Ajax, The Dutch, The War: Football in Europe During the Second World War

Description

In FOOTBALL AGAINST THE ENEMY Simon Kuper crossed the globe in search of the links between football, politics and culture. In AJAX, THE DUTCH, THE WAR he skilfully pieces together an alternative account of World War II. He looks at the lives of the footballers who played for the Dutch club, the officials and the ordinary fans during this tumultuous period and challenges the accepted notion of the War in occupied Europe. With almost 80 per cent of Amsterdam's Jewish Corner wiped out during the war, the long-held belief that, by and large, half the Dutch population had some kind of link to the Resistance has, of late, come into question. Kuper explores this issue and looks deeper into the role of football across Europe in the years both preceding and following the War. The result is a compelling and controversial account of the War, seen through the lens of football.

Simon Kuper's first book, FOOTBALL AGAINST THE ENEMY, won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year in 1994 and went on to become an international bestseller. Born in Uganda in 1969, he spent most of his childhood in Holland. He is a sports columnist for the Financial Times.

At last, the long-awaited follow-up from the author of the classic FOOTBALL AGAINST THE ENEMY... hugely moving... a very good book indeed * FOUR FOUR TWO * An intriguing social history, full of quirky observations and anecdotes, written with winning geniality... Kuper has produced a beguiling book, not only for aficionados of the beautiful game or connoisseurs of Jewish history, but for anyone curious about our not-so-distant past * FINANCIAL TIMES * Passionate and moving * GUARDIAN * Football history at its best * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY * His writing combines scholarly graft, a feel for political complexity, and quiet but powerful wit * INDEPENDENT * Kuper is an original, sophisticated and adventurous writer. The story he has to tell... is fascinating and pressing * SUNDAY TIMES *