Authoritarian states are influencing soccer through money - says human rights group
Record ID:
1448914
Authoritarian states are influencing soccer through money - says human rights group
- Title: Authoritarian states are influencing soccer through money - says human rights group
- Date: 17th December 2019
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) FAIR/SQUARE RESEARCH & PROJECTS DIRECTOR, JAMES LYNCH, SAYING: "I do think that a lot of Arsenal fans would have been Googling and learning more about the situation in China for the Uighur population and I think there will be a lot of fans who will be uncomfortable with the way that the club has reacted here to a very serious issue that's been raised from one of their star players and what you've seen in some other clubs particularly in Europe, Bayern Munich is a good example; fans getting very engaged, very educated and committed to certain human rights issues abroad and protesting against their club's involvement in certain cases. Now Arsenal has taken the view at this point on balance it has taken a view that the higher risk was its commercial risk here and it needed to step in and say this is nothing to do with us. Over the long term it needs to have sustainable support, it needs to have passionate crowds filling stadiums. So I think there will be a key decision there that where do they stand going forward on these issues." ISTANBUL, TURKEY (DECEMBER 14, 2019) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS DEMONSTRATING AGAINST CHINA'S UIGHUR POLICY IN XINJIANG UIGHUR CHILDREN HOLDING UP POSTERS WITH PHOTO OF ARSENAL MIDFIELDER MESUT OZIL WOMEN CHANTING SLOGANS, ASKING FOR FREEDOM FOR XINJIANG BOY HOLDING UP A POSTER OF OZIL LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) FAIR/SQUARE RESEARCH & PROJECTS DIRECTOR, JAMES LYNCH, SAYING: "The question for any club in this situation is what are the key values that matter to you. What have you said about yourself as a club, what have you told yourself as a club, what have you told your fans and the value of freedom of expression. Do you value your players' freedom of expression and... So the question everyone will be asking is are the clubs prepared to back that freedom of expression and hold to these higher ideals that they often tell us that they are promoting as part of their work, their community ideals or are they going to be driven by the risk of upsetting the people provide the cash."
- Embargoed: 31st December 2019 18:06
- Keywords: Arsenal China Mesut Ozil Uibhurs investment money soccer
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA005BAD82MF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Arsenal's decision to distance the club from midfielder Mesut Ozil's criticism of China's policy towards its Muslim Uighur minority won't surprise anyone familiar with the scramble by Europe's soccer powers for a slice of the expanding Chinese market.
One human rights group - Fair/Square Research & Projects believes that states such as China are influencing decisions made by clubs, leagues and associations because of the money they invest into the sport.
China is now the English Premier League's most lucrative overseas market, with the country paying 564 million pounds ($724 million) for a three-year TV rights deal, while Italy, Spain and Germany have also pocketed big deals.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are fully Chinese-owned, while the owners of English champions Manchester City sold around 13 percent of the club to a Chinese investment company.
Most clubs have some level of Chinese sponsorship, while the Premier League Asia Trophy pre-season tournament was held in Shanghai and Nanjing this year.
Director of the Fair/Square Research & Projects, James Lynch believes this exposure to China's market means clubs such as Arsenal will struggle to strike a balance between the values it promotes as a club and not wanting to alienate its investors. However, Lynch did cite one example with Liverpool recently issuing a statement saying they were in support of investigations into the deaths of some migrant workers in Qatar which will host the next World Cup.
The annual Red Card report by Shanghai-based consultancy Mailman, which tracks social media and digital engagement, listed Arsenal as the seventh most followed European club on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform in 2018.
Former Germany international Ozil was rated as the fifth most influential player in the world. A Muslim, born in Germany from parents of Turkish origin, Ozil's best man at his wedding earlier this year was Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Red Card report also said Arsenal are among the front-runners when it comes to digital commercialisation and brand awareness in China.
The 31-year-old Ozil, Arsenal's highest-paid player, posted messages on Twitter and Instagram where he called minority Uighur Muslims "warriors who resist persecution".
The London club said afterwards on Weibo that "the content he expressed is entirely Ozil's personal opinion," and stated that the club had a principle of not being involved in politics.
That did not stop China's state broadcaster from pulling Arsenal's game against Manchester City from its schedules on Sunday, amid a social media backlash in the country against the club.
The United Nations and human rights groups estimate that between one and two million mostly ethnic Uighur Muslims have been detained in harsh conditions in Xinjiang as part of what Beijing calls an anti-terrorism campaign.
China has repeatedly denied any mistreatment of Uighurs.
The Premier League declined to comment. Other major European leagues and several top clubs contacted on Monday by Reuters asking if they had concerns over political interference or a clampdown on free speech for players in China also declined to comment.
The issue has echoes of the dispute earlier this year when the Chinese Basketball Association and several companies cut ties with the NBA's Houston Rockets and games were cut from TV schedules after the team's general manager had expressed support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.
That dispute is still affecting the NBA, with reduced screening of games.
(Production: Tim Hart) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None