In this episode of The 40/40 Vision podcast, host Khaled Abdallah speaks with Chris Deeley, sports writer and author of 'Forgotten Nations: The Incredible Stories of Football in the Shadows'. They delve into the CONIFA Football World Cup, a tournament for unrecognized nations and ethnic groups, exploring the stories behind these teams, the impact of climate change on small nations, and the assertion of cultural identity through football. Chris shares insights on the challenges faced by these teams, the complexities of national identity, and the current state of CONIFA amidst rising far-right ideologies and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation highlights the importance of expressing identity in a polarized world and the need for organizations like Konefa to continue their work. Forgotten Nations tells the stories of the international soccer teams that are unable to break into FIFA's ranks, from the self-funded minnows of Barawa in south-western Sudan to Tibet's Dalai Lama-backed national side, and new media darlings Yorkshire. They play under the auspices of CONIFA--the Confederation of Independent Football Associations--created to help express the cultural identities of soccer's "stateless peoples," fighting for recognition on the biggest stage of all. Here are incredible human and sporting stories from diverse regions: from Matabeleland in Zimbabwe, still recovering from massacres 30 years ago, to Tuvalu in the south Pacific, threatened with inundation. Aided by wonderful behind-the-scenes access at London's 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup, and the irresistible willpower of sportsmen and women trying to make their stories heard, Forgotten Nations explains why 11,000 people crammed into a tiny stadium on the Black Sea coast in 2016 to watch two teams that most of the world has never heard of. You can purchase the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Nations-Incredible-Stories-Football/dp/1785314564