The Soccer Sheikh's Shadowy Ties to Conflict

Sheikh Mansour, recognized for his ownership of Manchester City, has forged ties with Sudan's General Hamdan, blurring lines between sporting success and international intrigue. This relationship has implications for the UAE's role in conflicts abroad.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the vice president of the United Arab Emirates and owner of Manchester City, a leading English soccer team, has become emblematic of the intersection between wealth, sport, and global power dynamics. Known for his extravagant lifestyle — which includes a collection of superyachts and racehorses — he recently made headlines for his involvement with destabilizing figures in international politics.

In February 2023, just months before Sudan descended into a catastrophic civil war, Sheikh Mansour welcomed Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, a controversial Sudanese commander, to his lavish palace. Hamdan, who rose to power through a coup and has amassed a fortune built on illicit gold mining, has been implicated in grave human rights violations.

Their history dates back to 2021 when the two met at an arms fair in the UAE, where they explored military exhibits. As Sudan's tensions escalated in April 2023, Sheikh Mansour reportedly leveraged his resources to support Hamdan and the Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.), a paramilitary group implicated in the conflict.

While charities affiliated with Mansour publicly claimed to provide humanitarian assistance, reports indicate that these initiatives masked efforts to smuggle arms, including drones, to the R.S.F., thus attracting the scrutiny of U.S. and U.N. officials. Sheikh Mansour's dual roles as a sports tycoon and a shadowy operator in global affairs continue to stir controversy and raise questions about the implications of such entanglements for international relations and human rights.