The BBC had reported in 2009 how poorly Arabtec had treated its employees. Arabtec workers had gone on strike in May 2013, which was said to have resulted “in violence and deportations” and there had also been reports about the dire conditions in Abu Dhabi for migrant workers.
Vicky Kloss, the City director of communications, was said to have sent an email to club executives warning them to avoid a deal. “I think it’s the biggest single risk to [our] reputation we have faced since 2008,” Kloss wrote. “The gap between what we do and what they [Arabtec] do is unbridgeable.”
Referring to Nicholas McGeehan of Human Rights Watch, a vocal critic of City’s owners, Kloss reputedly also wrote a deal with Arabtec “would be like winning the jackpot for him”.
The concerns were overlooked and the decision was taken to sign a regional contract that would be publicised only in Arab states, Russia and Turkey, where there was considered to be less risk of condemnation