Ted Lasso season 2, episode 3 tackles a Dubai Air controversy thanks to Sam Obisanya. Here's what it could mean for AFC Richmond's future.

Ted Lasso season 2 introduces a major controversy involving AFC Richmond's main sponsor, Dubai Air; here's what happened and whether or not the airline is real. The second season of Apple TV+'s sports comedy starring Jason Sudeikis has already advanced the story forward in multiple different ways. While Jamie Tartt's return to the Greyhounds was set up to be a key part of where Ted Lasso season 2, episode 3 would go, it instead combined that storyline with a new controversy with Dubai Air.

The show has gradually increased the role of Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh) within Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond's team. This came to a head in Ted Lasso season 2, episode 3, when Keely Jones (Juno Temple) unveiled Sam's involvement in a photoshoot for AFC Richmond's club sponsor, Dubai Air. He was the face of the campaign and proudly shared the news with his father later on. However, this is when Sam discovered that Ceritihium Oil owns Dubai Air. This causes Sam to completely reconsider his place as the face of Dubai Air's ad campaign and AFC Richmond, leading to a massive controversy for him and the entire club.

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Sam's decision to withdraw from the Dubai Air campaign and no longer support AFC Richmond's main sponsor comes from Cerithium Oil's other business practices. The company has been linked to oil spills that destroyed Nigeria's environment and bribing government officials to cover it up.. Sam goes as far as to say that they are responsible for transforming his home country into a "hellish, fiery swamp." Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) originally agrees to work with Sam to remove him from the ad campaign due to her relationship with Cerithium Oil's CEO. He proposes to get rid of Sam, which Rebecca says she will not do. It leads to Sam standing up for his beliefs and putting a black piece of tape over Dubai Air's logo on his jersey, and the entire team backs up this decision and supports him through solidarity.

Just as AFC Richmond is not a real European football club, Dubai Air is not an actual airline tied to environmental destruction. However, that doesn't make Ted Lasso's Dubai Air controversy and the stand that Sam and his teammates take any less relevant to the real world. Professional and collegiate athletes have taken similar stands against powerful organizations, sponsors, and politicians in the past. This recently became an even bigger topic of discussion as athletes knelt during the national anthem and wore warm-ups tied to social justice.

As far as the Dubai Air controversy is concerned, Sam and his AFC Richmond teammates protesting Ceritihium Oil's practices should have massive repercussions on Ted Lasso season 2's story. Barring a change of behavior by Ceritihium Oil or Sam and the team cooling on their opposition of Dubai Air's parent company, it should be expected that AFC Richmond will lose its top sponsor. This will allow another company to come in and financially support the Greyhounds. The trailers for Ted Lasso season 2 might have even already revealed who this will be. Based on the support of Ted, Rebecca, and his teammates, though, everyone involved with AFC Richmond appears to be more than happy to support Sam's stance and bring attention to troubles facing Nigeria.

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