Is anyone convinced by Saudi sportswashing? Only the crooks who sell fake football strips | Adrian Chiles

Saudi Arabia is pouring a fortune into soccer, including 180m a year for Cristiano Ronaldo. But while the counterfeiters see a chance to make money, the fans won't forget human rights

I saw something to make me scoff with amused despair, a thing embodying many a madness and badness of our age. It was a child-sized replica football shirt, swinging gently on its hanger, at a seaside market stall on the Adriatic coast. It's a noticeably well-appointed retail operation, this stall. Beach towels, Bluetooth speakers, snorkels, fridge magnets, swimwear, pouches of lavender, imitation handguns ... you know the kind of thing.

The football strips included plenty of Croatian national team shirts, plus those of clubs with Croatian players: Modri's name printed on Real Madrid shirts, Perii's on Tottenham's, Kovai's at Chelsea and so on. (I didn't ask, but there is probably a deal to be done on that Chelsea shirt, as Kovai is now at Man City). I doubt any of these garments were what you might call authenticTM official(C) merchandise(R). But whatever.