Football Against the Enemy
Football Against the Enemy
Football Against the Enemy
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- football: a game of two halves and its interconnectivity to politics and wider society *
Simon Kuper's book, I believe, was the first proper anthropological account of a game beloved by millions. I read this for The Athletic's Book Club for June. It talks about the deep routed affect the social, political and economic systems have on football and how it has been used as a tool of revolution and human rights over the years, across the globe. Some stories are heartwarming, some are heart-shattering. And I really enjoyed it.
Let me get the sucky bits out of the way first. I couldn't find a copy of “Football Against the Enemy” so had to settle for “Soccer Against the Enemy”. If you've read my review on Rudd Gullit, you might know about my annoyance of the global usage of the term soccer just to accommodate American readers. But the problem with “Soccer Against the Enemy” is that whoever was in charge of the changes did a global search and replace of the word football with soccer and it didn't work in so many places. It took me around 100+ pages to get immune to seeing the term and it really felt like a hurdle in the process of reading. Secondly, it is an old book so few stories feel dates but a lot of stories and comparisons remain relevant. But I felt that chapter on Africa was written with a lack of empathy that I find non-fiction writers perform while discussing difficult social issues. (again, this is my opinion) I am unsure if this is was a stylistic choice. Kuper was in his 20s when he wrote this so it could be a result of his age? I dunno.
okay, now to the things I loved.
I like his whole “shoestring football wanderlust” style. I was a bit surprised as to how well received and invited he was at so many clubs. It was nice that the (most) officials and staff members welcomed him and shared their stories in detail. I wonder if something similar can be done in the current time if someone were to attempt it? (is it even possible?) I did feel that he has a bit of an anti-English bias, again, just my opinion. His chapter on Gazza, juxtapositioned with the Thatcher rule felt a bit forced. Even his chapter on criticism of Bobby Robson felt unfair. (I adore Robson so maybe it's my bias, I dunno)
The chapters on Berlin and East Germany was nothing like I have read before. But my favourites were the ones on Soviet Russia. That is one region who football and politics is something I am broadly uneducated in and therefore reading these fantastic stories Mr Kuper uncovered through this extremely intimate conversations were infortainment. The chapter on Helenio Herrera was another charming piece. Altho now, every store with footballing books has shelves crowded with pieces on Barcelona, I believe Kuper's piece was one of the early ones to discuss the relation of the club with the Catalan independence and chart the rivalry with Real Madrid through the dictatorial regime of Francisco Franco. The chapter on Argentina was all flavours of anger, frustration, sadness and hope. So many spectacular stories. I find myself tempted to give Jonathan Wilson's Angels with Dirty Face a solid try sometime this year. The story of Celtic and Rangers is also quite well known and yet it was nice to read about authors experience over there. The last chapter made the journey a bit sombre but also pulled focus on how big the game has become over the years. I think with the involvement of shady money deals ranging from Russian Oligarchs and Saudi national funds and violation of UEFA rules * cough * this chapter can get a revamp with spicy new content, starting debates on the value of ownership of clubs.
All being said, I loved the whole “football from an anthropological perspective”, thoroughly enjoyed it. I would love to read more such books by authors focusing on the socio-economic impact of PL going so global (with foreign takeovers and Brexit and such).
