Kicking off a storm

The machinations behind the football world cup revealed

- MADAN SABNAVIS

ONE OF THE biggest sporting events will be the World Cup Football tournament to be held this year.

It is probably in league with the Olympics given the scale of participation of nations, and scores over cricket, which is restricted to a handful of teams. Just what goes on behind the scenes is something one would like to know; and this is where Simon Kuper of the Financial Times does well in both narrative and style.

The book, World Cup Fever, is described quite differently. The author has followed the tournaments since 1990, not having missed a single one. He covers this period of 32 years by talking of individual matches he attended. Quite clearly, he has been maintaining a diary on what has transpired in these matches as the descriptions are vivid. He also talks of the towns and cities he visited in this process, adding glimpses of the cultures of the countries where the world cup was played.