Sport Italia

Simon Martin is the author of Football and Fascism: The National Game under Mussolini which was awarded the Lord Aberdare Literary Prize for Sports History in 2004. He holds a PhD from University College London and has taught there, as well as at the University of Hertfordshire, the University of California Rome programme and New York University in Florence. He currently teaches at the American University of Rome and is a Research Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire and the British School at Rome. He appeared in the BBC2 documentary 'World Cup Stories' and is an FA qualified coach.

• Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: From Unification to Disintegration: Leisure and Liberal ItalyChapter 3: 'Soldiers of Sport' and 'Athletes of Fascism': Sport and Mussolini's ItalyChapter 4: Dictatorship and Democracy: From the Duce to De GasperiChapter 5: Reconstruction Italy: A Hot Economy in a Cold WarChapter 6: Terrorists, Trade Unionists and Televisions: Italy's Cultural RevolutionChapter 7: Berlusconi's Italy: The Politics of FootballChapter 8: A Dirty Game and Clean Feet - Moggiopoli, Piedi Puliti and the Crisis of CalcioChapter 9: Conclusion: Everything Must Change if Things are to Remain the Same?

'I particularly like the way the subject matter is embedded in the history and politics of the country and how the author is able to blend the unusual politicization of sports in Italy. One of the best.' - Donald Sassoon, Professor of Comparative European History, Queen Mary, University of London; 'While others have chosen to view the Italian psyche through food, art, opera and architecture, Martin dissects a nation via sporting passion. No stone is left unturned and the book explains how sport has influenced political attitude, cultural difference and an often claustrophobic sense of belonging in a hugely divided country. Corruption, intrigue, bribery, scandal, Berlusconi, mafia and Maradona are all here. Highly recommended.' - inbedwithmaradona.com; 'A book that was waiting to be written.' - Simon Kuper, author of Football Against the Enemy; 'From Mussolini to Moggiopoli, political interference and scandal has never been far from calico, and Martin's book explores the integral role of sport on Italy's identity. It's an ambitious study, but one the author backs up with stacks of insight and diligent research.' - Four Four Two