The Beautiful Game?: Searching for the Soul of Football

Once, football proudly claimed to stand for passion, community, honour, even beauty. Today, football is about money. Its richest club, Manchester United, earned -175 million last year; yet since 1992 36 of the Football League’s 72 clubs have been insolvent. The game is in danger of losing its lifeblood - and its soul. David Conn, the game’s premier investigative journalist, sets out on a journey through the heart of English football, exploring how our national sport has failed - and who is to blame. Travelling from Highbury’s art deco stands to provincial non-league outposts, Conn interviews players, managers, chairmen and fans, building up a picture of a game mired in crisis. At its heart, football is a game deeply loved by millions. This is a book for those who keep the faith, who believe that the sport itself, stripped of the greed and self-interest blighting its organisation, still has values, and can still be beautiful.