One anonymous football fan. 18.6 million confidential documents. This is the explosive story of the biggest leak in sporting history, and the shady underworld of modern football. In 2016, a whistleblower known only as 'John' started to leak a treasure trove of top-secret files to German newspaper Der Spiegel. These documents reveal the clandestine dealings of clubs, players and agents at the highest echelons of international football. And the story they tell is astonishing. From the eye-popping details of player transfers including Neymar Jr, Pogba and Coutinho, to the loopholes and opaque tax structures that ensure maximum earnings for players and agents alike, this is a tale rife with rapacious greed and questionable deals. At the same time, it is the gripping story of a fan who wanted to free football from its corrupt overlords - and now finds himself on the run.

A no-holds-barred exposé on the financial transactions of the world's favourite sport The transfer fees clubs pay to sign top players now top €4 billion a year but much of the money has been flowing out of the game. A small group of wealthy investors including Russian oligarchs, English racehorse owners and a former billionaire gold miner have seized the opportunity to enter this booming market. Some have moved in on the territory of banks and lent money to clubs in exchange for a share in fees generated by Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and dozens more of today's stars. Others have acquired obscure teams to get a piece of the pie. Even as the global financial crisis sent fortunes tumbling this select group found a profitable place to park their money. The size of the transfer market has continued to rise –- it increased seven-fold in value the last two decades, more than the FTSE share index. Between them, these wealthy investors have amassed hundreds of millions of euros in profits. At the same time, they have managed to stay out of the spotlight the world’s most popular sport brings. Football’s Secret Trade follows the money along a trail very few know about, from nondescript offices in the U.K. and ramshackle stadiums of South American clubs you have probably never heard of to offshore bank accounts in the Caribbean. Warning – you won’t see a major transfer deal in the same light again.

This first book in the Journalism Insights series examines the major practical and ethical challenges confronting contemporary sports journalists which have emerged from, or been exacerbated by, the use of digital and social media. Combining both quantitative and qualitative research and contributions from industry experts in sports reporting across Europe, America and Australia, the collection offers a valuable look at the digital sports reporting industry today. Issues discussed in the text include the ethical questions created by social media abuse received by sports journalists, the impact of social media on narratives about gender and race, and the ‘silencing’ of journalists over the issue of trans athletes, as well as the impact on ‘traditional’ aspects of sports journalism, such as the match report. The book features first-hand accounts from leading sports reporters and scholars about how these changes have affected the industry and sets out what ‘best practice’ looks like in this field today. This book will be a useful resource for scholars and students working in the fields of journalism, media, sports and communication, as well as for current sports journalism practitioners interested in the future of a changing industry.

This handbook critically analyzes cross‐border news production and “transnational journalism cultures” in the evolving field of cross-border journalism. As the era of the internet hasfurther expanded the border‐transcending production, dissemination andreception of news, and with transnational co‐operations like the European Broadcasting Union and BBC World News demonstrating different kinds of cross‐border journalism, the handbook considers the field with a range of international contributions. It explores cross-border journalism from conceptual and empirical angles and includes perspectives on the the systemic contexts of cross‐border journalism, its structures and routines, changes in production processes, and the shifting roles of actors in digital environments. It examines cross-border journalism across regions and concludes with discussions on the future of cross-border journalism, including the influence of automation, algorithmisation, virtual reality and AI.

This original Research Handbook examines the key legal aspects of a professional football club’s actions. Reflecting also on the role of key governing bodies such as UEFA, the Handbook informs and contributes to the ongoing debate surrounding the governance and behaviours of professional football clubs.

A monumental exploration of soccer and society in our time—by its preeminent historian. The Age of Football proves that whether you call it football or soccer, you can’t make sense of the modern world without understanding its most popular sport. With breathtaking scope and an unparalleled knowledge of the game, David Goldblatt—author of the best-selling The Ball Is Round—charts soccer’s global cultural ascent, economic transformation, and deep politicization.

Football is the biggest game in the world and the richest. This has contributed to the growth of legal issues and disputes in football and to an increasingly specialised legal services market in football. Since 2002, approximately half of all sports disputes before the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) have been in football. Football and the Law provided the first comprehensive review of the law relating to all aspects of football in the world, including all the main regulatory and commercial aspects of the sport. With contributions from 67 of the leading experts in the field, it is a valuable resource to lawyers and others active in the football industry, as well as a vital source of material to students, legal practitioners and others who wish to learn more about the area. The work includes reference to the key legal principles, cases and regulatory materials relevant to football. The key developments for the 2nd Edition include: - Refiguration of European football/ ESL breakaway / new international structures - Independent regulation of football - Impact of Brexit Safeguarding – child abuse in football - Growth of racism and regulatory responses - FIFA banning 'bridge loans' (relevant to third party ownership) - FIFA's new plans to regulates agents and cap fees - Emergence of salary caps in football and legal challenges to them - Various high profile Financial Fair Play cases Class action in football re head injuries - Challenges to Owners and Directors test – calls for independent regulator - New chapter covering developments in CAS cases This title is included in Bloomsbury Professional's Sports Law online service.