Soccer World

Think you know everything about football? Which football match triggered a war? How did "the beautiful game" push back against the tyranny of dictatorship, and usher another into power? Kicking Off Around the World includes 55 incredible stories in which football clubs have been a mirror to—and a maker of—world history and politics.

This is a story about ambition, family rivalries, extreme wealth, power, murder and disinformation; of political corruption, dictatorship and, at its root, of how sport - football, yes, but also golf, boxing, tennis and even e-sports - has become a vital geopolitical tool for Saudi Arabia. An examination of soft power, manipulation and radicalisation in the 21st century, James Montague charts the rise of Mohammed bin Salman, a then unknown prince, and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi; the desperate efforts to buy Newcastle United, subvert FIFA and then take on the PGA tour, and the US congress.

There’s Evil Lurking in the Stands“An intense thriller linking football to the resurgence of right wing extremism by an author who has straddled the worlds of international football and modern Germany society.” -- Tariq Panja, New York Times journalist Racism has reared its ugly head across the globe, and the terraces are no exception. When a young refugee is murdered in broad daylight, it seems like just another blot on the society -- a group of racist thugs with a grievance that went too far. But when Annabelle Green is pulled into the chaos, she starts to unravel something far more...

A teenage Diego Maradona shortly after Mundial 78, claimed: ‘‘The ball is always clean.’’ Diego was always a dreamer, such an opinion has to be applauded even if sadly looking back now nothing more than a young boy’s naive comment. From the dawn of the game being born there has always been far too much blood on the ball. Football stolen and used as blunt tool, a weapon to control and influence the masses. In 1982, as the Falkland/Malvinas conflict raged, Maradona flopped in his first World Cup, Espana 82. He was targeted by giants and ultimately self-exploded and got sent off. ...

Un libro revelador y autobiográfico que le tomo al autor 25 años para lograr terminar de escribir. Aqui el autor preparador físico, asesor nutricional, y consejero de Diego Armando Maradona ademas de grandes leyendas del deporte profesional, olímpico, amateur, y celebridades del mundo entero, Ing. MSS.MSN Marco Ossa; nos muestra de forma detallada desde lo mas intimo de su alma al gran futbolista Diego Armando Maradona, considerado el jugador de futbol o soccer como le llaman en USA.- todos los detalles compartidos de su diario vivir, intimidades nunca conocidas y los diferentes ...

As an energetic six-year-old, Beth Mead was taken to a weekly local football session by her mum. Finding a passion for the game, Beth often found herself as the only girl on the team. Despite being laughed at for this, she let her natural talent do the talking. At 16, Mead was signed to Sunderland where she made a name for herself as a top goalscorer. Putting off offers from Arsenal until she completed her university degree, Mead continued juggling work, study and football until she graduated. She then signed to Arsenal and earned a place as a Lioness, representing the England national team.

Sonny Bill Williams (SBW) is a once-in-a-hundred-year athlete with immense sporting talent in rugby league, rugby union and boxing. Sonny Bill has built an incredible career and sporting reputation across the globe. His athleticism has taken him from inner-city Auckland, where he grew up, to the highest sporting moments in Twickenham, Eden Park and Sydney's Olympic Stadium. But there is so much more to Sonny Bill Williams' life and journey than his on-field and in-the-ring triumphs.

Often recruited before they've worn long trousers, today's footballers become superstars who earn huge amounts without ever learning much about the world beyond the training ground. But what do these Peter Pans, whose careers end just as most people's are getting going, do with the rest of their lives? Crouch speaks from his own experience and discusses with fellow former professionals too—just how do you safely release a near seven-foot striker back into the wild?

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and it is fun. There is only one problem. It is not entertaining enough for the world audience, and it could be so much more. In this book, Alan Philowitz has altered the rules of soccer to make it more competitive, athletic, and entertaining for audiences worldwide. This version of soccer permits 14 men on the field per team for 50% of the match, two goalies at times, alternative scoring, and options to field up to 12 men with no designated goalie. Once played, this version of soccer will be adopted and loved by football fans worldwide because...

A New Formation is not a book about football and racism. Jacobs and his co-contributors—including authors Musa Okwonga and Aniefiok Ekpoudom and sports broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye MBE—eschew the standard frameworks of trauma and oppression that are foisted upon Black narratives and seek to move beyond discussions of diversity, identity and representation. Featuring interviews with legendary players such as Ian Wright, Anita Asante and Andy Cole, they draw upon broader social and cultural history to examine Black footballers in contexts larger than themselves.

How do you win the world cup? Godlike genius or the focus of a disappointed nation's fury—the world's most prestigious tournament makes or breaks a national coach. Only 20 managers have guided their team to World Cup glory, so what are their secrets? From revolutionary tactics to hare-brained schemes, this book searches for the keys to the most exclusive club in international football.

Alfredo Di Stéfano, Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, Juan Román Riquelme, Lionel Messi...Argentina has produced some of the greatest footballers of all time. But the rich, volatile history of Argentinian football is made up of both the sublime and the ruthlessly pragmatic. Jonathan Wilson, having lived there on and off during the last decade, is ideally placed to chart the sport's development in a country that, perhaps more than any other, lives and breathes football, its theories and its myths.

Soccer Coaching: The Offside Rule is an in-depth exploration of one of soccer's most complex and often misunderstood rules. The book begins with a historical overview, tracing the rule's evolution from its inception to its current form. It provides a clear and concise definition of the offside rule and uses real-life examples to illuminate its application on the field. It further delves into the intricacies and subtleties of the rule, dissecting key concepts such as 'being involved in active play', 'interfering with an opponent', and 'gaining an advantage'. Various gray areas and ...

Jamal and Bibi have a dream. To lead Australia to soccer glory in the next World Cup. They know it won't be easy. They'll have to beat some really good teams, plus landmines, pirates, storms and assassins. But they're sure they can achieve their dream, if only they can get to Australia.

In a tiny, decaying aluminum smelting town in southern Tajikistan, a short drive from a raging war zone, Afghanistan take on Palestine in the first Asian qualifier for 2014's World Cup in Brazil. Every player on both teams is risking something by playing: Their careers, their families, even their lives. Thirty-One Nil is the story of how footballers from all corners of the globe begin their journey chasing a place at the World Cup Finals.

You don't need to be a pro athlete in real life to make big money playing sports like basketball, football, soccer, and others. With lots of practice and quick reflexes, players of Madden NFL, NBA 2K, and other athletic games can hit the big-time on the esports scene.

On 30 November 1872, England took on Scotland at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow, a match that is regarded as the first international fixture. More than 5,000 fans watched the two sides play out a 0-0 draw. It was the first of more than a thousand games played by the side, and the beginning of a national love affair that unites the country in a way that few other events can match. In Hayward's brilliant new biography of the team, based on interviews with dozens of past and present players and coaches, we get a vivid portrait of all aspects of the team's story.

El mundo como una pelota, la historia como un partido de fútbol. Leyendo Futbolítica descubriremos que no hay ningún episodio histórico contemporáneo relevante que no se vea reflejado en la trayectoria de algún club de fútbol, hasta el punto de que, a través de sus historias, es posible revivir la mayoría de los acontecimientos que han marcado el último siglo: las rebeliones anticoloniales y la lucha de clases, el nazismo y el comunismo, la Guerra Fría y la de los Balcanes, los conflictos nacionales y la lucha contra las dictaduras…

The national soccer teams of Portugal and Spain have a rivalry spanning decades. What made the teams fierce competitors? How are both countries' fans involved in keeping this rivalry going?

In 2008, Dave Bidini accompanies Homeless Team Canada to the Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. Home and Away offers a powerful look at the poor and dispossessed, from the barrios of Mexico City and the shanties of West Africa, to the streets of North America and Europe, and illuminates the renewed meaning that these homeless players find in the beautiful game.