The 10 Matches That Changed The World

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Few governments have changed the world inthe way that football continues to. The game is more than just a sport. Fromthe moment it was codified and taken out of England's public schools it has beenthe constant companion of change across the globe. It has bolstered tyrants and helped deposethem; contributed to conflict and caused wars to temporarily abate. It has beenan incubator of racism at home and helped bring down a racist regime abroad;shaped cities, changed cultures, and inspired resistance. Its impact is asdynamic, contradictory, and compelling as the game itself.

Forthe first time the stories of the most important football matches ever playedare brought together.These include the truth about the meetings that ignited the Madrid/Barcelona rivalry and the division and disagreement in Glasgow, and that helped spark a Central American war. There are new insights into the games that helped change a Prime Minister and boost post-war Germany, as well as the 90 minutes when English football finally blew the whistle on racism. This history of football blends geo-politics, a fan's love of the game, and a historical appreciation of its place in global events. It includes the most famous game ever played -the 1914 Christmas Truce on the Western Front which paused a bloody war but changed very little. The book is an always authoritative and often humorous mix of sport, social, and diplomatic history, as well as a first-hand insight from some of those most involved in The 10 Matches that Changed the World.

Reviews

"It is a book about football and politics - it's not about England winning the World Cup in 1966. It is about social history." Sunday Express " This is a really fascinating book." Kenny Dalglish "In all my time as Prime Minister I was never in any doubt about the importance of football. Wherever I went, people wanted to talk about it. This book tells the stories of the links between football and some of the big world events." Tony Blair " It's quite obviously a work of passion and we should welcome attempts to shine a light on the hinterlands of our political representatives - Murphy successfully brings together his own passion for the game, a strong argument and good writing." Scottish Review of Books

Author Bio

Jim Murphy is the Labour MP for East Renfrewshire and currently the shadow Secretary of State for International Development. He is a keen footballer and an average golfer.