UK owner Man City convicted for meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Assad last week paid a visit to the United Arab Emirates for the first time since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011. He met with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nayan, a member of the ruling Abu Dhabi royal family, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and owner of Manchester City, among others.
The British government condemned Sheikh Mansour for meeting with an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has accused the UAE of undermining the chances for peace in Syria.
MP Chris Bryant, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Russia, asked the question: “Is Sheikh Mansour the right person to own a football club?”
Clive Efford, a member of the British Parliament’s Committee on Digital, Culture, Media and Sports, said Sheikh Mansour’s connection to Assad was “deeply troubling”.
Fair Square Director and former Human Rights Watch staff member Nicholas McGeehan said: “In light of sanctions once morest Roman Abramovich Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour welcoming Assad to Abu Dhabi should be another wake up call for the Premier League.”
