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Cheesy video shows ex-Gooners pronouncing 'Huawei'

Good job they don't need to know this stuff for work

John Hartson, Ray Parlour and Nigel Winterburn – a veritable array of ex-Arsenal players – have learned how to say 'Huawei'.

The desperate-to-be-European telco is the official smartphone sponsor for Arsenal – a role it took over from Samsung – and sells a special branded version of the Ascend P7 to Gooners. It features “The sound of Emirates chanting” when you switch it on, football apps and predictable wallpapers.

To make sure fans pronounce the brand correctly, Huawei has produced a video featuring the players-turned-pundits pronouncing the names of various members of the current Arsenal squad.

The training shows late 1990s stalwarts Hartson, Winterburn and Parlour learning how to pronounce the names of defender Laurent Koscielny, goalie Wojciech Szczęsny and forward Serge Gnabry. Pronunciation is thankfully confined to surnames.

The internet-only, three-minute video is impressively light on Huawei branding. Even the phone on the desk in front of Ray Parlour is subtly placed, and while it seems quite happy to put the players and pundits in awkward situations, there is no similar treatment for the sponsor.

Youtube Video

LG went through a similar attempt to re-brand from Lucky Goldstar to "Life's Good". Which might be odd, but at least it stops the Korean company from sounding like a Jewish cowboy.

Gooners will enjoy the video, and Spurs fans will no doubt be rushing out to buy iPhones in revenge. ®

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