David Conn on Abu Dhabi and Human Rights

[S04]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703998 for a much more balanced assessment of the UAE, of which Abu Dhabi is a part of.
But if City are to be criticized for ADUG ownership, shouldn't Arsenal likewise be criticized for accepting sponsorship money for their Emirates stadium?

Yes, we should, although there is a difference between receiving sponsorship fees from a company to being controlled by the ruling family of a nation that allegedly abuses human rights.

I'm not suggesting any of the Emirates are anything like Nazi Germany, but think of it like this. Nobody would or should have batted an eyelid in 1939 if a racing driver received support from Mercedes Benz. It was and is a company that builds cars. Taking money from the Nazi party would have been rather different.

-- Wed Jul 31, 2013 6:14 pm --

Time to close this shit thread..The "preaching to the perverted" theme in the article have set everyones teeth on edge.
Conn have this idea of how the world ought to be and doesn´t care if he steps on some toes to get it across, that City/Abu Dhabi was targeted is just because UAE is the best in class in that part of the world but have together with the other GCC states told everyone that in their part of the world it´s their rule that matters. Not some western value.

Not that anyone in UK is interested but it was an article by a Gulf journo demonizing western democratic governments for enslaving their citizens in a montain of public debt a few years ago..according to him it was an immoral and sickening act that ought to have been illegal.

Assuming the S04 stands for Schalke your attitude is not surprising. Didn't Schalke enjoy great government sympathy during their golden 1930s era, while other clubs were suffering under the same Nazi govt?

There are plenty of handles on here with a Schalke theme you nobhead..Because it was used to coordinate tickets for the game against guess who, Schalke 04
But coincidently as I was there it struck me that Schalke was a club for polish coalminers working in Ruhr so I don´t know where you´re coming from.

 

[gooner6729]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703998 for a much more balanced assessment of the UAE, of which Abu Dhabi is a part of.
But if City are to be criticized for ADUG ownership, shouldn't Arsenal likewise be criticized for accepting sponsorship money for their Emirates stadium?

Yes, we should, although there is a difference between receiving sponsorship fees from a company to being controlled by the ruling family of a nation that allegedly abuses human rights.

I'm not suggesting any of the Emirates are anything like Nazi Germany, but think of it like this. Nobody would or should have batted an eyelid in 1939 if a racing driver received support from Mercedes Benz. It was and is a company that builds cars. Taking money from the Nazi party would have been rather different.

-- Wed Jul 31, 2013 6:14 pm --

Time to close this shit thread..The "preaching to the perverted" theme in the article have set everyones teeth on edge.
Conn have this idea of how the world ought to be and doesn´t care if he steps on some toes to get it across, that City/Abu Dhabi was targeted is just because UAE is the best in class in that part of the world but have together with the other GCC states told everyone that in their part of the world it´s their rule that matters. Not some western value.

Not that anyone in UK is interested but it was an article by a Gulf journo demonizing western democratic governments for enslaving their citizens in a montain of public debt a few years ago..according to him it was an immoral and sickening act that ought to have been illegal.

Assuming the S04 stands for Schalke your attitude is not surprising. Didn't Schalke enjoy great government sympathy during their golden 1930s era, while other clubs were suffering under the same Nazi govt?

There are plenty of handles on here with a Schalke theme you nobhead..Because it was used to coordinate tickets for the game against guess who, Schalke 04
But coincidently as I was there it struck me that Schalke was a club for polish coalminers working in Ruhr so I don´t know where you´re coming from.

Schalke was the favoured club of the Nazi party in the 30s and 40s, because of its working class background. Even though many of them were of Polish immigrant stock, fans and players were big supporters, and almost all members, of the Party. A major contrast with the middle class Bayern Munich who defied the Nazis and suffered for it.

It goes without saying that Schalke dominated that era of German football. Not something they should be particularly proud of IMO.

 

[Mr. Aguia]

I'm uncomfortable with the type of foreign owners who have invaded the English game in particular, but also European clubs like PSG and Monaco.

None of them are good for football, and none of them are ethically clean. Whether its the alleged human rights abuses in middle Eastern countries , the alleged criminal activities carried out by owners from the former USSR or the exploitative greed of American owners. It all stinks to high heaven. So does the deeply ingrained corruption of FIFA, the business practices of major sponsors (my own small protest is refusing to buy Nike gear) and abominations like a winter World Cup in Qatar. It's all ugly.

By the same token so is everything else. I work in precious metals and Im aware of the human exploitation and environmental devastation that causes. Ditto for many other industries.

I grew up in an era when football was tarnished by poor facilities, violence and racism. People talked about the need to clean it up. Ironically, despite its ugly flaws, it was much cleaner than it is.

As a fan it's hard to walk away from something that is a major part of who you are and what your background is. That's what clubs are to most fans, so the only real option is to accept things we are powerless to change, but without closing our eyes to what has happened to our game.

As an Arsenal fan I openly admit that I would prefer Usmanov in control to the Yank Kroenke. Morally, I understand the alleged crimes of the former are probably greater than those of the latter, but if you have been put into a situation where you have to get in bed with a crook, you might as well go for the one who offers the most success.

The people who are responsible for this are those who prostituted English football to the world with the creation of the Premiership, and not the fans. The Germans have the right idea keeping certain elements out of their game. It might mean a few million less tv fans in Asia and smaller club budgets, but their game is pure in comparison to ours.

Why aren't foreing owners good for football? If they were from Kent they would be better in some way? Has Masour not been great for this club? We were a club fighting off relegation now are considered a super power. Have developed the area, brought jobs and turned an eye sore into an increadible campus. What's wrong with that?

 

[rick773]

Yes, we should, although there is a difference between receiving sponsorship fees from a company to being controlled by the ruling family of a nation that allegedly abuses human rights.

I'm not suggesting any of the Emirates are anything like Nazi Germany, but think of it like this. Nobody would or should have batted an eyelid in 1939 if a racing driver received support from Mercedes Benz. It was and is a company that builds cars. Taking money from the Nazi party would have been rather different.

-- Wed Jul 31, 2013 6:14 pm --


Assuming the S04 stands for Schalke your attitude is not surprising. Didn't Schalke enjoy great government sympathy during their golden 1930s era, while other clubs were suffering under the same Nazi govt?

There are plenty of handles on here with a Schalke theme you nobhead..Because it was used to coordinate tickets for the game against guess who, Schalke 04
But coincidently as I was there it struck me that Schalke was a club for polish coalminers working in Ruhr so I don´t know where you´re coming from.

Schalke was the favoured club of the Nazi party in the 30s and 40s, because of its working class background. Even though many of them were of Polish immigrant stock, fans and players were big supporters, and almost all members, of the Party. A major contrast with the middle class Bayern Munich who defied the Nazis and suffered for it.

It goes without saying that Schalke dominated that era of German football. Not something they should be particularly proud of IMO.

If people aren't going to support companies/teams/owners that have profited off tragedy there wouldn't be many left. I used to work for caterpillar and the amount of shady shit they've been involved with is absurd considering they build tractors.

 

[Ruhr]

Yes, we should, although there is a difference between receiving sponsorship fees from a company to being controlled by the ruling family of a nation that allegedly abuses human rights.

I'm not suggesting any of the Emirates are anything like Nazi Germany, but think of it like this. Nobody would or should have batted an eyelid in 1939 if a racing driver received support from Mercedes Benz. It was and is a company that builds cars. Taking money from the Nazi party would have been rather different.

-- Wed Jul 31, 2013 6:14 pm --


Assuming the S04 stands for Schalke your attitude is not surprising. Didn't Schalke enjoy great government sympathy during their golden 1930s era, while other clubs were suffering under the same Nazi govt?

There are plenty of handles on here with a Schalke theme you nobhead..Because it was used to coordinate tickets for the game against guess who, Schalke 04
But coincidently as I was there it struck me that Schalke was a club for polish coalminers working in Ruhr so I don´t know where you´re coming from.

Schalke was the favoured club of the Nazi party in the 30s and 40s, because of its working class background. Even though many of them were of Polish immigrant stock, fans and players were big supporters, and almost all members, of the Party. A major contrast with the middle class Bayern Munich who defied the Nazis and suffered for it.

It goes without saying that Schalke dominated that era of German football. Not something they should be particularly proud of IMO.

schalke as the best team of the time was used by the nazi propaganda as an example of the power of the german working class. Part of the propaganda to win the working class at the Ruhr, which was a communist and social democratic stronghold before 1933. There is no proof, that players and fans were bigger supporters than at other clubs.

Schalke paid a study of historians about that time years ago. Title of that study was "Between blue and white, there is grey". A street named after a famous player of the time was renamed, after the historians found out, that he benefited from the nazis.
This year a memorial for the jewish club members, officials, players and sponsors that had to leave the club after 1933 and were killed or emigrated was placed at the stadium.

Bayern by the way wasn´t persecuted by the Nazis because of being a middle class club but because of their jewish management.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Interesting this. I initially assumed this was a press release that he'd just picked up on but I can't find anything from HRW or Amnesty since April. So he's suddenly decided to write a story about this out of the blue. Journalists rarely write things for no reason. They do it because a story breaks, they've been following something and have enough to go to press with or someone briefs them.

I said last night, almost as a joke, that he could have been briefed by elements connected to Abu Dhabi who are perhaps more liberal and want to see changes happen faster than they otherwise might. I'm not so sure this was such a daft idea now.

Israeli - Palestinian talks maybe?

Can't imagine those figure very high. But I could see a situation where there was tension between the more liberal, western oriented figures in the UAE, who see that bad publicity over human rights damages them, and the more traditional, inward looking ones who don't give a hoot.

 

[CelesteItis]

Every human being should be concerned on human rights.

But what has it to do with MCFC?

Have MCFC violated somebody's human rights? unless the 6-1 is such a case.

The religiously ruled countries -whether jews, christian or muslim- are well versed on human rights violations.

The christian United States of Guantánamo come to mind regarding human rights violations.

Israel nazionism is alive an killing and ethnically cleansing innocent Palestinians.

Several muslim countries have their own systems of oppression in place. Probably the UAE have their issues too.

But, isn't it pretty rich coming from an imperialist country like the UK very well known for invasions, massacres, piracy, looting and extermination of other peoples?.

Give back Gibraltar and Las Malvinas aka Falklands before assuming the higher moral ground.

But then again, what the fook have to do human rights with football and specifically MCFC? Clearly fook all.

This is just a part of the Graun campaign to smear City and gain publicity for this closet rag Conn.

 

[Del_Bosque]

Conn isn't keen on our owners there may be a more, historical reason for this.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Every human being should be concerned on human rights.

But what has it to do with MCFC? Have MCFC violated somebody's human rights?

There is a well-known City fan called (Sir) Howard Davies who was, among other things, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England. He came out with a famous quote that went something like "South American dictators used to herd people into football stadiums and torture them. Manchester City fans willingly pay to undergo that experience."<br /><br />-- Wed Jul 31, 2013 9:55 pm --<br /><br />

Conn isn't keen on our owners there may be a more, historical reason for this.

This is nonsense. He's close to the owners and has had unrivalled access. They took him out to Abu Dhabi to interview key people. He thinks they're very good owners. That's why I think there is more to this article than meets the eye.

 

[ped]

the world is full of goverments that you just don't fuck with,im looking forward to conns next expose,Isreal i believe