People love vague whataboutisms. I had another poster tell me that the owner of my favourite restaurant has probably done "bad things" as well when I spoke against the house of Saud.
Opposition to Saudi Arabian Take Over
- Thread starter mariachi-19
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
- Status
The Saudi regime are actually great friends with Trump and Israel.. so it’s like going from having owners who are just fans of what you disagree with to one that is actually friends that sits, eats, and rules the world with them.
What if its a family member and not actually the Head of State himself, that elects to buy Man Utd? would this change people's views?
The entire family is bad news.
Honestly. Don’t think Bin Salmon would allow anyone else that glory.
Regardless of what side you on, what i find it weird, is that there are some out there that believe in club being owned by a state or what ever is the only way to compete. or go back to top.
Yeah, it's a can of worms and where do we stop. The advantages enjoyed by others, the West in particular, are borne out of two of the worst atrocities ever - slavery and colonialism but we don't see people displaying revulsion over that and demanding that their nations pay reparations. Some of the worst abuses are being done so that old could be extracted, that the latest phones can be made cheaper or that pipeline passes through what used to be a village.
The world over bad things are being done to innocent people so that others get access to resources that we freely consume and ignore the circumstances under which they are made. But we reserve our revulsion for someone being rumored to be interested in a football team forgetting that it is our money that enables him to be in a position to buy Manchester United or order the killing of a journalist.
Especially after we've pissed up nearly a billion pounds.
Things get awfully sticky when you start mixing political agenda with the mitigating circumstances that would surround our club's sale. Personally I wouldn't like our owners to have any kind of reputation the Saudis do, it's a disgrace but when it comes to many of the rich there's likely corruption, deceit and other anomalies historically which has been the stem towards their mass financial successes. Much of our public knowledge originates from the media so away from the Saudis, we will never truly know how "clean" any owners hands are.
I wouldn't support the owners but will follow the club. It would be stupid for the Saudis to keep their negative regimes consistent while owning one of the biggest sporting teams in the world, that would just emphasise public disparity and put even more spotlight on their presence in their own country.
I wouldn't support the owners but will follow the club. It would be stupid for the Saudis to keep their negative regimes consistent while owning one of the biggest sporting teams in the world, that would just emphasise public disparity and put even more spotlight on their presence in their own country.
Oh, right.
Well please don't include me in that "us fans" thing there. I have never sent a drone to drop a bunker buster bomb before. You must have based on your post, and I suppose that's a bit mad really.
Nobody representing me has ever done anything like that, including my "western democracy".
Whereas if the Saudi royals buy United, then we would have owners who do, as you put it, behead and hang people they don't like.
Give your head a wobble. The fact that thos is not good news shouldn't be difficult to comprehend.
While you're correct that it'll increase the scrutiny on them, owning United is unlikely to actually have much of effect on whether they chop up another journalist. Besides I'm not interested in holding their hand through this growing up process like they're some sort of psychopathic, murdering two year old.
I don't think we should blame or cover an entire family for the actions of its leaders. In regimes like this, family members have been ousted and arrested for falling foul of the top dogs. Unless I know for certain (with proof) that the person who buys Man Utd is not a fit and proper person then I try not to pass too much moral judgement. obviously if Khashoggi buys us its an issue but then I also feel hypocritical as my country welcomes him with open arms irrespective of his crimes. Should I hold my football club to a higher standard than my own country and why?
Yea, we should be fine if we aint drained by corporate cnuts or run as such.
Glazers are Israel supporters, full on Palestinian blood on their hands, where’s people’s moral compass with that ? They’re shooting kids daily for no reason ? And our owners support that! Just feck off
I'm buying a teatowel for my head in anticipation of the sweet, sweet nectar of Saudi money...
Bye Bye Glazers, hello Mbappe, Messi, Sancho, et al.
Bye Bye Glazers, hello Mbappe, Messi, Sancho, et al.
The assumption is that such owners would be in it for self promotion and would want to win at all costs, and will therefore appoint the best footballing people going, like City have.
It isn't much to do with money, though that will undoubtedly help.
I wonder how many of the "Well I'd just stop supporting the club" brigade are actually from Manchester? I'm gonna guess none 
United are my local team, I can't remember ever not supporting them, and I couldn't imagine ever not supporting them.
The Saudi government are awful, make no mistake, and I don't want our club associated with a murderous horrific regime, but nothing and nobody will ever stop me supporting my club. Maybe some of you guys should go support Real Madrid or Barcelona?
United are my local team, I can't remember ever not supporting them, and I couldn't imagine ever not supporting them.
The Saudi government are awful, make no mistake, and I don't want our club associated with a murderous horrific regime, but nothing and nobody will ever stop me supporting my club. Maybe some of you guys should go support Real Madrid or Barcelona?
Depends on why folks are opposed to any potential deals, really...
- Those with legitimate concerns — who are turned off by the idea of the regime using United as a sort of political tool for soft power and whitewashing-via-sports will probably be ok with an affluent Saudi who's entirely separated from the House of Saud. Though considering the sheer number of inner circle members, things could still be pretty touch and go!
- Those who are turned off by the idea of “desert people” owning their club will obviously not relent, no point in pretending that these sort don't exist in sufficient numbers (or don't perk up every time these type of threads are created, often under the guise of self-righteousness and uninformed condescension).
They'll be citing the atrocities committed by Colonial Britain next as if that somehow absolves the Saudi's of any wrongdoing.
I am no supporter of Saudi Arabia but I love Man Utd. The Glazers have been milking the club and we need a stadium upgrade/new stadium, owners that do put money into the club but do not try to milk it dry and perhaps owners that see the possibilites in buildin up for example a United Hotel next to the ground and so on... Are there many that could be willing to do that? It there perhaps a litte Hypocrisy in how many are claiming they will stop supporting United if the Saudis were the owners? Uk exported goods to Saudi Arabia for 4,2 billion pounds in 2017 in machinery,aircraft,arms and vehicels. Uk imported goods from Saudi for around 2,4 billion pounds and half of that oil plus medical equipment,electrical,photgraphic and so on. Uk exports of service to Saudi Arabia were also 2 billion in 2017 mostly travel services.
I wonder if those claiming a moral highground pump their cars full with Saudi oil each time they fill up? The fact is that UK and Saudis have been in a close relationship for a long time that affects a huge number of Uk compaines and jobs. So that is ok but being owners of United is not ok?
I wonder if those claiming a moral highground pump their cars full with Saudi oil each time they fill up? The fact is that UK and Saudis have been in a close relationship for a long time that affects a huge number of Uk compaines and jobs. So that is ok but being owners of United is not ok?
Ordinarily I wouldn't want Manchester United to be someone's toy let alone a brutal state but as far as Manchester United are concerned I view the Glazers and Woodward as a clear and present danger to the prosperity and eventual survival of a club that means so much to me. These guys are the only ones who can afford to and have reportedly shown an interest in spending what's needed to get rid of the deleterious Glazer ownership and their blundering puppet. To me that's important enough to consider.
Yeah if the Saudis brought United, I would just stop watching and supporting.
Simply as that really.
Simply as that really.
At the end of the day we can say and feel what we like or don't like. But the Glazers are not worried who they sell to and we cannot do anything about it. Unless of course we have billions stacked away.
We're not owned by the US Government though.
I'd imagine the majority of FC United fans are from Manchester. They stopped supporting the club once the Glazers took over and saddled us with debt. Do you take such a condescending tone with them or is it reserved for people who oppose supporting a vile, murderous regime taking control of the club?I wonder how many of the "Well I'd just stop supporting the club" brigade are actually from Manchester? I'm gonna guess none
United are my local team, I can't remember ever not supporting them, and I couldn't imagine ever not supporting them.
The Saudi government are awful, make no mistake, and I don't want our club associated with a murderous horrific regime, but nothing and nobody will ever stop me supporting my club. Maybe some of you guys should go support Real Madrid or Barcelona?
I wouldn't support Real Madrid or Barcelona. I'd likely just stop following professional football altogether.
Personally, yes, I'd rather wait.
Great post!!
We don't have a choice in who our government sells arms to. We can however choose not to work for or support companies that fund immoral activities and/or regimes. We can also choose not to support our football club if it get purchased by Saudi Arabia.
And thank the lord for that, just imagine Boris and co. in charge of the club. It would make Woodward look like the greatest executive in history.
The British government doesn't own any football clubs, so the comparison is moot.So how many innocent people have the British gov murdered ? This may take some time... I'll wait
Thanks mate.
Comparing a democracy such as the United States or the United Kingdom to a totalitarian dictatorship like Saudi Arabia is such a false equivalency, and talking about the Iraq War like there weren't worldwide protests against it is such revisionist history.
But believe it or not, I'd also stop supporting United if the US government or Trump bought the club in a clear attempt to increase their soft power. I'd simply start by boycotting one game and keep it up until they're gone. It isn't difficult.
But believe it or not, I'd also stop supporting United if the US government or Trump bought the club in a clear attempt to increase their soft power. I'd simply start by boycotting one game and keep it up until they're gone. It isn't difficult.
The "everybody is bad" argument is a complete nonsense.
Not true. What are elections used for. If there is so called democracy in UK or anywhere else, you have right for your opinion and protests.
Trying to stay "clean" in todays world is almost impossible. I agree that one can and should minimize its harmful actions, but your argument does not stand.
World is hardly black and white, and we can find numerous pro and against arguments for each state/government/company/club/person etc.
Last edited by a moderator:
I would absolutely not support a club owned by them.
Whataboutism. What clubs do the UK or US government own?So how many innocent people have the British gov murdered ? This may take some time... I'll wait
But you are happy being owned by Amercians who have started more wars than any other nation on earth ?
@Mainoldo talking about how the owner of my favourite restaurant is "also bad" was really something else.
If you're born in Saudi Arabia and your father is a Muslim, you're also deemed a Muslim by the state. Pretty flagrant but not the biggest issue in the world in the grand scheme of things. However, leaving the faith is considered a criminal offence with the punishment being death. That's apparently somewhat equivalent to the owner of my favourite restaurant.....underpaying his workers?....not paying all his taxes?... I'm not sure, these people are pretty vague with their false equivalencies.
I already answered this:
- Status