Football in Neo-Liberal Times A Marxist Perspective on the European Football Industry

This book offers an original Marxist critique of the European football business. It argues that the Marxist account of the difference between profits and surplus value is crucial to an understanding of the fluid and contradictory nature of the commodification of football. Section one analyses the nature of modern professional football and section two highlights attempts, via government agency and football clubs, to corral fans into ever greater identification with business logic aimed at breaking traditional social relations. Section three draws on a number of cases studies across Europe, to analyse how some fans are attempting to mount a counter ideological response to the assault of neo-liberalism on the game.

Introduction 1. The Commercialisation Of Football 2. Marxist Political Economy Of The Football Industry 3. Supporters Direct Europe: the "Recolonisation" of Football Fandom 4. Europe’s Stadium Revolution 5.Europe’s Ultra Football Supporters Movement 6.Grassroots Football, Autonomous Activity and the Forging of New Social Relationships 7. Concluding Thoughts

Peter Kennedy lectures in the Sociology of Sport and Health at Glasgow Caledonian University. His most recent published work is in applying sociological theories to understanding health and medicine, and football supporter responses to commercialisation David Kennedy is a freelance researcher. His most recent published work is in the area of football supporters and governance of professional football clubs