Thirty-One Nil

On the Road With Football's Outsiders: A World Cup Odyssey

Nonfiction, Sports, Football (Soccer), History
Cover of the book Thirty-One Nil by James Montague, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James Montague ISBN: 9781408851593
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: May 22, 2014
Imprint: Bloomsbury Sport Language: English
Author: James Montague
ISBN: 9781408851593
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: May 22, 2014
Imprint: Bloomsbury Sport
Language: English

In a tiny, decaying aluminium smelting town in southern Tajikistan, a short drive from a raging war zone, Afghanistan take on Palestine in the first Asian qualifier for 2014's World Cup in Brazil. Every player on both teams is risking something by playing: their careers, their families, even their lives. Yet, along with thousands of other footballers backed by millions of supporters, they all dream of snatching one of the precious 32 places at the finals; and so begins a three-year epic struggle – long before the usual suspects start their higher-profile qualifying campaigns under the spotlight.

Named after the greatest victory (and defeat) that the World Cup qualifiers have ever seen (Australia's 31-0 victory over American Samoa), Thirty-One Nil is the story of how footballers from all corners of the globe begin their journey chasing a place at the World Cup Finals. It celebrates the part-time priests, princes and hopeless chancers who dream of making it to Brazil, in defiance of the staggering odds stacked against them. It tells the story of teams who have struggled for their very existence through political and social turmoil, from which they will very occasionally emerge into international stardom.

From the endlessly humiliated San Marino to lowly Haiti; from war-torn Lebanon to the oppressed and fleet-footed players of Eritrea, in Thirty-One Nil James Montague gets intimately and often dangerously close to some of the world's most extraordinary teams, and tells their exceptional stories.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In a tiny, decaying aluminium smelting town in southern Tajikistan, a short drive from a raging war zone, Afghanistan take on Palestine in the first Asian qualifier for 2014's World Cup in Brazil. Every player on both teams is risking something by playing: their careers, their families, even their lives. Yet, along with thousands of other footballers backed by millions of supporters, they all dream of snatching one of the precious 32 places at the finals; and so begins a three-year epic struggle – long before the usual suspects start their higher-profile qualifying campaigns under the spotlight.

Named after the greatest victory (and defeat) that the World Cup qualifiers have ever seen (Australia's 31-0 victory over American Samoa), Thirty-One Nil is the story of how footballers from all corners of the globe begin their journey chasing a place at the World Cup Finals. It celebrates the part-time priests, princes and hopeless chancers who dream of making it to Brazil, in defiance of the staggering odds stacked against them. It tells the story of teams who have struggled for their very existence through political and social turmoil, from which they will very occasionally emerge into international stardom.

From the endlessly humiliated San Marino to lowly Haiti; from war-torn Lebanon to the oppressed and fleet-footed players of Eritrea, in Thirty-One Nil James Montague gets intimately and often dangerously close to some of the world's most extraordinary teams, and tells their exceptional stories.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book Soft Living Architecture by James Montague
Cover of the book The Changeling: A Critical Reader by James Montague
Cover of the book Words and the First World War by James Montague
Cover of the book Guillermo del Toro by James Montague
Cover of the book The Doolittle Raid 1942 by James Montague
Cover of the book The Shape of Ice by James Montague
Cover of the book The Constitutional Systems of the Independent Central Asian States by James Montague
Cover of the book The Angry Brigade by James Montague
Cover of the book The Caves: Lizard by James Montague
Cover of the book The Davidic Shepherd King in the Lukan Narrative by James Montague
Cover of the book International Counterterrorism Bureaucracies in the United Nations and the European Union by James Montague
Cover of the book Wittgenstein's 'Philosophical Investigations' by James Montague
Cover of the book Britain and Interwar Danubian Europe by James Montague
Cover of the book The Pocket Mountain Bike Trail Guide by James Montague
Cover of the book US Flamethrower Tanks of World War II by James Montague
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy