{"product_id":"footballs-secret-trade-isbn-9781119145424","title":"Football's Secret Trade","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA no-holds-barred exposé on the financial\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003etransactions\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eof the world's favourite sport\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe transfer fees clubs pay to sign top players now top €4 billion a year but much of the money has been flowing out of the game. A small group of wealthy investors including Russian oligarchs, English racehorse owners and a former billionaire gold miner have seized the opportunity to enter this booming market.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome have moved in on the territory of banks and lent money to clubs in exchange for a share in fees generated by Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and dozens more of today's stars. Others have acquired obscure teams to get a piece of the pie.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEven as the global financial crisis sent fortunes tumbling this select group found a profitable place to park their money. The size of the transfer market has continued to rise –- it increased seven-fold in value the last two decades, more than the FTSE share index.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBetween them, these wealthy investors have amassed hundreds of millions of euros in profits. At the same time, they have managed to stay out of the spotlight the world’s most popular sport brings.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFootball’s Secret Trade follows the money along a trail very few know about, from nondescript offices in the U.K. and ramshackle stadiums of South American clubs you have probably never heard of to offshore bank accounts in the Caribbean. Warning – you won’t see a major transfer deal in the same light again. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrologue 1\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 The Son of Jesús 9\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 The Chess Champion 23\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 The British Tax Exile 41\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 An East End Scandal 53\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 The Prime Minister’s Men 67\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 The 100-to-1 Shot 79\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 The Switzerland of South America 93\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 “Todo Pasa” 107\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 Buenos Aires to Manchester 121\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 “I Want 40% for the Boy” 137\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 The Pharmacist’s Medicine 151\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 Working on a Dream 161\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e13 The Baur au Lac 175\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e14 The End Game? 187\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEpilogue 199\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBibliography 207\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments 209\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAbout the Authors 211\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex 213\u003c\/p\u003e   \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eALEX DUFF\u003c\/b\u003e is a senior communications expert for FIFPro, the international football players' union. He has worked as a reporter for UK newspapers and Associated Press in Rio de Janeiro and Bloomberg News in Madrid. He has exposed the business workings behind some of the biggest names in sport, including tennis player Rafael Nadal and the Amaury family, which owns the Tour de France. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTARIQ PANJA\u003c\/b\u003e has worked as a reporter for the \u003ci\u003eManchester Evening News,\u003c\/i\u003e Associated Press and Bloomberg News in London and Rio de Janeiro. He has broken news on some of the biggest stories in soccer, including the takeover of Liverpool, Manchester United's float on the New York Stock exchange and the unprecedented scandal that threatened to bring down FIFA. After covering Brazil's bumpy journey towards hosting the World Cup and Summer Olympics, Tariq has returned to the UK and is once again based in London.     \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe transfer fees football clubs pay to sign players now top 4 billion a year, but much of the money has been flowing out of the game. A small group of wealthy investors including Russian oligarchs, English racehorse owners and a one-time billionaire gold miner have seized the opportunity to enter this booming market. Some have moved in on the territory of banks and lent money to clubs in exchange for a share in fees generated by Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and dozens more of today's stars. Others have acquired obscure teams to get a piece of the pie. Between them, they have amassed hundreds of millions of euros in profits. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFootball's Secret Trade\u003c\/i\u003e follows the money along a trail very few know about, from nondescript offices in the UK and ramshackle stadiums of South American clubs you have probably never heard of to offshore bank accounts in the Caribbean. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWarning – you won't see a major transfer deal in the same light again.     \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR FOOTBALL'S SECRET TRADE\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Nobody knows more about football's underbelly than Alex Duff and Tariq Panja. This hugely important book sheds light on the shadows of the game we all love.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Rory Smith,\u003c\/b\u003e European soccer correspondent, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A fascinating insight into the murky finances, backroom deals and shadowy figures that lie behind football's glamorous façade.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Jonathan Wilson,\u003c\/b\u003e journalist and author of the award-winning football book \u003ci\u003eInverting the Pyramid\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Both authors have been preeminent in the investigations of world football's secret 'third party ownership' deals. They have untangled a web of intrigue which always has money at its core.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Martyn Ziegler,\u003c\/b\u003e chief sports reporter, \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e of London \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Tariq Panja is a top-rank journalist, always thorough and far-reaching in his research. Here, he and Alex Duff apply their considerable skills to unpicking the opaque world of 'third party ownership' in football.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—David Conn,\u003c\/b\u003e sports writer,\u003ci\u003e The Guardian;\u003c\/i\u003e author of \u003ci\u003eThe Beautiful Game? Searching for the Soul of Football\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The authors expertly guide you through the dark maze of football finance.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Stephen Wade,\u003c\/b\u003e sports correspondent, Associated Press - Rio de Janeiro \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Bravo! Duff and Panja have done us all a service by shining a bright light on football's underbelly, the practices that reduce humans to horseflesh and football club finances to a casino.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Stefan Szymanski,\u003c\/b\u003e professor of sports management, Michigan University; co-author \u003ci\u003eSoccernomics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wiley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47989229486309,"sku":"NP9781119145424","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781119145424.jpg?v=1761783293","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/footballs-secret-trade-isbn-9781119145424","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}