Group urges Mayor to ‘take action’ over Qatar bid for United
FANS CALLING FOR ‘SPORTSWASH’ TAKEOVER TO BE BLOCKED
AN independent group of Manchester United supporters have urged Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to speak out against one of the proposed bids for the club.
United Against Sportswashing (UAS) are opposing a potential takeover by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and have called on Mr Burnham to condemn the Nine Two Foundation bid due to the state of Qatar’s well-documented human rights abuses.
The group believes United’s identity is at stake and are writing to key figures asking them to sign an open letter calling for a Sheikh Jassim-led takeover to be blocked.
UAS are also asking Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, the Football Association and the Government to stop any sale from proceeding.
The group, founded in February, describe themselves as long-term fans and joined forces with Newcastle United group NUFC Fans Against Sportswashing ahead of last weekend’s match with the Magpies, a club majority owned by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, to call for a ban on the sale of clubs to states committing human rights abuses.
Premier League clubs recently approved amendments to the owners’ and directors’ test which would bar anyone found to have committed human rights abuses from owning a club based on the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations, but it is claimed this would not hinder Sheikh Jassim.
“We’ve already seen with Newcastle what happens when a supposedly state-independent takeover is allowed to go ahead,” group spokesman Antony Whittaker told the M.E.N. “We want to stop it from reaching that stage.
“The campaign has momentum – lots of us United fans don’t want this to happen. The Glazers taking money out of the club is bad enough, but this would be even worse – United’s identity and what we stand for is at stake.
“We’re all appalled at the idea of our club being used to sportswash a country where homosexuality is criminalised, women need a man’s permission to have a smear test, and migrant workers are treated like dirt.
“We’re asking all United fans to support the campaign in the stadium, around the city and online.
“At a time when the identity of our city is being scrutinised, it’s vital that Mancunian values of tolerance and independence aren’t trashed by association with a repressive regime.
“Andy Burnham has recently spoken (in the Guardian) about the need to reckon with Manchester’s historical links to slavery via the cotton trade.
“Right now in Qatar, migrant workers are subject to horrific exploitation, and thousands died building the World Cup stadiums.
“It’s no good talking about the past if you don’t take action in the present.”
UAS declined to comment on the rival bids from United.