Golazo!

May 15, 2014
The most comprehensive history of soccer in the part of the world in which it may well mean the most.Campomar, publishing director of Constable & Robinson in the U.K., provides a thorough, engaging history of the development of futbol and its place in Latin American society. The author focuses mostly on the 20th century, when the game went from being an English import geared primarily toward British expatriates and elites to being the domain of the masses, who worshipped their heroes, condemned their goats, and filled the terraces for their club and national teams. Campomar also illustrates the way soccer reflected and sometimes fueled political developments across the region. He covers a large geographic swath including Mexico and Central America but gives the bulk of his attention to the countries of South America, where he interweaves the story of the local club game into that of the national teams, which have allowed the region to take its place, even if only for 90 or so minutes at a time, with the Europeans. Clearly timed for the summer's World Cup in Brazil, the book illustrates how the Rio de la Plata nations of Uruguay and Argentina represented the continent's pre-eminent powers through the first half of the 20th century, with the Brazilians rising to dominance only in the 1950s. Campomar effectively brings out the color and passion for the game, its evocative language, its artistic power and its sometimes-martial ugliness. While the author occasionally tries to do too much, he accomplishes his task with verve.Brazil will be under enormous pressure to win this summer, and Uruguay and Argentina will be in the running. That will provide opportunities for the updated paperback edition of this fine, scintillating history.

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2014

Campomar's (publishing director, Constable & Robinson) history of Latin American soccer does a wonderful job of teasing apart the various narratives and influences that have shaped the sport. This chronicle is thorough but also readable, guiding the reader from early Aztec ball games through the dizzying complexities of inter- and intranational rivalries and the advent of global football. All of this is done while explaining soccer's place in the larger history of the world, and the role the game played in the development of national identities by Latin Americans as they became more and more enamored of a pastime that was at least partially developed by their colonizers. In this sense, the book is a creative and rare combination of what are normally several distinct topics. It is a work of truly ambitious scope and although the reader may at times be bogged down by the sheer volume of detail on minor players and teams it is successful. VERDICT This work will satisfy not only fans of soccer but anyone interested in examining the history of the world through an unusual lens.--John Helling, Bloomfield-Eastern Greene Cty. P.L., IN

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2014
Taking the very long view of South American soccer, Campomar, a Uruguayan living in England, begins with the brutal ball games of the Aztecs, then disputes the commonly held notion that the British game first took hold on the docks (its origins were more clubby than that). He details the twentieth century, decade by decade, with its periods of Uruguayan, Argentine, and Brazilian dominance, and an uneasy playing relationship with Europe. The real strength of this comprehensive and well-sourced document is its engaging writing style, which impels the reader through the sometimes dense array of names, places, and dramatic games. Soccer is central but merely one part: Golazo! is packed with fascinating detail about the game's interplay with national identity, politics, race, and culture. The author doesn't neglect the four previous South American World Cupsand why would he? His country won the very first one, in 1930.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)