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Op-Ed / / 10.23.26

The Guardian Op-ed: “Mamdani loves Arsenal. He should challenge them to cut ties with the UAE over Sudan”

Note: This op-ed was originally published in The Guardian and was authored by John Prendergast, co-founder of The Sentry, and Sasha Lezhnev, a senior policy advisor at The Sentry.

The New York mayor’s passion for the Gunners and human rights presents an opportunity to push back on the club’s lucrative UAE sponsorship

Like him or not, there is no doubt that New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s passion for certain issues is electric, and that passion played a large part in him getting elected. But today, two of his biggest passions are on a collision course.

On one hand, Mamdani is now arguably the US’s most high-profile supporter of English Premier League champions Arsenal. A superfan since he was a child, he has put the Gunners into the American spotlight more than anyone since becoming mayor. The Empire State Building gleamed in Arsenal’s red and white when they won the Premier League title. He wrote an essay about what Arsenal’s championship means to him, talks about Arsenal at press conferences and interviews and inaugurated Thierry Henry Way near Times Square in honor of the Arsenal legend.

But another of Mamdani’s passions – standing up against genocide and for human rights – is now presenting a problem for the mayor’s Arsenal fandom. One prominent part of Arsenal’s current image is deeply disturbing, and it presents a major opportunity for Mamdani.

Arsenal’s chief sponsor is Emirates Airlines, owned by the Emirates Group, a state-owned Dubai-based holding company. Emirates is on the front of every jersey, and the team plays at Emirates Stadium in London. The United Arab Emirates has spent more than $1bn sponsoring the team, including expanding its contract through 2033 to more than $100m per season. Arsenal is the UAE’s second biggest sports investment globally.

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Read the full article in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/oct/23/zohran-mamdani-arsenal-emirates-uae-sudan-sponsorship