“Clubs are all about winning. National teams, however, have an additional function: to incarnate the nation.” — Simon Kuper Copy Share Image
“The theory of the “wisdom of crowds” says that if you aggregate many different opinions from a diverse group of people, you are much… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
Even before 2007, this half of a small island was the richest football country on earth. In 2005-2006 the Premiership's total revenue was about… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
“It’s sad to say, but it is much easier selling, for example, a crap Brazilian than a brilliant Mexican. The Brazilian gets across the… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
“Entrepreneurs who dip into soccer also keep making the same mistakes. They buy clubs promising to run them “like a business” and disappear a… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
Football is not merely a small business, it's also a bad one. Anyone who spends any time inside football soon discovers that just as… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
Chelsea's players, coaches and agents are now football's wealthiest millionaires. Surely the billions taken from the Russian people by an oligarch in questionable privatisations… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
It seems that soccer tournaments create those relationships: people gathered together in pubs and living rooms, a whole country suddenly caring about the same… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
“Aulas spotted early that most soccer fans everywhere are much more like shoppers than like religious believers: if they can get a better experience… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
“you are brought face to face with the great question about the soccer coach: Does he really matter? It turns out that coaches or… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
“Stars of Recent World Cups, or European Championships Are Overvalued The worst time to buy a player is in the summer when he’s just… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
“Because soccer clubs are the only businesses that get daily publicity without trying to, they treat journalists as humble supplicants instead of as unpaid… — Simon Kuper Copy Share
Other than sports, only war and catastrophe can create this sort of national unity. — Simon Kuper Copy Share
