The lad unintentionally explained the exact mechanism of how sportswashing works😀 ​The core strategy of sportswashing isn't to buy a club and run it poorly or purely for ego. The strategy is for a state linked actor to use vast wealth to do a boss job of running a club and uplifting the surrounding community. By supporting thousands of jobs, building world class venues, and delivering relentless sporting success, the ownership successfully purchases the fierce, unshakeable loyalty of the fanbase and the local government. ​Once that deep goodwill is established, it acts as a powerful geopolitical shield. When international observers criticise the UAE's human rights record, or when the Premier League investigates the club's financial practices, the ownership barely needs to defend itself. An entire army of fans and local stakeholders will step up to defend them, because their daily lives have genuinely been improved by the state's money. The "washing" is successful precisely because the local investment is so undeniably good.