Welcome to Hell?: In Search of the Real Turkish Football - Softcover

McManus, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1474604773 ISBN 13: 9781474604772

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2019

Synopsis

Ask a British football fan what they know about Turkish football, and they are unlikely to describe scenes of camaraderie, hospitality and humour. They are more likely to mention banners proclaiming 'Welcome to hell'. Or Leeds United supporters stabbed to death on an Istanbul street.

Frustrated by the game's distorted image back home, John McManus set out to show the Turkish football that he knew - the rich, funny, obsessive, fan culture that he had encountered on the terraces. But he hadn't accounted for the politics. Travelling from the elite training facilities of Istanbul to dusty pitches on the Syrian border, taking in visits to far-flung clubs, encounters with characterful players and experiences at riotous matches along the way, Welcome to Hell? offers a unique perspective on an alluring yet troubled football culture.

About this title

About the Author

John McManus is an anthropologist based at the British Institute at Ankara, where he researches sport and migration in Turkey and the Turkish diaspora. He supports Besiktas and Leicester City. Welcome to Hell? is his first book.

www.johnmcmanus.co.uk

Review

'Excellent'―Irish Sun

'A book as rich and complex as the extraordinary worlds of Turkish football it explores'―David Goldblatt

'A perceptive and compelling account of how to understand football in Turkey through the eyes of someone who has lived there'―The Football Pink

'McManus heads off in search of colour and character across the country. He serves up both in ample measure. Nationalist agitators, left-wing ultras, Kurdish fanatics and Syrian ex-professionals . . . all provide fascinating insight into the complex relationship between politics and football at all levels of the Turkish game'―When Saturday Comes

'Turkish football is a fascinating topic and generates very strong emotions, and this lively book from John McManus explains why'―Andreas Beck, Besiktas, FC Stuttgart and German National Team player

'The book takes us on a tour of the beautiful game in Turkey, a window through which to examine society, history and contemporary politics. McManus is a sensitive and astute guide with an eye for the telling detail . . . Full of humor as well as insight . . . Welcome to Hell? is a terrific read'―Hurriyet Daily News

'The book takes us on a tour of the beautiful game in Turkey, a window through which to examine society, history and contemporary politics. McManus is a sensitive and astute guide with an eye for the telling detail . . . Full of humor as well as insight . . . Welcome to Hell? is a terrific read'―William Armstrong, Hurriyet Daily News

'McManus's triumph is to combine thorough research with readability. A fascinating history of Turkish football, and a model for other books of this type'―Jonathan Wilson

'McManus offers profound insight into modern Turkey through the vantage point of its football culture. Blending his deep knowledge of Turkish history, politics, sociology, and sports culture, McManus brings modern Turkey to life and does so with playfulness, great attention to detail, and a rare insiders' view'―Soner Cagaptay, senior fellow at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy

'An engaging book about football and Turkish society'―Economist

About this edition

• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1474604773
• ISBN 13: 9781474604772
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400