Outcasts! : The lands that FIFA forgot
Menary, Steve200711UU
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Examines the much tarnished reputation of FIFA, the governing body of world football, and just how they justify the exclusion of some 'nations' from their organisation while welcoming others. "Outcasts! The Lands That FIFA Forgot" examines the much tarnished reputation of FIFA, the governing body of world football, and just how they justify the exclusion of some 'nations' from their organisation while welcoming others. For two years, Steve Menary traced the incredible journeys of the teams that FIFA refuse to recognise - either for reasons of political expediency, or because FIFA just believed they could not compete with the likes of Montserrat on the world stage. Intrigued by just why anyone would want to play for such no hoper 'nations', he became drawn into a scene which surprised him in its positive approach to both the beautiful game and nationalism, and eventually resulted in the FIFI (Federation of International Football Independents) 'Wild Cup', featuring teams from officially non-existent countries such as Zanzibar, Greenland, Tibet and Northern Cyprus, being successfully staged in Germany prior to the FIFA World Cup in 2006. Along the way, he discovered the dentist from Greenland who risked his career to play for his 'country', the pitch battle amongst kit manufacturers to sponsor the Tibetan national football team and why the Gibraltan 'national' football team might just force an end to centuries of dispute over the rock between Britain and Spain.Review: Once in a while, a book comes along with an unusual subject matter that captures the imagination and Menary's Outcasts! falls into that category - Richard Sutcliffe, Yorkshire Post A fascinating insight into all the various factors that have to be taken into account when looking to become a 'football nation' - Nick Mollet, Guernsey Press & Star"OUTCASTS' A MUST-READ For all the fans who booed England's underachievers in the aftermath of the defeat to Croatia and for all the supporters of clubs outside the cash-laden top Premier League sides, here is the perfect antidote.Steve Menary's Outcasts! The Lands That FIFA Forgot is a well-written and superbly researched account of 'nations' who are not allowed into the international scene by world football's governing body.Menary, a regular contributor to World Soccer, who has also written for FourFourTwo, When Saturday Comes and GuardianUnlimited, has travelled all over the world to gain access to the main players from places like Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Falkland Islands and Greenland as they battle to have their voice heard at football's top table. So far removed from the numerous autobiographies from sports stars who don't really have anything to say, Outcasts! gives a unique insight into those who want to play football for the love of the game and to represent the place they call 'home', but are denied by politics and self-interest.Menary investigates issues such as how FIFA can justify having the Faroe Islands as a member but not Greenland (both enjoy the same system of self-rule as overseas territories of Denmark in much the same way as the four countries of the United Kingdom), and asks why, after numerous rejections and a severe lack of funding, people from these 'non-countries' still bother trying to play the game.At first it appears to be a depressing tale of power and corruption, a world in which money talks.But as Menary's journey progresses, he meets some remarkable people with amazing stories to tell, such as the tale of three men from Greenland who died making a dangerous boat journey just for a game of football.Eventually, a FIFI (Federation of International Football Independents) 'Wild Cup' was successfully held in Germany prior to the 2006 World Cup featuring 'non-countries' such as Zanzibar, Tibet and Northern Cyprus, much to FIFA's frustration.Quite simply, FIFA do not want these places playing football if they can help it because it opens up all sorts of political problems.For example, if Gibraltar were to play under the auspices of FIFA, it would upset the Spanish who don't recognise 'the Rock' as a separate entity.In fact as recently as 2006, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Gibraltar should be allowed to become a member of both FIFA and UEFA and although it was made a provisional member of UEFA, Spain complained about the ownership of the only airstrip as apparently it has been at the centre of a dispute between the Spanish and the British for years.Consequently, FIFA decided that Gibraltar could not be admitted.But the likes of Gibraltar continue to play football with little chance of being able to improve themselves as they don't receive the financial benefits that being a member of FIFA brings and are unable to play against countries who are members.For many of the people who play for these 'non-countries', football is a way of expressing their nationalism, much in the same way sport has kept the idea of being Scottish or English alive as much as anything else.But despite the constant setbacks, many continue to make huge sacrifices in order to play football, those who give money from their own pocket in order for others to be able to travel to take part in a tournament or those who dedicate their free time to setting up youth and womens leagues with little or no financial reward.It's stories like these that remind you just why football is the greatest sport on the planet.Outcasts! is a must-read for all football fans and I would suggest e
Main title:
Outcasts! : The lands that FIFA forgot / Steve Menary.
Author:
Imprint:
Derby : Know the Score Books, 2007.
Collation:
240 p. : 60 photos. ; 23x16 cm.
Notes:
Hardback.
Contents:
Foreword by David Conn Preface by Adrian Chiles Introduction by Steve Menary The world according to FIFA The Channel Island divide The NF Board The football missionaries: North Mariana Greenland on tour The Falklands conflict The Island Games The Isle of Man in Europe Tibet & the Kaos Pilot Between a rock & a hard place: Gibraltar The language of football: Occitania Monaco Northern Cyprus And then there was one: Kosovo Africans in the cold: Zanzibar The Wild Cup Tribal football: the Sapmi The Viva World Cup The World Cup that didn't exist Football as religion: the Vatican Results Bibliography.
Biography/History:
Steve Menary is a freelance writer and journalist. A regular contributor to World Soccer and When Saturday Comes magazines, he has also written for Sport & Society journal and spoke at the Play the Game conference in Denmark on Non-FIFA affiliated football. He lives in the New Forest with his wife and two children.
ISBN:
9781905449316 (hbk)1905449313 (hbk)
Dewey class:
796.33466
Language:
English
BRN:
61690
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