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Sports & Recreation Soccer

Soccer vs. the State

Tackling Football and Radical Politics, Second Edition

by (author) Gabriel Kuhn

foreword by Boff Whalley

Publisher
Between the Lines
Initial publish date
Jun 2020
Category
Soccer, Sociology of Sports, Popular Culture
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781771133814
    Publish Date
    Jun 2020
    List Price
    $9.99
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781771133807
    Publish Date
    Jan 2019
    List Price
    $22.00

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Description

Soccer has turned into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Professionalism and commercialization dominate its global image. Yet the game retains a rebellious side, maybe more so than any other sport co-opted by money makers and corrupt politicians. From its roots in working-class England to political protests by players and fans, and a current radical soccer underground, the notion of football as the “people’s game” has been kept alive by numerous individuals, teams, and communities.

This book not only traces this history, but also reflects on common criticisms: soccer ferments nationalism, serves right-wing powers, and fosters competitiveness. Acknowledging these concerns, alternative perspectives on the game are explored, down to practical examples of egalitarian DIY soccer!

Soccer vs. the State serves both as an orientation for the politically conscious football supporter and as an inspiration for those who try to pursue the love of the game away from televisions and big stadiums, bringing it to back alleys and muddy pastures.

This second edition has been expanded to cover events of recent years, including the involvement of soccer fans in the Middle Eastern uprisings of 2011–2013, the FIFA scandal of 2015, and the 2017 strike by the Danish women’s team.

About the authors

Gabriel Kuhn is an Austrian-born writer and translator living in Sweden. He is a former semiprofessional soccer player and has been active in social movements since the late 1980s. Among his book publications are Playing as If the World Mattered: An Illustrated History of Activism in Sports (2015) and Antifascism, Sports, Sobriety: Forging a Militant Working-Class Culture (2017).

Gabriel Kuhn's profile page

Boff Whalley is an English musician, writer, and athlete, who is perhaps best known for being the former lead guitarist for the anarcho-punk and folk band Chumbawamba. He is now a playwright and the founder of Commoners Choir, who released their first album in 2017.

Boff Whalley's profile page