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States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 2024

States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football

Prix régulier £17.99

Hardback

Red Cards for Corruption
Exposing the Game Behind the Game
States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football by Miguel Delaney is, as The Guardian declares, “important, perfectly timed and hugely necessary.” In a world where football is no longer just a game but a global commodity, Delaney’s investigation is both timely and urgent. As the 2022 World Cup in Qatar concluded, Argentina’s on-pitch glory was tainted by a “bitter undercurrent,” with “numerous allegations of sportswashing and financial misconduct” swirling around the host nation. These events, Delaney argues, forced a crucial question into global consciousness: who really owns and runs football? 
Delaney embarks on a journey from Abu Dhabi to Newcastle, London, Paris, Moscow, and New York, unveiling the mechanisms that have revolutionised the beautiful game. “Magnificent. Some of the details are eye-popping,” writes the Irish Independent, and indeed, readers are taken behind the scenes of Neymar’s staggering £198 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and the rise of Abu Dhabi’s construction empire in Manchester. In these pages, Delaney reveals how state-backed corporations, oil-rich oligarchs, and media tycoons have manipulated football’s global appeal for their ends.
This work is not merely an exposé of financial power. Delaney utilises exclusive interviews and unparalleled access to scrutinise the shortcomings of Financial Fair Play regulations and the brief existence of the European Super League, illustrating the challenges faced by regulatory efforts in the face of capital. The Irish Times calls it “a monumental piece of investigative journalism”, while Ian Wright insists it is “a must-read on how modern football works”. Tom Holland goes further, calling it “brave, forensic and utterly gripping”. 
Delaney’s work is not without hope, but it is unflinching. He details how “football has become a tool for the world’s elites,” ultimately exposing the erosion of the game’s moral fabric. “The moral compass that the game needs,” writes Andy Brassell, while Oliver Bullough notes, “In this excellent investigation, Delaney reveals the ugly side of the beautiful game.” This is a book that seeks accountability and, as Jack Pitt-Brooke puts it, may well be “the most important football book of its generation.” 
States of Play has already made its mark, being shortlisted for Football Book of the Year and Best Sports Writing Award at the 2025 Sports Book Awards and named a book of the year by The Times, The Telegraph, The Irish Times, and The Irish Independent. Laurie Whitwell praises its “fearlessness and forensic scrutiny,” describing it as “an important investigation for our times.” Jonathan Wilson calls it “a majestic book. The essential guide to how the people’s game has become the plaything of the wealthy and powerful.” 
Ultimately, Delaney’s reporting is a call to action for fans, journalists, and officials alike to reclaim the spirit of the sport. His States of Play is authoritative, riveting, and eye-opening, a chronicle of how football’s highest echelons have been overtaken by forces far removed from the grassroots. As the world’s most beloved game faces its greatest existential threat, Delaney offers the clarity and courage that football so desperately needs.

ROYAL MAIL TRACKED48
Publisher: Seven Dials
Publication: November 7, 2024
Price: £17.99
ISBN-10: 1399619403
ISBN 13: 978-1399619400
Hardcover, 528 pages
 Image

Hardback

Red Cards for Corruption
Exposing the Game Behind the Game
States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football by Miguel Delaney is, as The Guardian declares, “important, perfectly timed and hugely necessary.” In a world where football is no longer just a game but a global commodity, Delaney’s investigation is both timely and urgent. As the 2022 World Cup in Qatar concluded, Argentina’s on-pitch glory was tainted by a “bitter undercurrent,” with “numerous allegations of sportswashing and financial misconduct” swirling around the host nation. These events, Delaney argues, forced a crucial question into global consciousness: who really owns and runs football? 
Delaney embarks on a journey from Abu Dhabi to Newcastle, London, Paris, Moscow, and New York, unveiling the mechanisms that have revolutionised the beautiful game. “Magnificent. Some of the details are eye-popping,” writes the Irish Independent, and indeed, readers are taken behind the scenes of Neymar’s staggering £198 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and the rise of Abu Dhabi’s construction empire in Manchester. In these pages, Delaney reveals how state-backed corporations, oil-rich oligarchs, and media tycoons have manipulated football’s global appeal for their ends.
This work is not merely an exposé of financial power. Delaney utilises exclusive interviews and unparalleled access to scrutinise the shortcomings of Financial Fair Play regulations and the brief existence of the European Super League, illustrating the challenges faced by regulatory efforts in the face of capital. The Irish Times calls it “a monumental piece of investigative journalism”, while Ian Wright insists it is “a must-read on how modern football works”. Tom Holland goes further, calling it “brave, forensic and utterly gripping”. 
Delaney’s work is not without hope, but it is unflinching. He details how “football has become a tool for the world’s elites,” ultimately exposing the erosion of the game’s moral fabric. “The moral compass that the game needs,” writes Andy Brassell, while Oliver Bullough notes, “In this excellent investigation, Delaney reveals the ugly side of the beautiful game.” This is a book that seeks accountability and, as Jack Pitt-Brooke puts it, may well be “the most important football book of its generation.” 
States of Play has already made its mark, being shortlisted for Football Book of the Year and Best Sports Writing Award at the 2025 Sports Book Awards and named a book of the year by The Times, The Telegraph, The Irish Times, and The Irish Independent. Laurie Whitwell praises its “fearlessness and forensic scrutiny,” describing it as “an important investigation for our times.” Jonathan Wilson calls it “a majestic book. The essential guide to how the people’s game has become the plaything of the wealthy and powerful.” 
Ultimately, Delaney’s reporting is a call to action for fans, journalists, and officials alike to reclaim the spirit of the sport. His States of Play is authoritative, riveting, and eye-opening, a chronicle of how football’s highest echelons have been overtaken by forces far removed from the grassroots. As the world’s most beloved game faces its greatest existential threat, Delaney offers the clarity and courage that football so desperately needs.

ROYAL MAIL TRACKED48
Publisher: Seven Dials
Publication: November 7, 2024
Price: £17.99
ISBN-10: 1399619403
ISBN 13: 978-1399619400
Hardcover, 528 pages

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