The ball is round

‘The Ball is Round’ is the definitive history of how humanity has played, watched and followed football around the world, from its beginnings as a chaotic folk ritual to its preeminent position in the global entertainment industry.

Foreword to the American Edition, IX

Introduction: life and death, love and money, XIII

Part One – Ancients and moderns: football and the invention of Modern Sport, from the Beginning to 1914

1 Chasing shadows: the prehistory of football, 3

2 The simplest game: Britain and the invention of Modern Football, 19

3 An altogether more splendid life: industrial football and working-class Britain, 1888-1914, 50

Part Two – The people`s game: football, empire and industry 1870-1934

4 Perfidious albion: the resistible rise of global football, 85

5 The great game and the informal empire: the international spread of football, 1870-1914, 112

6 Pay up, pay up and play the game: the commercialization of global football, 1914-1934, 171

7 The rules of the game: International Football and International Politics, 1900-1934, 227

Part Three – The beautiful game: football`s short Twentieth Century, 1934-1974

8 The road to El Dorado: Latin American Football, 1935-1954, 263

9 Games of life, games of death: European Football in war and peace, 1934-1954, 297

10 Demons and angels: Latin American Football, 1955-1974, 357

11 The glamour and the glory: high industrial football in Europe, 1955-1974, 196

12 We can show them who is really superior: football in Africa, 1900-1974, 479

Part Four – Things fall apart: football after the long boom, 1974-1990

13 The World turned upside down: João Havelange, FIFA and the transformation of global football, 513

14 If this football, let it die: the European crisis, 1974-1990, 542

15 Military maneuvers: football under the Latin American generals, 1974-1990, 606

16 Football and the belly: Africa, 1974-1990, 649

Part Five: the only game: football and the end of history, 1990-2006

17 Football through the looking-glass: Europe, 1990-2006, 681

18 The crisis will be televised: football in the Americas, 1990-2006, 774

19 Accelerated development: football and Asia`s new industrial revolution, 830

20 Small mercies: football in Africa after the Cold War, 1990-2006, 874

Conclusion: the game at the end the world, 900

Notes, 908

Bibliography, 922

Acknowledgements, 930

Index, 933