The Complete Number 9

The Complete Number 9 is an interview series where we ask authors nine questions about their book, the writing process and their football-writing influences. Dribbling Divides: Football, Islam, and Identity examines how global football intersects with Muslim identity, faith, and politics in an era shaped by migration, digital media, and rising populism. Drawing from rich case studies of elite Muslim footballers, the book examines how players navigate racism, Islamophobia, and national belonging while maintaining visible piety and engaging in activism. (Kamaludden Nasir, second from right) What gave you the idea for the book?I grew up in a lower-working-class family in...

The Complete Number 9 is an interview series where we ask authors nine questions about their book, the writing process and their football-writing influences. FADA!: A Season in Marseille is a portrait of France’s most intense football city through one extraordinary season. What gave you the idea for the book?There had always been something that stayed with me after my first visit to Marseille in 2023. I was in the away end as a Brighton supporter for our first ever away game in Europe under Roberto De Zerbi and I was struck by the intensity of the atmosphere and the...

The Complete Number 9 is an interview series where we ask authors nine questions about their book, the writing process and their football-writing influences. Pitch Invasion: My story as a feminist on a Football Club board gives readers an insider's view of the quirky yet revolutionary culture at Lewes FC. From organising Suffragette flash mobs to introducing Prosecco on tap at the stadium, Karen Dobres brings to life her experiences at this fan-owned, debt-free, gender-equal club where everyone - from local supporters to pop stars - helps shape the future of the game Photo © Zoe Birkbeck What gave you...

The Complete Number 9 is an interview series where we ask authors nine questions about their book, the writing process and their football-writing influences. Since its origins as a provincial cottage industry almost twenty-five years ago, online gambling has become a globe-straddling behemoth worth more than £10 billion a year. It can sometimes feel as if the point of sport is to bet on it. How did we get here? How did a new wave of gambling brands hijack sport on a global scale? In Imitation Games: How Gambling Hijacked Sport, Darragh McGee travels the world to tell the incredible story...

The Complete Number 9 is an interview series where we ask authors nine questions about their book, the writing process and their football-writing influences. In The Impossible Job: The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees, William Ralston delves deep into the emotional rollercoaster that is refereeing, offering an unprecedented look inside football's most misunderstood subject. Photo © Thomas Broadhead What gave you the idea for the book?I was struck first and foremost by the toxicity in refereeing. When I began writing, two referees, Anthony Taylor in England and a Turkish referee, had both been attacked — Anthony Taylor at the...