Sports Politika

Last week, English Premier League giant Manchester City FC was found guilty of all charges of breaching the league’s financial rules over a nine-year period.

In its sharply-worded announcement, the Premier League explained that its independent commission found that the club had entered into “sham” contracts and image rights deals to in an attempt to boost revenues while artificially reducing costs. The independent commission has yet to announce its sanctions, which could come in the form of a reprimand, fine, suspension, points deduction or, possibly, expel the club from the Premier League.

While much has been said about the unprecedented decision and the impact it could have on the league, a lot less has been said about the role of state ownership of football clubs, especially among authoritarian regimes, set the stage CIty’s financial breaches.

To discuss this topic, as well as how the bombshell announcement could impact the UAE’s future soft power in sports, I brought in Hwyell Mills, publisher of The Signal, to discuss the subject.

Based in Washington D.C., Hywel is the publisher of global current affairs media brand – The Signal. After starting his career in advertising in London, he went on to lead global partnerships at the men’s health foundation, Movember, before moving to the U.S. where he worked at The Guardian and then The Atlantic before joining John Gould to lead The Signal.

The latest issue of The Signal’s quarterly print magazine is titled Shadow Play, which follows one of the most consequential parts of this development: how a game of local, member-funded clubs became one where three Gulf states own major clubs outright—two of which have dominated their leagues—and state-linked money reaches almost all the game’s biggest competitions worldwide.

Shadow Play is for two overlapping but distinct audiences no publication has targeted together: the football fan who wants to understand how the sport they love is changing, and the current-affairs reader who wants to understand how dictators are building their influence.

Over the past two decades, authoritarian regimes have systematically used football ownership and sponsorship to launder their reputations. United Arab Emirates. Qatar. Saudi Arabia. Rwanda. This isn’t a secret. Fans have called it out. Supporter groups have taken action. Journalists have covered it. Advocacy organisations have published reports.

Many who love the game have some of the information, in fragments—but it’s hard to see the full picture. The magazine explores football from village-green origins to sovereign-wealth-fund ownership to Iran’s Blue Girl—in five charged sections.

If you happen to be in London on Wednesday, October 7, The Signal is planning to celebrate the publication of Shadow Play with a night of food, drinks and friends at The Volley.

RSVP here.

Sports Politika is a media platform dedicated to the intersection of sports, power and politics. If you like what you see, upgrade to a paid subscription (or gift a subscription if you already have your own). We would appreciate if you could also like the post and let us know what you think in the comment section below.

(re)Pebbling: A Story of Blackness and Curling is a sharp, stylish, and soul-stirring glide through the unspoken rules of curling. Intimate reflections from the life of Richard Norman, brought to life by the art of Jon Olbey, set the stage for the chilly welcome racialized players face at the curling rink and the unnerving murmur of lounge talk. This graphic novel cracks open the culture of the sport to ask questions about its future and whether clubs are willing to do the work to make their spaces inclusive.

With equal parts insight and irreverence, (re)Pebbling reimagines curling as a site of cultural collision, a space where the house isn’t always a home, and the ice holds stories most haven’t dared to tell. In a visual journey through the world of sport you didn’t know you needed, author Richard Norman honestly reflects on our past, boldly interrogates our present, and dares to imagine what a real future of belonging in sport could look like.

Buy (re)Pebbling here.

Sports Politika is a media platform dedicated to the intersection of sports, power and politics. If you like what you see, upgrade to a paid subscription (or gift a subscription if you already have your own). We would appreciate if you could also like the post and let us know what you think in the comment section below.

Following our conversation in the lead-up to the UFC White House spectacle, it only made sense to catch up with Luke Thomas again afterwards to make sense of the grotesque propaganda spectacle.

During the final day of the 2025 Oslo Freedom Forum, I hosted a fireside chat with Abdullah Ibhais—the former media manager jailed for refusing to spin Qatar's migrant worker abuses ahead of the 2022 World Cup—where he delved into the entire affair in detail.

During our 45-minute sit down, Abdullah delved into his role as a media manager for Qatar’s Supreme Organizing Committee, the incidents that made him realize that Qatar was hiding migrant abuses, and the series of events that led to him languishing in prison while Qatar put on one of the “greatest World Cups of all time.”

While Abdullah’s bravery was undeniable, it was his poise and brutal honesty that I found most admirable. Despite enduring more suffering in three years than most people face in a lifetime, he carried himself with quiet grace, reflecting more on the meaning of his experience than on retribution.

As an Egyptian, I felt an immediate kinship with this Jordanian man. We were both outsiders in the modern Arab world—lonely contrarians pushing back against the rise of Gulf state supremacy, both feeling unmoored in a region that no longer seemed to have a place for us.

The upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics are embroiled in numerous controversies, casting a shadow over the the global event. Corruption probes have targeted the organizing committee, raising issues of favouritism and misappropriation of funds​ The participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes under neutral flags has sparked debate amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, while the lack of similar sanctions against Israel highlights broader concerns of discrimination and double standards​​.

Additionally, Paris is facing backlash over the eviction of homeless people and traditional bouquinistes, as well as bedbug infestations and disputes over infrastructure readiness​​. There is also the issue of the militarization of the city, as well as the mass surveillance and privacy concerns that has become part and parcel with hosting the games.

These multifaceted challenges underscore the complexity and tension surrounding the Paris 2024 Games. They also raise questions who the Olympics actually serve and whether they actually matter in our modern world.

“If there was ever going to be any kind of age of accountability in the sport, at least for now, the window is closed.”

This is what Luke Thomas said to me when I asked him about the state of the mixed martial arts landscape during an appearance on the Sports Politika podcast ahead of UFC 300.

The renowned MMA analyst and pundit was right. From the demise of investigative media outlets that once held the powerful to account to the UFC solidifying its monopolistic control over the industry after settling a decade-old antitrust lawsuit, little stands in the way of the MMA's largest organization from maintaining its dominance in the sport.

Beyond the depressing state of MMA, I also asked Luke about the rise of sovereign wealth funds investing in MMA and whether we could see the UFC being sold to Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates. His answers may surprise you.

Over the past eight years, Saudi Arabia's sports strategy has transformed from a simple reputation management tool to a comprehensive soft power plan encompassing regional diplomacy, economic diversification, global impact, and a continuous stream of entertainment for the nation's youth. From encroachments into combat sports, racing, golf and tennis to becoming the sole bidder for the 2034 World Cup, there is no stone that the kingdom has left unturned in its quest to become a global sports powerhouse.

To discuss the evolution of Saudi’s sports gambit, I spoke with Jon Wertheim, the executive editor of Sports Illustrated, where he has worked for the better part of the last three decades covering everything from tennis to combat sports. Jon is also an analyst for The Tennis Channel during the Grand Slams and is a correspondent on CBS’ acclaimed 60 minutes program.

Last year, Jon traveled to Saudi Arabia to examine the topic of sportswashing in the kingdom for an episode of 60 Minutes. One of the segments included an interview with Saudi Minister of Sport Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Saud, who naturally denied that his country was attempting to launder its reputation.

I spoke to Jon about his fascinating trip, as well as the kingdom’s recent foray into the world of tennis. His analysis is sharp, astute and is an important contribution to one of the most important—and developing—sports stories of this generation.

Happy listening.

Over the past few months, I’ve been reading a lot of literature to do with Israel-Palestine. One of the books that I found most fascinating was a book by Nicholas Blincoe called “More Noble Than War: A Football History of Israel-Palestine.” It was an exceptional read that managed to delve into one of the most complex political subjects through a football lens, which in turn helped bring out its humanity.

I honestly cannot recommend the book enough, which is why I wanted to bring Nicholas onto the show to discuss his process and why he took on such an endeavour. This episode does not disappoint.

*You can buy a copy of More Noble Than War: A Football History of Israel-Palestine here.

Happy listening.

Sports Politika is a newsletter about the intersection of sports, power and politics. If you like what you see, upgrade to a paid subscription ( or gift a subscription if you already have your own). We would appreciate if you could also like the post and let us know what you think in the comment section below.

“Gianni Infantino doesn’t feel Palestinian today.”

This was among the most poignant lines in a speech delivered by Katarina Pijetlovic, associate professor at the Catolica Global School of Law in Lisbon, during the 2024 Play the Game conference in Trondheim, Norway. Her talk underscored the glaring disparity in international sports organizations' reactions to the war in Gaza compared to their responses to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

I was present for her presentation and immediately realized she would be an ideal guest for an episode of the Sports Politika podcast.