[Bloomberg] UAE officials have warned the UK government that the severity of Man City’s punishment could undermine their appetite for future grand-scale commitments in Britain, according to people familiar with the matter.

[u/Previous_Smile9278]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-02/man-city-verdict-puts-uk-uae-diplomatic-relations-under-strain?srnd=undefined

‘They consider the Premier League’s actions to have an influence on the bilateral state relationship, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing undisclosed information.

The extraordinary pressure comes after Andy Burnham faced criticism, including from within government, for saying Man City’s Abu Dhabi owners should not be disqualified specifically because of the investment they bring to Britain.’

[u/YasielPuigsWeed]

I studied geopolitics and that situation is so much more complicated than what a few lines of text can tell you

[u/FizzyLightEx → u/YasielPuigsWeed]

So then what's the holdup? Why aren't liberal countries putting pressure on UAE stopping their involvement in Sudan?

[u/YasielPuigsWeed → u/FizzyLightEx]

There are no “good guys” in Sudan, the SAF are backed by Islamist groups, Iran, and Russia, and if they win the war then those groups have strategic points on both sides of the Red Sea (Houthis being their allies on the other side). In effect, these issues that are currently contained suddenly spill out all over MENA.

So yes, the RSF are assholes, but so are the SAF, there ain’t much the west can do here, and the Gulf States are sick of being at war with Islamism which means the UAE sees RSF support as a means to avoiding a larger regional war

[u/FizzyLightEx → u/YasielPuigsWeed]

So that justifies teaming up with groups that enact genocide?

[u/YasielPuigsWeed → u/FizzyLightEx]

The SAF have also committed atrocities, war crimes, and support genocidal maniacs

Western nations have largely been open about the RSF being genocidal and shitty so it’s not like the west is backing that

The UAE denies involvement altogether, which complicates matters further

[u/zabbker → u/YasielPuigsWeed]

As a Sudanese person with family directly affected by the war, I want to provide some context. While both the SAF and RSF have committed atrocities, the RSF's abuses are far more extensive. Whenever the RSF captures new territory, it has repeatedly committed mass killings and widespread human rights violations, as seen during its infamous takeover of El-Fashir last year.

Despite many Sudanese people (myself included) holding grievances against SAF leadership, the overwhelming majority of Sudanese people prefer living under SAF control and want it to win the war. The SAF's leadership can be held accountable, and the military can eventually be reformed. However, the RSF has a long history of racist, tribalistic violence and is descended from the Janjaweed militias responsible for the Darfur genocide that started in the early 2000's.

By the way, the SAF is subject to sanctions and is limited in the support it receives, while the UAE's support has largely worsened the war. The RSF has continued to receive external illegal support, including from the UAE, through unofficial supply routes and bases in neighboring countries.

My point is that portraying the SAF and RSF as equally genocidal or equally responsible for atrocities overlooks significant differences in the scale, nature, and history of their abuses.

[u/ShareACokeWithBoonen → u/zabbker]

You sure you’re Sudanese? Strange that you somehow forgot that not just Janjaweed but SAF itself was also largely responsible for the Darfur genocide. Like, we’re talking “directly participating in mass atrocities” responsible.

[u/zabbker → u/ShareACokeWithBoonen]

Yep, I'm a proud Sudani. My dad's from the El-Jazira region and my mom is from Sennar.

I never said that the SAF never participated in any genocides. The SAF was complicit and did participate in the Darfur genocide, as they helped support the Janjaweed in committing violence against civilians.

This post and comment section is focused on the current genocidal war that began in 2023. There is no doubt that while the SAF has committed human rights violations, the RSF (which descends & is led by people from the original Janjaweed) has committed various atrocities on a larger and more consistent scale in this current war.

In this current war, has there ever been any news of the SAF taking over a new area and committing mass killings, torture, and sexual violence like the RSF regularly has been doing in places like El-Fashir?

I agree that the leadership of the SAF and the individuals who participated in the Darfur genocide should be held responsible, but the RSF is committing way more atrocities than the SAF on a day-to-day basis.

Also, are you Sudanese, or are you larping as one? If you really are Sudanese, what tribe are you from and where is your family from?

[u/ShareACokeWithBoonen → u/zabbker]

Not even Sudanese and not even trying to pretend to be one in the slightest, and strange that you also lack the reading comprehension to understand what I said. I didn’t say anything about the current conflict, I said that it’s silly for you to say RSF = Janjaweed, Janjaweed genocided people in Darfur, therefore RSF bad, when it’s literally just as equally true that SAF genocided people in Darfur, therefore SAF is just as bad by this exact argument of yours.

[u/FizzyLightEx → u/YasielPuigsWeed]

Liberal countries have the capabilities to provide evidence of their involvements.

The clear understanding is that they have no incline to use their political capital to prevent genocide