The Daily Telegraph called it "a bleak day for British football." On one side was Chelsea, owned by Roman Abramovich; on the other was Newcastle United, owned by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund PIF.

Abramovich had just been sanctioned by the government for his "close relationship" with Vladimir Putin. Saudi Arabia had just executed 81 people.

For some, Putin's invasion of Ukraine and Saudi Arabia's human rights record made no difference. A group of Chelsea fans displayed a banner showing Abramovich's face and the words "The Roman empire".

A pair of Newcastle fans held up the Saudi flag. Newcastle's manager refused to comment on Saudi Arabia's bloody war in Yemen.

Chelsea and Newcastle are not the only ones tarnished by their political ties. Everton, Manchester United and UEFA all accepted sponsorship - though they have now dropped it - from major Russian companies. FIFA allowed Russia to host the 2018 World Cup despite its 2014 invasion of Crimea.

Dictators go in for sportswashing because it works. The junta in Myanmar has ordered the country's richest men to create its own Premier League. China's Xi Jinping has made winning the World Cup a national priority.

"As long as people are talking about the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi as the owners of football clubs," argues Jonathan Wilson in Sports Illustrated, "they are not talking about human rights abuses or the bombing of Yemen".

Owners also win the loyalty of fans who speak up for them on social media.

Some feel it is unfair to criticise sports bodies when many others deal with terrible regimes. Britain does £11bn of trade with Saudi Arabia each year.

But for others the sanctions on Abramovich and the bid for Chelsea from a Saudi media group is a turning point. "It's a massive wake-up call," said Gary Neville.

Yes: It is appalling that objectionable people and governments are allowed to enhance their reputations in this way. The standards set by those who govern sport should be far higher than they are.

No: The ownership of a football team makes very little difference to anything. The fact that Abramovich is popular with Chelsea fans does not make the rest of the world think any better of him.

Or... Sportswashing is only possible because there is so much corruption among the organisers of leagues and competitions. Cracking down on them rather than owners should be the top priority.