In Ñspel: The Guardian view on Qatar’s World Cup: sportwashing stains football’s image

‘The shock decision to award Qatar the contest was controversial even in 2010.’ Photograph: Hassan Ammar/AP
‘Ɖ śoc dsiźn t aword Ctār ɖ contest wz contṛvrśl īvn in 2010.’ Foṭgraf: Hasan Amar/AP

Ɖ Gardịn vy on Ctār’z Wrldcup: sportswośñ stenz ftbōl’z imij

(Transcription of a Guardian editorial of 13 Nov. 2022)

Ɖ trṇmnt me hîlît ɖ Gulf stet’s muni n pǎr – bt it hz olso frɖr xpozd its hymn-rîts abysz

Súnde 13 Nvmbr 2022

F  sportswośñ wz wns a novl consept, it nǎ apirz standd fr mejr inṭnaśnl ivnts. Bt ɖ Wrldcup, ẃć cics of nxt Súnde, so far sīmz t hv dn mor t sten ɖ imij v ftbōl ɖn impruv Ctār’z. Dîhard fanz az wel az hymn-rîts campenrz hv cmplend ɖt ɖs lcs mor lîc a grubi hím t muni n pǎr ɖn a joys seḷbreśn v ɖ gem – īvn f ɖ drama n tnśn v ɖ trṇmnt wl end p oṿẃlmñ mni ppl’z qāmz.

Ɖ śoc dsiźn t aword Ctār ɖ contest wz contṛvrśl īvn in 2010. Bt wɖ reṿleśnz ovr ɖ trītmnt v mîgṛntwrcrz n ɖ spotlîtñ v its anti-ge lwz, cnsrn hz steḍli mǎntd. Last wīc, a Ctār Wrldcup ambasdr dscrîbd hoṃsx́uaḷti az “damij in ɖ mînd” n Sepp Blatter, ɖ formr hed v Fīfa, sd Ctār wz a bad ćôs az host (ɖo onli bcz it wz “tù smōl a cuntri”).

Dfndrz v ɖ dsiźn se ɖt hî-profîl ivnts cn b līṿrij fr impruvmnts in hymn rîts. In Ctār’z ces, ɖr hz bn modist progres, includñ a (vri lo) minimmwej. Bt tîm z runñ ǎt t ifct frɖr ćenj, n ɖr z scepṭsizm abt ẃɖr īvn smōl genz wl indyr. Ɖ 2014 Wintr Olimpics in Soći n 2018 Wrldcup dd nt brñ rîts impruvmnts in Ruśa. Ɖ yirz btwn ɖ 2008 sumr Gemz n ɖs yir’z Wintr Olimpics sw incrisñ rpreśn in Ćîna.

Part v ɖ probḷm z ɖt wlʈi bt rpresiv stets sīm t fīl ɖe hv ɖ most t gen fṛm hostñ sć ivnts. It z no sīcrit ɖt Sǎdi Arebia, ẃć wl host ɖ 2029 Eźn Wintrgemz in ɖ hart v ɖ deẓt, z dtrmind t win an Olimpics. Reźīmz sīcñ kdos hv gend ɖ asistns v sportștarz – fṛm Devid Becm t Pep Guardiola – n inṭnaśnl insttyśnz hu implô hî-floun reṭric abt aʈletic x’ḷns n globl frendśp ẃl trǎẓrñ larj sumz. Aḷgeśnz v c’rupśn hv loñ dogd ɖ Inṭnaśnl Olimpic Cmiti. Sixtīn v ɖ 22 votñ membrz v ɖ Fīfa xektiv cmiti ɖt handd ɖ Wrldcup t Ctār hv sins bn impḷcetd in or invstgetd ovr alejd c’rupśn or bad practis (ɖo nt ol v ɖm in rleśn t ɖt dsiźn).

Atmts t dflect criṭsizm onli mc it lc wrs. Fīfa hz tld naśnl tīmz ɖt its job z nt “handñ ǎt moṛl lésnz” n ɖt ɖ gem śd nt b “dragd intu evri îdịlojicl or p’liticl batl”. Ɖt rîtli got śort śrift. Ten Yṛpiyn ftbōl’sośieśnz – includñ ɖoz v Ñgḷnd n Wêlz – rplaid ɖt “hymn rîts r yṇvrsl n aplî evrẃr”. Ɖe hv olso rjd Fīfa t dlivr on tū az-yt unmet proṃsz: a compnseśnfund n sntr fr mîgṛntwrcrz. Sevṛl naśnl captinz wl wer renbo armbandz t s’port ɖ WnLuv anti-dscriṃneśn campen.

Bt ɖ ćalinj pozd bî sportswośñ w’nt trūli b adrest unls inṭnaśnl guṿnñbodiz unḍgo funḍmntl ćenjz. Ɖo ɖe śo litl sîn v tecñ ɖt on bōrd, ɖs Wrldcup sjsts ɖt at last sm naśnl asośieśnz me b startñ t ʈnc difṛntli. At līst sm pleyrz n ofiślz r riylîzñ ɖt ftbōl mst p its gem.

Instroduction to Ñspel

"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

15/11/2022

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