Sign of soccer’s broken moral compass that Jim Ratcliffe is seen as a spotless billionaire

In an era when clubs have become the playthings of billionaires, fans are left pondering the question: how do you prefer your sportswashing?

British INEOS Group chairman Jim Ratcliffe. (Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images)

When Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani withdrew from the race to buy Manchester United last month, you could almost hear the sighs of relief emanating from the press department on Sir Matt Busby Way.

A Qatari takeover, despite the appeal and simplicity of Sheikh Jassim’s all-cash offer, would be sure to face fierce criticism – not only on the basis of Qatar’s enduringly appalling human rights record, but as further proof of oil money’s deepening incursion into global soccer’s most sacred places.