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States of Play
How Sportswashing Took Over Football
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Narrated by:
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Miguel Delaney
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Patrick Moy
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By:
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Miguel Delaney
About this listen
A TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR
A TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR
AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
AN IRISH INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR
'Important, perfectly timed and hugely necessary.' The Guardian
'Magnificent. Some of the details are eye-popping.' Irish Independent
'Football needs this book. A monumental piece of investigative journalism.' Irish Times
'A must-read on how modern football works.' Ian Wright
'Brave, forensic and utterly gripping.' Tom Holland
______________________________
The definitive account of how capitalism and the world's elite corrupted 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, journalist Miguel Delaney investigates the allegations of sportswashing and misconduct in the beautiful game. The result is a gripping account of how football has been taken over by the world's wealthiest businessmen, state-backed corporations, media tycoons and oil-rich oligarchs.
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, Miguel draws on exclusive interviews and unprecedented access to key stakeholders to produce an all-encompassing exposé of modern footballs highest echelons.
Authoritative, riveting and eye-opening, States of Play reveals how football has become a tool for the world's elite.
______________________________
'The moral compass that the game needs.' Andy Brassell
'In this excellent investigation, Delaney reveals the ugly side of the beautiful game.' Oliver Bullough
'The most important football book of its generation.' Jack Pitt-Brooke
'This book tackles the major issue affecting football today with fearlessness and forensic scrutiny. An important investigation for our times.' Laurie Whitwell
'A majestic book. The essential guide to how the people's game has become the plaything of the very rich and powerful.' Jonathan Wilson
Miguel Delaney's STATES OF PLAY was ranked in the Irish Times bestsellers list weeks of 11th & 18th November 2024.©2024 Miguel Delaney (P)2024 Orion Publishing Group Limited
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Where's the Next Shelter? is the true story of three travelers on the Appalachian Trail, a 2,000-mile hike that stretches from Georgia to Maine, told from the perspective of Gary Sizer, a seasoned backpacker and former marine who quickly finds himself humbled by the endeavor. If you long for the horizon or to sleep under the stars, then come along for the hike of a lifetime. All you have to do is take the first step.
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If You Liked AWOL, You'll Like This
- By Rebecca on 06-02-16
By: Gary Sizer
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The Keys to the Effortless Golf Swing
- Curing Your Hit Impulse in Seven Simple Lessons
- By: Michael McTeigue
- Narrated by: Rob Shamblin
- Length: 1 hr and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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The biggest paradox in golf is that the harder you try to hit the ball, the worse you do so. In The Keys to the Effortless Golf Swing, Michael McTeigue offers you a simple system of sequential body movements that produces a true swinging motion with every club in the bag. The result is increased distance and greater accuracy for all sizes, shapes, and ages of golfers for a minimum investment in learning time.
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My Swing
- By rrj0717 on 09-09-18
By: Michael McTeigue
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Twisted
- The Story of Larry Nassar and the Women Who Took Him Down
- By: Mary Pilon, Carla Correa
- Narrated by: Mary Pilon, Carla Correa
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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In early 2018, Larry Nassar, the former doctor for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, was sentenced to serve out the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to a variety of sex crimes. New York Times best-selling author Mary Pilon and Carla Correa chronicle the scandal from its inception, tracking the institutions that Nassar hid behind, the athletic culture that he benefited from, and the women who eventually brought him to justice.
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The Truth as told by the Survivors
- By DKMarkham on 07-27-19
By: Mary Pilon, and others
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Wildlife Wars
- The Life and Times of a Fish and Game Warden
- By: Terry Grosz
- Narrated by: Pete Simonelli
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In Wildlife Wars, Terry Grosz serves up fascinating stories - alternately hair-raising, hilarious, and heart-wrenching - from his 30-year struggle to protect wildlife in America. A natural storyteller, Grosz writes about the remarkable characters he met - on both sides of the law - as he matched wits with elk poachers, salmon snaggers, commercial-market duck hunters, and a host of other law-breakers. Best of all, though, these stories are so remarkably entertaining you won't want to put them down.
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Title should be: "reckless egomaniac tells lies"
- By ross on 03-01-17
By: Terry Grosz
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Stay Sane in an Insane World
- How to Control the Controllables and Thrive
- By: Greg Harden
- Narrated by: Greg Harden
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Champions aren’t born. They’re built. Greg Harden spent over 30 years building them at the University of Michigan, including 400 future professional athletes, 50 NFL first-round draft picks, and 120 Olympians from over 20 countries. He gained national recognition when 60 Minutes Sports profiled him as “Michigan’s Secret Weapon.” Now, in his first book, Greg Harden is reaching out to help anyone who wants to live their best life by offering powerful and practical advice.
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Good book, However, prejudice shows through a bit
- By Don Dotson on 08-22-23
By: Greg Harden
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Horses Never Lie, 2nd Edition
- The Heart of Passive Leadership
- By: Mark Rashid
- Narrated by: Dan Lawson
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A revolutionary approach to the techniques of working with horses, by a renowned instructor. In Horses Never Lie, renowned horse trainer Mark Rashid challenges the conventional wisdom of "alpha leadership" and teaches the listener to become a "passive leader" - a counterpart to the kind of horse other members of a herd choose to associate with and to follow. Applying Rashid’s principles and techniques helps cultivate horse personalities that are responsive and dependable regardless of the rider.
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Robotic reading
- By Julie Lynn on 05-08-15
By: Mark Rashid
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Fascinating for supporters looking to understand their club’s and its rivals’ strategy and methods, and those curious about finance and power in football, Who Owns Football? reveals how the game's custodians operate. Football club owners can take teams to the heights of the Champions League or financial oblivion. Still, in a world of super leagues, rapidly escalating wages, transfer fees, Financial Fair Play and an increasingly profitable women’s game, they tread a precarious tightrope.
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What listeners say about States of Play
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-13-25
Outstanding, Timely Investigative Reporting
With the shadow of sportswashing reaching every corner of modern football, this book is particularly prescient & necessary. Delaney does a great job of outlining the origins & sinister creep of state owned clubs & the accompanying knock on effects therein. His straight forward demeanor & fearlessness makes this well worth the time. Well written and well performed, this is a 5 start read for any football/soccer fan, or someone who is curious about better understanding the big changes happening in elite sport.
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