What is sportswashing, and how do state-linked football owners respond to the charge?

Sportswashing is the charge that governments, individuals or groups use sport to improve their reputation by diverting attention from activities that others consider controversial or unethical. In football the argument is about owners linked to states, and it is contested: critics use the word, the accused often reject it, and some academics say it is too simple.

Those who use the term say sportswashing can be accomplished through hosting sporting events, purchasing or sponsoring sporting teams, or participating in a sport. It has been described as part of a country's soft power, and the first use of the term may have concerned Azerbaijan and the 2015 European Games in Baku.

Football gives several examples. Manchester City is majority-owned by Emirati royal Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund provided 80% of the financing for the purchase of Newcastle United, which Kate Allen of Amnesty International UK called "a blatant example of Saudi sportswashing". Qatar's ruler Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani purchased Paris Saint-Germain in 2011.

The owners and their governments answer differently. Gulf states accused of sportswashing have been the most vocal in dismissing the claims, often arguing that they simply want to enjoy sporting events at home or attract new investments. Some academic observers add a counterview: that the term is sometimes used as an overly simplistic label to selectively criticise foreign governments, creating a double standard that masks political biases.

Rules have been aimed at the money rather than the motive. City's heavy spending drew the label "financial doping" from several critics, and the new English regulator must judge an owner's honesty, financial soundness and sources of wealth before approving them.