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The 'Good Chaps' theory holds that those who rise to power in the UK
can be trusted to follow the rules and do the right thing. They're good
chaps, after all. Yet Britain appears to have been taken over by bad
chaps, and politics is awash with financial scandals, donors who have
practically bought shares in political parties, and a shameless
contempt for the rules.
Simon Kuper, author of the Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller Chums,
exposes how corruption took control of public life, and asks: how can
we get politicians to behave like good chaps again?
When most people think about the Netherlands, images of tulips and
peaceful pot smoking residents spring to mind. Bring up soccer, and
most will think of Johan Cruyuff, the Dutch player thought to rival
Pele in preternatural skill, and Ajax, one of the most influential
soccer clubs in the world whose academy system for young athletes
has been replicated around the globe (and most notably by Barcelona
and the 2010 world champions, Spain).
But as international bestselling author Simon Kuper writes in
"Ajax, The Dutch, The War: Soccer in Europe During the Second World
War," the story of soccer in Holland cannot be understood without
investigating what really occurred in this country during WWII. For
decades, the Dutch have enjoyed the reputation of having a "good
war." The myth is even resonant in Israel where Ajax is celebrated.
The fact is, the Jews suffered shocking persecution at the hands of
Dutch collaborators. Holland had the second largest Nazi movement
in Europe outside Germany, and in no other country except Poland
was so high a percentage of Jews deported.
Kuper challenges Holland's historical amnesia and uses
soccer--particularly the experience of Ajax, a club long supported
by Amsterdam's Jews--as a window on wartime Holland and Europe.
Through interviews with Resistance fighters, survivors, wartime
soccer players and more, Kuper uncovers this history that has been
ignored, and also finds out why the Holocaust had a profound effect
on soccer in the country.
Ajax produced Cruyuff but was also built by members of the Dutch
resistance and Holocaust survivors. It became a surrogate family
for many who survived the war and its method for producing
unparalleled talent became the envy of clubs around the world. In
this passionate, haunting and moving work of forensic reporting,
Kuper tells the breathtaking story of how Dutch Jews survived the
unspeakable and came to play a strong role in the rise of the most
exciting and revolutionary style of soccer -- "Total Football" --
the world had ever seen.
Now with a new chapter on the end of the chumocracy era - and
Oxford's upcoming elite for 2050. THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER AND
TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2022 Power. Privilege. Parties. It's a very
small world at the top. 'Brilliant ... traces Brexit back to the
debating chambers of the Oxford Union in the 1980s' James O'Brien
'A searing onslaught on the smirking Oxford insinuation that
politics is all just a game. It isn't. It matters' Matthew Parris
'A sparkling firework of a book' Lynn Barber, Spectator 'Exquisite
and depressing in equal measure' Matthew Syed, Sunday Times Boris
Johnson, Michael Gove, David Cameron, George Osborne, Theresa May,
Dominic Cummings, Daniel Hannan, Jacob Rees-Mogg: Whitehall is
swarming with old Oxonians. They debated each other in tutorials,
ran against each other in student elections, and attended the same
balls and black tie dinners. They aren't just colleagues - they are
peers, rivals, friends. And, when they walked out of the world of
student debates onto the national stage, they brought their
university politics with them. Thirteen of the seventeen postwar
British prime ministers went to Oxford University. In Chums, Simon
Kuper traces how the rarefied and privileged atmosphere of this
narrowest of talent pools - and the friendships and worldviews it
created - shaped modern Britain. A damning look at the university
clique-turned-Commons majority that will blow the doors of
Westminster wide open and change the way you look at our democracy
forever.
'Magnificent... Freakonomics for football' - Guardian Football
truly is the world's favourite game, followed in over 200 countries
by hundreds of millions of people pouring their hearts and souls
into supporting their chosen team every week. But behind the
passion are questions that all true football aficionados want
answered: has football spending spun out of control? How much do
managers matter? Is hosting a World Cup a poisoned chalice? Fully
revised and updated ahead of the 2022 World Cup, Soccernomics is
the revolutionary guide from an economist and a sports writer who
answer all these questions and more.
With rare and unrivaled access, bestselling coauthor of
Soccernomics and longtime Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper
tells the story of how FC Barcelona became the most successful club
in the world-and how that era is now ending FC Barcelona is not
just the world's highest grossing sports club, it is simply one of
the most influential organizations on the planet. At last count, it
had approximately 214 million social media followers, more than any
other sports club except Real Madrid CF-and by one earlier measure,
more than all thirty-two NFL teams combined. It has more in common
with multinational megacompanies like Netflix or small
nation-states than it does with most soccer teams. No wonder its
motto is "More than a club." But it was not always so. In the past
three decades, Barcelona went from a regional team to a global
powerhouse, becoming a model of sustained excellence and beautiful
soccer, and a consistent winner of championships. Simon Kuper
unravels exactly how this transformation took place, paying special
attention to the club's two biggest stars, Johan Cruyff and Lionel
Messi, who is arguably the greatest soccer player of all time.
Messi joined Barca at age thirteen and, more than anyone, has been
the engine and standard-bearer of Barcelona's glory. But his era is
coming to an end-and with it, a once-in-a-lifetime golden run. This
book charts Barca's rise and fall. Like many world-beating
organizations, FC Barcelona closely guards its secrets, granting
few outsiders access to the Camp Nou, its legendary home stadium.
But after decades of writing about the sport and the club, Kuper
was given access to the inner sanctum and the people behind the
scenes who strive daily to keep Barcelona at the top. Erudite,
personal, and capturing all the latest upheavals, his portrait of
this incredible institution goes beyond soccer to understand FC
Barcelona as a unique social, cultural, and political phenomenon.
'A deeply human read, wonderfully written, on the foibles of a
fascinating, flawed, treacherous and sort of likeable character.'
Philippe Sands Those people who were betrayed were not innocent
people. They were no better nor worse than I am. It's all part of
the intelligence world. If the man who turned me in came to my
house today, I'd invite him to sit down and have a cup of tea.
George Blake was the last remaining Cold War spy. As a Senior
Officer in the British Intelligence Service who was double agent
for the Soviet Union, his actions had devastating consequences for
Britain. Yet he was also one of the least known double agents, and
remained unrepentant. In 1961, Blake was sentenced to forty-two
years imprisonment for betraying to the KGB all of the Western
operations in which he was involved, and the names of hundreds of
British agents working behind the Iron Curtain. This was the
longest sentence for espionage ever to have been handed down by a
British court. On the surface, Blake was a charming, intelligent
and engaging man, and most importantly, a seemingly committed
patriot. Underneath, a ruthlessly efficient mole and key player in
the infamous 'Berlin Tunnel' operation. This illuminating biography
tracks Blake from humble beginnings as a teenage courier for the
Dutch underground during the Second World War, to the sensational
prison-break from Wormwood Scrubs that inspired Hitchcock to write
screenplay. Through a combination of personal interviews, research
and unique access to Stasi records, journalist Simon Kuper unravels
who Blake truly was, what he was capable of, and why he did it.
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.
WINNER OF THE FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR 'This is a masterfully
written history of the world's greatest football club. Mes que un
book!' - GARY LINEKER From the bestselling co-author of
Soccernomics comes the story of how FC Barcelona became the most
successful football club in the world - and how that envied
position now hangs in the balance. Barca is not just the world's
most popular sports club, it is simply one of the most influential
organisations on the planet. With almost 250 million followers on
social media and 4 million visitors to its Camp Nou stadium each
year, there's little wonder its motto is 'More than a club'. But it
was not always so. In the past three decades, Barcelona has
transformed from regional team to global powerhouse, becoming a
model of sporting excellence and a consistent winner of silverware.
Simon Kuper unravels exactly how these transformations took place.
He outlines the organisational structure behind the club's business
decisions, and details the work of its coaches, medics, data
analysts and nutritionists who have revolutionised the sporting
world. And, of course, he studies the towering influence of the
club's two greatest legends, Johan Cruyff and Lionel Messi. Like
many leading global businesses, FC Barcelona closely guards its
secrets, granting few outsiders a view behind the scenes. But,
after decades of writing about the sport and the club, Kuper was
given unprecedented access to the inner sanctum and to the people
who strive daily to keep Barcelona at the top. Erudite, personal,
and capturing all the latest successes and upheavals, his portrait
of this incredible institution goes beyond football to understand
Barca as a unique social, cultural, and political phenomenon. "I
began my research thinking I was going to be explaining Barca's
rise to greatness, and I have, but I've also ended up charting the
decline and fall."
A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 'A deeply human read, wonderfully written,
on the foibles of a fascinating, flawed, treacherous and sort of
likeable character.' Philippe Sands Those people who were betrayed
were not innocent people. They were no better nor worse than I am.
It's all part of the intelligence world. If the man who turned me
in came to my house today, I'd invite him to sit down and have a
cup of tea. George Blake was the last remaining Cold War spy. As a
Senior Officer in the British Intelligence Service who was double
agent for the Soviet Union, his actions had devastating
consequences for Britain. Yet he was also one of the least known
double agents, and remained unrepentant. In 1961, Blake was
sentenced to forty-two years imprisonment for betraying to the KGB
all of the Western operations in which he was involved, and the
names of hundreds of British agents working behind the Iron
Curtain. This was the longest sentence for espionage ever to have
been handed down by a British court. On the surface, Blake was a
charming, intelligent and engaging man, and most importantly, a
seemingly committed patriot. Underneath, a ruthlessly efficient
mole and key player in the infamous 'Berlin Tunnel' operation. This
illuminating biography tracks Blake from humble beginnings as a
teenage courier for the Dutch underground during the Second World
War, to the sensational prison-break from Wormwood Scrubs that
inspired Hitchcock to write screenplay. Through a combination of
personal interviews, research and unique access to Stasi records,
journalist Simon Kuper unravels who Blake truly was, what he was
capable of, and why he did it.
'Football history at its best' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'Hugely moving...
a very good book indeed' FOUR FOUR TWO 'Kuper is an original,
sophisticated and adventurous writer. The story he has to tell...
is fascinating and pressing' SUNDAY TIMES In FOOTBALL AGAINST THE
ENEMY Simon Kuper crossed the globe in search of the links between
football, politics and culture. In AJAX, THE DUTCH, THE WAR he
skilfully pieces together an alternative account of World War II.
He looks at the lives of the footballers who played for the Dutch
club, the officials and the ordinary fans during this tumultuous
period and challenges the accepted notion of the War in occupied
Europe. With almost 80 per cent of Amsterdam's Jewish Corner wiped
out during the war, the long-held belief that, by and large, half
the Dutch population had some kind of link to the Resistance has,
of late, come into question. Kuper explores this issue and looks
deeper into the role of football across Europe in the years both
preceding and following the War. The result is a compelling and
controversial account of the War, seen through the lens of
football.
Soccer is much more than just the most popular game in the world.
It is a matter of life and death for millions around the world, an
international lingua franca. Simon Kuper traveled to twenty-two
countries to discover the sometimes bizarre effect soccer can have
on politics and culture. At the same time he tried to discover what
makes different countries play a simple game so differently. Kuper
meets a remarkable variety of fans along the way, from the East
Berliner persecuted by the Stasi for supporting his local team, to
the Argentine general with his own views on tactics. He also
illuminates the frightening intersection between soccer and
politics, particularly in the wake of the attacks of 9-11, where
soccer is obsessed over by the likes of Osama bin Laden. The result
is one of the world's most acclaimed books on the game, and an
astonishing study of soccer and its place in the world.
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