James Montague is author of The Billionaires Club, a book about the one per cent; the super-rich, the billionaire class who now control football.

Guest Biography

James Montague is a journalist and author who writes for the New York Times, CNN, GQ and World Soccer. His first book When Friday Comes: Football in the War Zone won him Best New Writer at the 2009 British Sports Book of the Year Awards and has recently been updated and reissued. He was described in Sports Illustrated as ‘The Indiana Jones of soccer writing.' He appears regularly on CNN as well as writing and producing regular radio shows for the BBC World Service's award winning World Football show. He grew up in Essex and has spent the past eight years reporting from the Middle East and beyond.

Thirty One Nil: On the Road With Football’s Outsiders, a World Cup Odyssey (Bloomsbury) was released in May 2014, and a month later in the US. Thirty One Nil covers his journey to all six continents charting the qualification campaign for the World Cup finals in Brazil, through the eyes of the minnows and underdogs unlikely to make it there. Thirty One Nil won Best Football Book at the 2015 British Sports Book of the Year Awards.

The Billionaires Club: The Unstoppable Rise of Football’s Super-Rich (Bloomsbury) was released in August 2017, and in the US in October. The Billionaires Club tells the story of how the super rich have invested their wealth and political capital into football. It is a part history of club ownership, part in-depth investigation into the money and influence that connects the super-rich around the globe, and part travel book that crosses national boundaries in an attempt to reveal the real force behind modern-day football.

Show notes: http://www.inspiredmoney.fm/014

In this episode, you will learn:

  • How the ownership of soccer clubs is changing.
  • The power of money and politics.
  • Insight into the world's billionaires from the US, Europe, Middle East and China.

Links

James Montague

Books

Also Mentioned

Thanks for Listening and Watching!

To share your thoughts:

  • Leave a note in the comment section below.
  • Share this show on Twitter or Facebook.

To help out the show:

  • Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one.
  • Subscribe on iTunes.

 

Special thanks to Jim Kimo West for the music.

What do you think about the role that economic and political power has in sport? Please leave a comment.