state itself is reportedly not interested).
 
Dubai are probably the most westernised of the oil countries, aren't they?

It's not a country, but an Emirate in UAE. But yeah, it's very liberal there now compared that it was before. It's like being in a huge western city, but way safer. Money is the leading religion there now.
 
They have successfully transitioned from reliance on oil but are governed by Sharia law.

Might be so officially, but it sure as hell doesn't feel like it on the streets. In fact, pretty much the only women you see covered up in Dubai are from KSA (my impression). They recently allowed all bars to serve alcohol and there are no clothing police anymore. The official government guidelines for travels to Dubai might seem strict on paper but in reality it is not (an example - the hotels doesn't give a feck if an unmarried couple share a hotel room, unless you tell them). It's among the safest cities for westerners now as long as you behave normally and show respect for the locals. Of course you will sometimes get stories that tell you otherwise but overall they have come a long way to adapt to the Western society. Other Emirates in UAE are more conservative though.
 
Can someone please calm me down and tell me that Dubai doesn't kill gays and treat women with respect unlike Qatar and Saudi? Want to be able to watch United with a good conscience even if Sir Jim isn't coming..



KSA and UAE are close allies now so that part about Saudi sponsorship looks a bit farfetch. ICD doesn't have sports in their portfolio either. Got the pic of the chairman, Crowne Prince Hamdan, right though.
 
Dubai are probably the most westernised of the oil countries, aren't they?
It's not a country, it's a city in UAE so the law is the same as Abu Dhabi (City's owners).
As they don't have much oil, much of their marketing has been to attract tourism, so in that sense it's more westernised. But the law is still the same and can be very severe.
 
It's not a country, it's a city in UAE so the law is the same as Abu Dhabi (City's owners).
As they don't have much oil, much of their marketing has been to attract tourism, so in that sense it's more westernised. But the law is still the same and can be very severe.

Abu Dhabi is more conservative than Dubai. Both are Emirates in UAE, not just cities. The other Emirates are way more conservative than Abu Dhabi again and doesn't market theirselves as tourist destinations that heavily.
 
I still think Qatar is most likely. Avram was over there for a while, Beckham is on good terms with them after the World Cup, they've got money to burn..
 
Thanks guys, seems Dubai is the lesser of all evils if we don't get Sir Jim.

Can we hope buying us might even make them more westernised and open as society meaning we're doing the world a big favour? :angel:

I doubt they want to be. I think they're happy as they are. I know a lot of Western people who feel safer in Dubai, than they do in their own Western country.
 
Can we hope buying us might even make them more westernised and open as society meaning we're doing the world a big favour? :angel:
Favor? Dubai, despite IMO being a souless city, is better to live in than 99% of western countries and cities. I don't think they want any such favors.

At any rate, Dubai or Qatar, who cares? Both are oil states basically. I guess that's the future of the PL.
 
Favor? Dubai, despite IMO being a souless city, is better to live in than 99% of western countries and cities. I don't think they want any such favors.

At any rate, Dubai or Qatar, who cares? Both are oil states basically. I guess that's the future of the PL.
Dubai is not getting most of the revenue from the oil if I recall.
 
They have successfully transitioned from reliance on oil but are governed by Sharia law.
There is no Shariah law in Dubai it’s the opposite go and ask your Muslim friends.In Dubai anything goes the locals follow the Muslim culture but others are living a western based lifestyle. Muslim countries are not going to accept promoting LGBT in their societies because it’s foreign to their culture and goes against their beliefs. Even in the USA there is huge opposition to children been taught LGBT in schools. To be fair even people here in the UK find all the multiple genders confusing so what do you expect from people who have completely different attitudes to sexual identity.
 
All the most reliable stories start with the word "apparently"

Nobody knows feck all. Noticing that there are extremely wealthy people in the middle east, isn't the same as having any insight as to what's going on.
 
Not sure if anyone can answer this but with a lot of talk of Saudi and Qatar buyers there is some on here saying that’s not possible because of Newcastle and PSG respectively.

I realise that a Saudi minister said during the World Cup the government would “encourage” any “private investment” from their country and I’m sure this is what the Qatar government would be encouraging too rather than actually being owned by their investment arms but what I’m unclear about is if red bull, the City group and Ratcliffe/Ineos can own more than one club, why can’t they? and how would they circumnavigate those restrictions with FA/UEFA/FIFA?

Apologies if this has already been answered.
 
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