States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football the International Bestseller & Winner of the Football Book of the Year Award -- Miguel Delaney, Paperback

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

SHORTLISTED FOR FOOTBALL BOOK OF THE YEAR & BEST SPORTS WRITING AWARD AT THE 2025 SPORTS BOOK AWARDS

A TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR
A TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR
AN IRISH TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
AN IRISH INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR

Fully updated to cover Saudi Arabia's 2034 World Cup bid, the Manchester City charges case and the events of the 2024/25 season.

'Important, perfectly timed and hugely necessary.' The Guardian
'Football needs this book. A monumental piece of investigative journalism.' Irish Times
'A must-read on how modern football works.' Ian Wright
'Brave, forensic and utterly gripping.' Tom Holland

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The definitive account of how capitalism and the world's elite corrupted modern football.

As the 2022 World Cup in Qatar drew to a close, there was a bitter undercurrent to Argentina's triumph. Throughout the tournament, numerous allegations of sportswashing and financial misconduct had been made against the state of Qatar, moving what had previously been a smaller conversation into the worldwide spotlight.

The question had been asked, who really owns and runs football?

Journeying from Abu Dhabi to Newcastle, and onto London, Paris, Moscow and New York, journalist Miguel Delaney investigates the allegations of sportswashing and misconduct in the beautiful game. The result is a gripping account of how football has been taken over by the world's wealthiest businessmen, state-backed corporations, media tycoons and oil-rich oligarchs.

From Neymar's 198 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and Abu Dhabi's construction empire in Manchester to failed Financial Fair Play constraints and the dawn of the European Super League, Miguel draws on exclusive interviews and unprecedented access to key stakeholders to produce an all-encompassing exposé of modern footballs highest echelons.

Authoritative, riveting and eye-opening, States of Play reveals how football has become a tool for the world's elite.
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'The moral compass that the game needs.'Andy Brassell

'In this excellent investigation, Delaney reveals the ugly side of the beautiful game.'Oliver Bullough

'The most important football book of its generation.'Jack Pitt-Brooke

'Tackles the major issues affecting football today with fearlessness and forensic scrutiny. An important investigation for our times.'Laurie Whitwell

'A majestic book. The essential guide to how the people's game has become the plaything of the very rich and powerful.'Jonathan Wilson

Miguel Delaney's STATES OF PLAY was ranked in the Irish Times bestsellers list the weeks of 11th-18th November & 9th December 2024.

Author: Miguel Delaney
Publisher: Seven Dials
Published: 11/11/2025
Pages: 528
Binding Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781399619424

About the Author

Miguel Delaney is the chief football writer at the Independent and has been nominated for several awards, including the Football Supporters' Association Writer of the Year, British Journalism Awards Sports Journalist of the Year and SJA Sports Writer of the Year. He is one of football's leading journalists and has covered 14 consecutive Champions League finals, 4 World Cups, and 5 European Championships, amongst others.

Twitter/X: @MiguelDelaney