Đ Gardịn vy on jiopoḷtics n ɖ Premịr Līg: tîm fr a dvors
(Transcription of an editorial published in the Observer on Sunday 20 March 2022)
Ɖ guvnmnt mst swiftli implimnt ɖ Crǎć-rvy rec̣mndeśnz n intṛdys an indipndnt reğletr fr ftbōl
Súnde 20 Marć 2022
Fṛm ɖ fyćr v ɖ globl icoṇmi t eṇjis’kṛti n dfnșpendñ, ɖ śoc v Vḷdīmir Pūtin’z wor in Ycren z pṛvocñ a diziyñ rīʈnc v poḷsi prîoṛtiz n asumśnz. Ɖ Raman Abramović-rletd crîsis at Ćlsi FC mt sīm a mînr subplot ẃn tectonic plets v sć magṇtyd r śiftñ. Bt ftbōl’z globl rīć n modn jioṗliticl dmnśnz mc it mć mor ɖn ɖt. Ɖ prḟcli tîmd specṭcl v last wīc’s fixćr btwn sañśnd Ćlsi n Nycasl Ynîtd – ǒnd bî Rīad’z soṿrin-wlʈ fund – marct a moṛl nedir fr ɖ gem, cmñ wn de aftr Sǎdi Arebia x’ktd 81 ppl. It wz olso śemñ fr ɖs cuntri. In ftbōl, tù, a paṛdîmśift z nīdd.
Ɖ tūlz t ifct ɖs – or at līst start ɖ job nǎ – r wɖn ɖ guvnmnt’s grasp. Last Epril, six līdñ clubz atmtd t jôn ɖ rvîld Yṛpiyn Sūṗlīg project; ɖ horr v ɖer ǒn s’portrz demnstretd an unḍlayñ ǎtrej amñ fanz at ɖ d’rex́n ɖ sport hz tecn. Ɖ guvnmnt set p ɖ fan-léd Crǎć rvy on ftbōl guvnns. (Az ɖ rvypanl dliḅretd on ẃr ɖ gem hd lost its we, ɖ Premịr Līg wevd ʈru ɖ tecovr v Nycasl bî ɖ fund, ćerd bî ɖ crǎnprins, Mhamid bin Salman.)
Publiśt in Nvmbr, ɖ rvy cōlz fr ɖ istabliśmnt v an indipndnt reğletr v ɖ gem. Ɖ indipndnt reğletr fr Ñgliś ftbōl (IRÑF) wd b ebl t xamin ny ptnśl ǒnrz acordñ t verịs crîtiria, includñ an “integṛti tst”; ɖ jujmnt wd b wn v ẃɖr pṛspctiv bayrz wd b “sūṭbl custodịnz v vîtl cḿṇti asets”. Tresi Crǎć, ɖ Cnsrṿtiv MP hu z ćer v ɖ rvypanl, b’livz ɖt hd an integṛti tst bn in ples at ɖ tîm v ɖ Nycasl tecovr, betr “stres tstñ” wd hv tecn ples.
Ɖ Premịr Līg hz rzistd ɖ pṛpozl (wn club d’rectr dnǎnst it az “Mǎizm”). Bt oḷgarcs, oʈoṛterịn stets n – in ɖ ces v ɖ Glezr faṃli at Manćestr Ynîtd – asetstriprz, hv run rñz rnd ɖ līg’z ǒn “fit n propr” tst fr ǒnrśp. Ɖs wz orijiṇli dzînd t wīd ǎt smōl-tîm frōdstrz n śarḷtnz at lowr-līg levl, bt hz mirli oṗretd az a figlīf v rspctbiḷti ẃl ɖ gem ćenjd bynd recgniśn. Ɖ xtrordnri influx v wlʈ hz bn emoṛli trītd az a būn fr evrwn luci inuf t b asośietd wɖ ɖ rićist līg in ɖ wrld.
Ɖ unpresdntd trmôl v ɖ last fortnît śd streñʈn ɖ guvnmnt’s rzolv t folo p on Mz Crǎć’z rec̣mndeśnz. Ɖe śd b in ɖ nxt Qīn’z spīć, n a sṗsific hymn-rîts dmnśn śd b incorṗretd intu ɖ IRÑF’s rǒl. Lejsleśn t intṛdys a reğletr wd hlp t enśur ɖ cnd v pṛtx́n aproprịt t ćeriśt naśnl insttyśnz. Poḷtiśnz ofn tōc abt ftbōlrz’ rsponsbiḷti t b rǒlmodlz; ẃt abt ɖ clubz ɖmslvz? Uɖr Crǎć meźrz – sć az a fanz’ goldn śer gvñ a vīto ovr matrz vîtl t ɖ îdntti v a club, includñ ɖ stedịm’z lceśn n tīmculrz – wd bgin t rstor a deṃcratic baḷns btwn ɖ arisṭcrats hu run clubz n ɖ srfs hu fil ɖm.
Ɖ fet v Ćlsi z nǎ subjict t a bidñwor. Bt ol ɖ foc̣s hz bn on ɖ wlʈ v ɖ verịs corpṛt enttiz n hejfundz involvd rɖr ɖn ẃt z bst fr ɖ fanz n ɖ wîdr gem. Ol bt a fy hundṛd Ćlsi s’portrz wr xcludd on Saṭde fṛm atndñ a clasic Ñgliś ftbōl oceźn – ɖ FA Cup qortrfînl at Midlzbra – bcz ɖer sañśnd club z fr ɖ tîm biyñ unebl t sel ticits. Ɖ ultiṃt ǎtcm v ɖ dīpli uneḍfayñ episod ɖt bgan ẃn Mr Abramović bòt ɖ club in 2003 mst b a moṛl rīcaḷbreśn in ɖ guvnns v ɖ gem.
