Kleptopia meets Soccernomics – The definitive account of how
sportswashing
has become endemic in modern football
As the 2022 World Cup in Qatar drew to a close, there was a bitter
undercurrent to
Argentina's triumph. Throughout the tournament, numerous allegations of
sportswashing
and financial misconduct had been made against the state of Qatar, moving what
had
previously been a smaller conversation into the worldwide spotlight. The
question had
been asked, who really owns and runs football?
Journeying from Abu Dhabi to Newcastle, and onto London, Paris, Moscow and
New York
in search of the answers, Miguel Delaney follows the threads that surround the
allegations
of sportswashing and misconduct in the beautiful game. The result is an
exploration of
how European football clubs have been bought by some of the
world's wealthiest
businessmen and state-backed corporations. Drawing on exclusive interviews
and
unprecedented access to key stakeholders, Miguel has produced an
all-encompassing
exposé of modern footballs highest echelons.
From Neymar's £198 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and Abu
Dhabi's construction
empire in Manchester, to failed Financial Fair Play constraints and the dawn of
the
European Super League, this is an authoritative, riveting and eye-opening book
that
shows how football has been taken away from the fans and is now a tool for the
world's
elite.
