Passion play

Games beyond frontiers: A football fan?s odyssey
By Richard Brentnall,
Sigma Leisure, ? 7.95

Is the love for soccer a passion or an escapism from reality? Probably large chunks of both, if one were to go through the worldwide travels of Richard Brentnall, a sports journalist from Britain, who admits to being a life-long supporter of the West Bromwich Albion club.

The game of football held a strong attraction for Brentnall, compelling him to visit various parts of the globe to experience at first-hand the spontaneity of the appeal that the sport
enjoys.

The author writes with a deep understanding of the players as well as the crowds. His intelligent insights, coupled with humour and raunchy anecdotes, embellish the book with a distinct appeal. In these pages, one learns about Brentnall exchanging notes with Osvaldo Ardilles, his admiration for Ferenc Puskas, his criticism of Diego Maradona, and his appreciation of the magic of the Magyars during the Fifties.

Written in the manner of a travelogue, the book not only documents the state of the game around the world but also highlights the socio-political realities of the countries he visited. From Chile and Argentina in south America, he takes the reader through the comparatively familiar grounds of Germany and Netherlands before giving us a rare picture of Czechoslovakia and Hungary in eastern Europe. In between, the readers also find themselves in Spain, Greece and Italy. Finally, Brentnall drops anchor at Hongkong, where he takes a peek at the Asian soccer ethos.

That Brentnall loves the game is a proven fact, but what is more commendable is his unbiased approach. He has taken the British soccer system to task for its complacency in the Fifties as well as for its violent fans. In the same vein, he laments that the great Czech athlete of the Fifties, Emil Zatopek, was forced to give up his prominent position in the army because he had protested against the military invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Thankfully, Brentnall did not stop to visit India during his journey. He would have been appalled at the abysmal standard of Indian football and the poor facilities that are on offer today. This is all the more surprising for a nation which had done well at the international level between 1956 and 1962. Brentnall may have marvelled at the sight of the Calcutta Maidan, teeming with thousands of cheering fans, but what about the technique and tactics, or rather the lack of it in Indian soccer?

Japan and the two Koreas have deservingly earned his unstinted praise for their performance in the World Cup since that day in 1966 when only the genius of Eusebio saved Portugal from an embarrassing defeat at the hands of North Korea.

Unfortunately, Brentnall does not spare single line about soccer in Africa, leaving the book somewhat inconclusive. This is especially so since Cameroon and Nigeria have played well in the World Cup and many African players have made a name for themselves in top soccer clubs of Europe. Many in India are still in the dark about the progress of soccer in Africa; their only recompense is the exploits of players from Nigeria and Togo who don the jerseys of the Indian clubs. Undoubtedly, football fans would find Brentnall’s book interesting to read.