When Friday Comes - Paperback

by James Montague (Author)

'Passionate and moving and provides further evidence of the universality of football' Jonathan Wilson, FourFourTwo

The definitive story of the Middle East's unstoppable rise to football superpower, and the road to the Qatar World Cup

When James Montague first began covering football in the Middle East two decades ago, people asked him what future there could possibly be for the beautiful game in one of the most volatile regions in the world. In the years that followed, it would become one of the biggest stories in global sport, from the from revolutionary ultras of the Arab Spring and the takeover of some of the world's biggest clubs by the Emirati super rich, to Qatar's controversial journey towards hosting the 2022 World Cup finals.

The only Western journalist covering the story on the ground from the very beginning, James Montague tells the definitive tale of the region's rise to ultimate power player in the global game in a fully revised and updated edition. Travelling to every country in the Middle East and meeting fans, players, workers and campaigners, he paints an unforgettable picture of football in a controversial, vibrant and surprising new world.

Author Biography

James Montague is an award-winning author and journalist from Chelmsford, Essex. He writes for the New York Times, the Bleacher Report, World Soccer, and Delayed Gratification and has reported from over 80 different countries and unrecognised territories. He is the author of three highly-praised football books: When Friday Comes: Football, War and Revolution in the Middle East, Thirty One Nil: On the Road With Football's Outsiders andThe Billionaires Club: The Unstoppable Rise of Football's Super-Rich Owners. @JamesPiotr