"Sports-washing" is the trend where numerous middle-eastern nations have significantly invested themselves in global sports - Manchester City FC being owned by Abu Dhabi oligarch Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Aston Martin Formula One being owned by Saudi Arabian state-owned petroleum company Aramco, and McLaren Formula One being owned by Bahraini sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat.
These countries have had a drastic rise in investment such as the development of luxurious racing tracks, hosting the FIFA World Cup etc., while maintaining a notable record of human rights abuses ranging from exploitative labour conditions, monopolistic business practices, environmentally destructive processes, and oppression of minorities, which has been a subject of criticism.