Product Description

Throughout the world, football is a potent force in the lives of billions of people. Focusing national, political and cultural identities, football is the medium through which the world's hopes and fears, passions and hatreds are expressed. Simon Kuper travelled to 22 countries from South Africa to Italy, from Russia to the USA, to examine the way football has shaped them. At the same time he tried to find out what lies behind each nation's distinctive style of play, from the carefree self-expression of the Brazilians to the anxious calculation of the Italians. During his journeys he met an extraordinary range of players, politicians and - of course - the fans themselves, all of whom revealed in their different ways the unique place football has in the life of the planet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61640 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Simon Kuper is the author of Football Against the Enemy and writes for the Observer and the Financial Times.

Customer Reviews

From the sublime ... to the average
If the rating system allowed half stars, I would give this book three and a half, because overall I would recommend it (and three stars does not imply recommendation quality). At times the book is 5 star in Kuper's cultural insights on the game but unfortunately stoops to lows in the author's tendency towards a confusing writing style.

I feel I have to disagree with The Times's purportion that 'If you like football read it. If you don't like football read it.' Pay no attention to the latter - for the uninformed this book is only mildly interesting. However, I was compelled at times to read excerpts to my girlfriend, who may or may not have been interested, and a prime example of this is found on page 72, where the author quotes Luther Blissett (while at AC Milan) as having remarked; "No matter how much money you have got, you can't seem to get any Rice Crispies."

The confusion in the book is due to Kuper's vague initial aim, which is two-fold: (1) to discuss the relationship between politics and football around the world and (2) various cultural habits that suggest the ways different styles have come about. Perhaps he should have concentrated on the cultural explanations of style, as it becomes a little repetitive when we hear of presidents and leaders taking charge of their national team. Having said that the chapter, Argentina, campeon!, which discusses the corruption during the 1978 World Cup, is mindblowing. However, Kuper's argument in 'Gazza and the fall of Margaret Thatcher', where the author tries deperately hard to convince the reader of some weak comparisons between Gazza and John Major, fails miserably but is nonetheless very entertaining.

The book's high-points are the chapters on Brazil and Cameroon. Kuper paints a rather amusing portrait of Roger Milla... The explanation of the flamboyant Brazilian style as an outgrowth of the ancient sport of the capoeira as practised by the 'Malandro' in Brazilian folklore, is brilliantly argued and well-explained.

Overall, this book made me realise how much the game has changed in the last ten years and given that this book was first published in 1994, when for me football was only beginning to be explained in aesthetic terms, perhaps we should give the book a little extra credit. For those wanting a more refined aesthetes discussion of football, look at David Winner's 'Brilliant Orange'.

Football, the way of the world.
Simon Kuper astonishes me by the experience he gained traveling the world and viewing it through football. The stories of East Germany and Russia are right out of the spy world and secret football mafia. I will never think of the word "Dynamo" the same again. The story of Herrera and Italy was a unique insight into how the world's game changed on one man's tactics. This book goes right into the world of con men, dictatorship, tyranny, and business and shares how football is used as a vehicle to fulfill the agendas of corrupt men. I am still fuming at the injustice of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina and cannot believe that FIFA are not blameless in conspiring to further the evils of the world at large. I only wish they could make movies this good. I immediately thought, after reading this book, that they need to do more documantaries on the type of material covered here. It is eye-opening.

Football geography/politics lesson
This is a book about football politics around the globe. It was written in the 92-94 period. It starts with a look at the Dutch national team and their hatred of the Germans. I wasn't very impressed by the initial chapter but after that the stories are excellent. The stories include a look at corruption at clubs in the former states of Russia and how East Germans would try and watch West German teams when the two countries were divided. In fact corruption is a theme that reappears in different countries throughout the book, a subject that is of great interest to me.

There is an article on Cameroonian football and how President Biya puts himself in danger of being shot when he makes the obligatory trip to see the cup final.

There is an article about why the Italians play a defensive style of football.

Further travels include Argentina, Glasgow via Ireland, South Africa, Croatia, USA... All in all this book is about three things, politics, travel and most of all, FOOTBALL!