Simon Kuper, a Dutch-speaking journalist, set out to find the links
between politics and football around the world. Kuper's deadpan
delivery and keen eye for the absurd make his book fascinating and
funny, never worthy or dull. In Cameroon he hears how football star
Roger Milla attempted to organize a match between rainforest
pygmies and the bushmen of the Kalahari; in his native Holland he
notes TV viewers celebrating a victory over Germany by running into
the street and throwing their bicycles in the air; the great
Argentinian coach, Helenio Herrera, is interviewed in his mansion
in Venice, where broken windows in the ballroom signify the
kickabouts he and his son enjoy there when it is too wet to play in
the garden. Football Against the Enemy is full of such vivid
details. Review by Harry Pearson, whose books include 'A Tall Man
in a Low Land' (Kirkus UK)
The classic winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
Award 'None matches this global examination for originality,
breadth and sheer courage' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'If you like football,
read it. If you don't like football, read it' THE TIMES 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.
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