• Amnesty International describe attempts as ‘brazen’ • Series of allegations published over the last week

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners are brazenly trying to “sportswash” their country’s “deeply tarnished image” by pouring money into the Premier League club, according to Amnesty International.

Over the past week, Der Spiegel has published a series of allegations based on information obtained from the whistle-blowing platform Football Leaks that have painted a very different picture of the club than the one displayed on the pitch, claims the club denies.

According to the German magazine, City have spent much of the last decade trying to get around European football’s Financial Fair Play rules with inflated sponsorship deals, an elaborate image rights scheme and hidden contracts.

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One of those sponsorship deals was struck with Arabtec, the largest construction company in the United Arab Emirates but a firm that has been repeatedly criticised by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch for its poor treatment of migrant workers.

Der Spiegel claims City’s heirarchy ignored warnings from its own public relations experts about reputational damage and increased scrutiny to sign a three-year, regional sponsorship agreement – worth £7m a year – with Arabtec in 2014.

Attempts to reach Arabtec for comment have failed, although the company is no longer listed as one of City’s regional partners.

“The UAE’s enormous investment in Manchester City is one of football’s most brazen attempts to ‘sportswash’ a country’s deeply tarnished image through the glamour of the game,” said Amnesty International’s Gulf researcher Devin Kenney. “As a growing number of Manchester City fans will be aware, the success of the club has involved a close relationship with a country that relies on exploited migrant labour and locks up peaceful critics and human rights defenders.”

Der Spiegel has reported further on the unusual workings of City, detailing among other things a project called Longbow whereby the club allegedly sold the players’ image rights to an organisation funded by City’s owner, Sheikh Mansour. There is also the matter of the former manager Roberto Mancini who led City to their first Premier League title in 2012 and played a crucial part in their rise to Europe’s football elite. On signing for the club he allegedly not only agreed an annual salary there but also a further, more lucrative basic deal as a consultant with Al Jazira, a club also controlled by City’s owner.

Sheikh Mansour is a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

City have declined to comment on Der Spiegel’s allegations beyond sticking to a general statement that they believe the reports are based on “hacked and stolen” material and are part of a “clear and organised” attempt to smear the club.