Ɖ Gardịn vy on ɖ Wimin’z Wrldcup: ɖ bst so far
Transcription of a Gardian editorial of 18 August 2023
Ostreła n Ny Zīḷnd hv pṛvîdd a trṇmnt ɖt hz śǒcest ɖ streñʈ in depʈ v ftbōl acrs ol continnts
Frîde, 18 Ōġst 2023
For yirz ago, ɖ 2019 Fifa Wimin’z Wrldcup, wún bî ɖ YS, wz hêld az a piṇcl momnt fr wimin’z ftbōl. Ɖ ac̣led wz dzrvd. Bt f 2019 wz a piṇcl, ẃt cn b sd abt ɖs yir’z īvn mor rmarcbl contest? Ɖ 2023 Wrldcup rīćz a pīc in Sidni on Súnde, ẃn Ñgḷnd n Spen fes ć uɖr in ɖ fînl. Yt f ɖ contest ovr ɖ last munʈ pruvz wn big ʈñ, it z ɖt, in wimin’z ftbōl, evri piṇcl n pīc stl cnsilz anɖr īvn hayr wn ɖn ɖ sumit jst rīćt.
Ɖ aćivmnts v 2023 g bynd īvn Ñgḷnd’z unḍstanḍbl dlît n xîtmnt at rīćñ – n hopḟli winñ – a frst ftbōl Wrldcup fînl sins ɖ men’z nǎ loñ distnt vicṭri in 1966. Ɖ most importnt v ɖz wîdr s’xesz z ɖs trṇmnt’s wundrfl conḟmeśn v riyl streñʈ in depʈ in ɖ wimin’z gem on evri continnt. Olɖo tū Yṛpiyn sîdz wl contest ɖ fînl, ɖ globl atenmntgap z evrẃr narowñ. Ostreła, C’lumbia n Jpan dzrvidli rīćt ɖ last et (n Ostreła wnt frɖr). Jmeca n Nîjiria cem clos t jônñ ɖm. Ćîna, Mroco, ɖ Fiḷpīnz, Sǎʈ Africa n Zambia ol wún grūpstej gemz. It cn onli b a matr v tîm bfr an Africn, Eźn, Caṛbiyn or Osiańn tīm gts t ɖ fînl.
Tṛdiśnl bǎnḍriz hv bn brīćt in uɖr wez tù. Ɖ brecʈru amñ ɖ Ostrełn n Ny Zīḷnd publics hz bn neśnwîd n inclūsiv, wɖ unrîvld irupśnz v ingejmnt. Sgnificntli, mć grǎndwrc hz bn dn ǎt v sît ovr loñ yirz, in scūlz n amñ mîgṛntcḿṇtiz, wɖt ɖ big sponsrśp n marc̣tñ ɖt foloz men’z rugbi or Ostrełn-rūlz ftbōl. Īvn so, in bʈ v ɖz sports-mad neśnz, crǎdnumbrz hv bn hî n TV vywñfigrz hv brocn olmst evri record. A pīc v 11.2 miłn Ostrełnz – ǎt v a popyleśn v 26 miłn – tynd in t woć Wnzde’z semifînl agnst Ñgḷnd. Ɖr r globl lésnz hir abt ɖ ptnśl v ny marcits fr wimin’z sport.
Nn v ɖs z t pritnd ɖt evrʈñ abt ɖ 2023 Wrldcup hz bn ɖ vri bst ɖt it cd poṣbli b. Ɖ qoḷti v ple, n ɖ xîtmnt v ɖ contests, hv bʈ bn ʈrilñli hî. Ɖ bytifl gem hz rpitidli bn sìn at its bst. Bt ɖr hz olso bn evidns v sm v ɖ siṇsizm n pṛfeśṇlizm ɖt cn infct ɖ men’z gem. Fǎlz, dîvz, tîmwestñ n negtivti r no longr cnfînd, f ɖe evr wr, t men’z ftbōl. Nr, of ɖ pić, z hîpŕḅle.
Iniqoḷti stl rmenz ɖ gem’z bigist scandl n ɖ prîoṛtićalinj ɖt mst b oṿcm. Tru, pǎrfl lobiyñ v Fifa, wrld ftbōl’z guṿnñbodi, bî Ynîtd Stets wimin hz hlpt s’kr sgnificnt incrisz in ɖ Wimin’z Wrldcup prîzmuni ɖs yir. Tīmz wɖ negliɉbl fînanśl bacñ, lîc Hêti n Jmeca, hv jenyinli beṇfitd.
Bt ɖ nīd t cntiny t gro ɖ wimin’z gem z hld bac bî strucćṛl fînanśl iniqoḷti. Ɖ dspaṛti in Fifa’z prîzmuni – £86m fr ɖ Wimin’z Wrldcup agnst £344m fr last yir’z men’z contest in Ctār – rmenz bʈ hyj n indifnsbl. Fifa sz its “ambiśn” z t aćiv pêpaṛti bî ɖ nxt Wrldcups in ɖ 2026 n 2027 contests. Ɖt nīdz t b trnd fṛm an asṗreśn intu an aćivmnt ɖt cn ɖen b riinvstd at ɖ grasrūts. F it z, ɖ nxt Wimin’z Wrldcup me b an īvn gretr piṇcl ɖn ɖs wn.
