Routledge Handbook of Football Studies

<p>Football is unquestionably the world’s most popular and influential sport. There is no corner of the globe in which the game is not played or followed. More countries are affiliated to FIFA football’s governing body than to the United Nations. The sport has therefore become an important component of our social cultural political and economic life. The <i>Routledge Handbook of Football Studies</i> is a landmark work of reference going further than any other book in considering the historical and contemporary significance of football around the world.</p><p>Written by a team of leading sport scholars the book covers a broad range of disciplines from history sociology politics and business to philosophy law and media studies. The central section of the book examines key themes and issues in football studies such as the World Cup and international competition governance and ownership fandom and celebrity. The concluding section offers in-depth surveys of the culture and organisation of football in each of the regional confederations from UEFA to CONCACAF. </p><p>This book is fascinating reading for all serious football fans and an essential resource for students and scholars of sport studies as well as any practitioner or policymaker working in football.</p><p>.</p>