Brazil has had a mixed history where football (soccer) is concerned. The sport is interconnected with politics, music, art, literature and most aspects of social life. The development (and export) of wildly talented players and success on the pitch has been continually marred by mismanagement, greed and corruption. Players, teams and entire leagues have been manipulated by owners, politicians and the military.

This is not a sports book. There are no descriptions of matches, beautiful plays or successful seasons. It is a history of how football has affected life in Brazil, and vice versa. Though he shows a glimmer of hope that the sport can transcend the problems foisted on it, David Goldblatt shows how “Brazilian football has partially been a conduit for the mental and emotional pathologies of a still brutalized society.” ( )