Reporters Without Borders revealed the facts about a country sponsoring Atletico Madrid.

“Do you really know Azerbaijan, the country that sponsors Atlético Madrid? “Land of fire” according to the official propaganda but “land of repression” in practice. The millions of viewers who watch the UEFA Champions League Final on 24 May must not be fooled by the propaganda. This Caucasian republic is ranked 160th out of 180 countries in the press freedom index and its president, Ilham Aliyev, is a predator of press freedom who has eliminated almost all pluralism in his country,” the organization said in a statement.

Pointing at numerous cases of imprisonment of journalists in Azerbaijan, including the recent arrest of Rauf Mirkadyrov, the organization recalled that there is there is no independent TV station

“Azerbaijan’s government paradoxically became the guarantor of human rights in the European continent on 14 May, when it assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of Europe’s committee of ministers. Reporters Without Borders is outraged by this and calls on the Council of Europe’s 46 other members to remind Azerbaijan’s president of his duties as regards respect for freedom of information,” the statement reads.