Football, Power and Shirts: On China, FIFA and Fields of Power
In a wide-ranging conversation, journalist Joey D'Urso discusses how football and politics have always been intertwined, from FIFA’s unpopularity in the UK and World Cup expansion debates to historical links with regimes and soft power.
Drawing on his book More Than a Shirt, he explains China’s top-down push to become a football power, the use of football by the state, and figures like Li Tie amid opaque corruption allegations.
The discussion covers how national-team success depends on deep football ecosystems, France’s team as an immigrant story, and football’s roots in industrialization and natural resources.
Joey outlines his career from BBC Westminster and BuzzFeed to The Athletic and The Times, his shift to full-time writing, and monetization via Substack, social media, and freelance work. He previews his next book, Fields of Power, telling 20th-century history through 20 stadiums worldwide.
Chapters
00:00 FIFA Backlash
00:24 China Football Ambitions
01:58 Corruption And Control
03:24 Why Money Isnt Enough
05:35 France Culture And Ecosystems
07:32 Industry And Soft Power
08:55 From Politics To Football Writing
12:13 When Football Turned Political
15:37 Colombia Shirt Crime Story
18:46 New Book Fields Of Power
20:29 Breaking Into Football Journalism
22:20 Original Ideas In An AI Era
24:00 Making Money Plans
25:45 Nonlinear Growth Lessons
26:56 Football as Live Media
30:04 Stadiums and Tailgating
31:43 FIFA Revenue and Hosts
33:14 FIFA Criticism and Culture
35:14 New Book Story Teasers
37:03 More World Cups and AI
38:27 Data Driven Clubs
41:00 Attendances Up Atmosphere Down
44:02 Bigger World Cup Debate
45:33 Wrap Up and Thanks
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Credits:
Host / Exec Producer: Jimmy McLoughlin OBE
Producer: Thuy Dong
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