what if we told you that Manchester City

Pakistan's cricket team and f1 racing

are allegedly being used as a PR
exercise for the UAE Amnesty
International has accused the Buddha by
of attempting to quote sports wash it's
deeply tarnished reputation it has
invested billions in a variety of sport
clubs institutions and infrastructure
but with no discernible sporting history
why has the UAE put its money on sports
the UAE specifically the royal families
of Abu Dhabi and Dubai has focused its
investments on a couple of key areas in
football the Abu Dhabi royal family
owned six clubs around the world
including English champions Manchester
City since it bought the club they have
won three English Premier League titles
a Football Association cup and more
making it a huge success story and this
success has shaped the conversation
around the Gulf nation but this hasn't
come cheap or without controversy so far
they have officially invested 1.3
billion dollars in the club but recently
published leaks have exposed the owners
avoided financial regulations to
maintain their success Dubai has also
invested in football through Emirates
sponsorships of major clubs including AC
Milan Real Madrid and Arsenal FC Abu
Dhabi has also invested heavily in
Formula One racing and hosts the
season-ending race it has developed a
500 million-dollar purpose-built track
surrounded by a mall a hotel and
multiple theme parks each f1 race
provides a platform for the host to
reach out to 352 million global viewers
it's also delved into the cricketing
world constructing two purpose-built
stadiums in Abu Dhabi and Dubai which
has hosted the Pakistani national side
since 2009 and the Pakistani super
league the International Cricket Council
the sports governing body is also
headquartered in the UAE and it is
hosted the Asian Cup three times most
recently in 2018 in tennis Abu Dhabi has
hosted a yearly event since 2009 and
Dubai has hosted an official association
of Tennis Professionals event since 1993
the events have attracted sports biggest
stars and have million-dollar prizes and
now Abu Dhabi is in the race to be
declared the world capital of sports
with how much they have invested in the
industry what is Abu Dhabi trying to
cover
Amnesty International reports the UAE is
using sports to cover its human rights
abuses such as its involvement in Yemen
or taking sides in war-torn Libya as
well as its restrictions on freedom of
expression and the torture and
ill-treatment of detainees its treatment
of migrant workers has also had little
effect on their reputation even though
the workers face low pay exploitation
confinement and physical and sexual
abuses under the kafele system but the
headlines surrounding the UAE have often
avoided mentioning its sports worship
focusing instead on its sports
investments and the success of its teams
and events which has been helping them
build a positive reputation around the
world but half sports allowed them to
avoid damage to their image
you