Beyond the Final Whistle

'A profound reminder that football is far more than a sport; it's a canvas for building a fairer and more compassionate world' Kelly Davies, former Wales international football player 'Tremendous ... an incitement to take back the game, and begin to make it beautiful again' Martin Parker, Professor, Bristol University Beyond the Final Whistle explores a new philosophy of football, showing how sport could lead to social change instead of propping up a hyper-consumerist society. Vasilis Kostakis tackles the meaning of the beautiful game, exploring how it is produced and played. From the dribbles of a young Zapatista, to the many goals of Messi, he imagines what football would look like in a post-capitalist world. How does football affect global inequality and the climate crisis? How does it teach our children empathy? What makes the game so captivating to billions of people, and how can this passion be used for liberation? With humour and insight, Beyond the Final Whistle is a love letter to football and revolution. Vasilis Kostakis is a Professor at TalTech's Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance in Estonia. He is also a Faculty Associate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.

Vasilis Kostakis is a Professor of Technology Governance and Sustainability at TalTech's Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance in Estonia. He is also a Faculty Associate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. Vasilis is the founder of the P2P Lab and a founding member of both the Tzoumakers rural makerspace and the Commonen energy cooperative.

How this book was written
Funding acknowledgement
Introduction
Part I: What is football?
1. Football is art
2. The football gods are dead
3. We always dance together
4. We always sing together
5. It came home
6. So what is football anyway?
Part II: What world do we want?
7. We all kicked a ball once
8. The one who always kicked the can
9. The Hallowed Lost Penalty
10. Messi stretches to infinity
11. The tragedy of our times
12. When you're down 4-0 in the 89th minute, can you turn the tide?
13. The poor are poor because they make poor choices
14. The tunnel to the other side of earth
15. The Cruyff turn
16. So can the world change through football?
Part III: How to change the world through football
17. The turn of the century
18. Drivers should drive and footballers should kick the ball
19. Democracy in football, democracy in society
20. Perhaps the greatest match of all time
21. Another world is here
22. The football of change
23. So how do we change the world through football?
Sources and further reading
Index