Outcasts!: The Lands That FIFA Forgot [Illustrated] (Hardcover)

Once in a while, a book comes along with an unusual subject matter that captures the imagination and Menary's Outcasts! falls into that category - Richard Sutcliffe, Yorkshire Post. A fascinating insight into all the various factors that have to be taken into account when looking to become a 'football nation' - Nick Mollet, Guernsey Press & Star. "OUTCASTS' A MUST-READ For all the fans who booed England's underachievers in the aftermath of the defeat to Croatia and for all the supporters of clubs outside the cash-laden top Premier League sides, here is the perfect antidote.Steve Menary's Outcasts! The Lands That FIFA Forgot is a well-written and superbly researched account of 'nations' who are not allowed into the international scene by world football's governing body.Menary, a regular contributor to World Soccer, who has also written for FourFourTwo, When Saturday Comes and GuardianUnlimited, has travelled all over the world to gain access to the main players from places like Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Falkland Islands and Greenland as they battle to have their voice heard at football's top table. So far removed from the numerous autobiographies from sports stars who don't really have anything to say, Outcasts! gives a unique insight into those who want to play football for the love of the game and to represent the place they call 'home', but are denied by politics and self-interest.Menary investigates issues such as how FIFA can justify having the Faroe Islands as a member but not Greenland (both enjoy the same system of self-rule as overseas territories of Denmark in much the same way as the four countries of the United Kingdom), and asks why, after numerous rejections and a severe lack of funding, people from these 'non-countries' still bother trying to play the game. At first it appears to be a depressing tale of power and corruption, a world in which money talks.But as Menary's journey progresses, he meets some remarkable people with amazing stories to tell, such as the tale of three men from Greenland who died making a dangerous boat journey just for a game of football.Eventually, a FIFI (Federation of International Football Independents) 'Wild Cup' was successfully held in Germany prior to the 2006 World Cup featuring 'non-countries' such as Zanzibar, Tibet and Northern Cyprus, much to FIFA's frustration.Quite simply, FIFA do not want these places playing football if they can help it because it opens up all sorts of political problems.For example, if Gibraltar were to play under the auspices of FIFA, it would upset the Spanish who don't recognise 'the Rock' as a separate entity.In fact as recently as 2006, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Gibraltar should be allowed to become a member of both FIFA and UEFA and although it was made a provisional member of UEFA, Spain complained about the ownership of the only airstrip as apparently it has been at the centre of a dispute between the Spanish and the British for years.Consequently, FIFA decided that Gibraltar could not be admitted.But the likes of Gibraltar continue to play football with little chance of being able to improve themselves as they don't receive the financial benefits that being a member of FIFA brings and are unable to play against countries who are members.For many of the people who play for these 'non-countries', football is a way of expressing their nationalism, much in the same way sport has kept the idea of being Scottish or English alive as much as anything else.But despite the constant setbacks, many continue to make huge sacrifices in order to play football, those who give money from their own pocket in order for others to be able to travel to take part in a tournament or those who dedicate their free time to setting up youth and womens leagues with little or no financial reward.It's stories like these that remind you just why football is the greatest sport on the planet.Outcasts! is a must-read for all football fans and I would suggest every England international who took part in the failed Euro 2008 qualifying campaign should be made to read a copy to remind them how lucky they are to be paid very handsomely for doing a job that millions around the world would gladly do for nothing - Gareth Friel, Sporting Life. Menary is an enthusiast with a talent for getting the best out of his interviewees and a keen eye for the encapsulating episode, such as the time that a Greenland cup semi-final being played on a seaside pitch was interrupted by a tidal wave when an iceberg capsized. The rag-tag gaggle of nations, islands and regions have assembled themselves into an organisation endearingly termed Fifi (the Federation of Football Independents), and organised a "Wild Cup" held in Germany shortly before the official World Cup in 2006. Menary was there, of course, and came away with some splendid photographs that embellish his work. For all their minority status as footballing countries, the minnow nations evidently attract a very distinguished class of streaker - Andrew Baker, The Daily Telegraph. Excellent - Scotland On Sunday.

Once in a while, a book comes along with an unusual subject that captures the imagination...Outcasts! falls into that category