Is football being used as cover for the world’s dirtiest industry?

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You will have seen the name Aramco plastered all over the tournament. But you might not know that Aramco is not only the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, but also the biggest oil company in the world. Subscribe to Guardian Football ► https://www.youtube.com/@guardianfootball?sub_confirmation=1 In a recently published policy paper, academics from the Universities of Manchester, Bristol and Loughborough claim football is being used as a means to launder the reputation of fossil fuel interests, making them seem inevitable by tying them to the world’s biggest cultural product. And, they point out, this is happening at club level, too. Many of the world’s biggest football clubs benefit from sponsorship by companies linked to fossil fuel interests, Arsenal, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, are among the clubs whose players take to the pitch with the names of petrostate airlines emblazoned across their players’ chests. Guardian environment correspondent Damien Gayle spoke to Oscar Berglund, a critical political economist from the University of Bristol, to find out about their critique. The Guardian put their criticisms to Fifa, world football’s governing body, as well as Arsenal, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, but received no reply. #fifa #climatecrisis #worldcup #worldcup2026 #saudiaramco