List Price: $24.95 Details

Save: $3.04 (12%)

FREE delivery June 30 - July 7. Details

In stock
Usually ships within 2 to 3 days.

[{"displayPrice":"$21.91","priceAmount":21.91,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"21","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"91","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"F2AHfT9BaMKXLTRIVzmD4ICGVdtozvwDhyC%2BUNXqpukzA8I9mcuFEC6oMm8SmCWXSs%2B3TxCuyjnNvmV6t6o5kt2e347RjW3tt%2FamZztHtLqVT7KcYwqIo9YJvQiNu7KTYutCys48RxD1Erht%2BeFsO1FFSW8bJZznGXtacAmC1Nomvqpp3OpgIculLGQYCekx","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0},{"displayPrice":"$1.40","priceAmount":1.40,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"1","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"40","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"F2AHfT9BaMKXLTRIVzmD4ICGVdtozvwD2GPT8xulbAPuK5f0F7W4OUOwYBsd1NXSCAekY01ocYCPXfAlb2z8qtpBCWmBQxnkoZuagmxrFAZA5WaG%2Bs3wnFc76W1TKFA6RlvvyUWLvTyJ8a%2B4qg3cUm15jezKXWf%2B8YSygI8xWanlUnnn4sDvbkSfkZFGUvri","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]

$$21.91 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Payment

Secure transaction

Ships from

InfiniteBooks_USA

Sold by

InfiniteBooks_USA

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Details

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Ships from

InfiniteBooks_USA

Sold by

InfiniteBooks_USA

Returns

Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.

Read full return policy

$3.98 delivery June 28 - 29. Details

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by glenthebookseller

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$21.94
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: Amazon.com

Added

Not added

$20.84
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: Prime Deals, USA

Flip to back Flip to front

See this image

Follow the Author

Paddy Agnew

Forza Italia: The Fall and Rise of Italian Football Paperback – October 1, 2008

by Paddy Agnew (Author)

4.2 115 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$12.99

—

Paperback

"Please retry"

$21.91

$14.54

$1.40

Kindle
$12.99 Read with Our Free App
Paperback
$21.91

Other new and used from $1.40

23 Used from $1.40

12 New from $14.54

Purchase options and add-ons

When journalist Paddy Agnew and his girlfriend touched down in Rome in 1985 in search of adventure, sunshine, and the soul of Italian soccer, they were traveling into the uncharted terrain of a country they did not know and a language they did not speak. It soon became clear that neither Italy nor Italian soccer would be boring. In that first week in Italy, Michel Platini and Juventus won the Intercontinental Cup, while just days later the PLO killed 13 people in a random shooting at Rome's Fiumicino airport. Paddy covered both stories. The coming years saw the rise of TV tycoon Silvio Berlusconi, as he became owner of AC Milan and then Prime Minister of Italy, naming his political party Forza Italia after a football chant. In that same period, Argentine Diego Maradona became the uncrowned King of Naples, leading Napoli to a first ever Scudetto title in 1987, notwithstanding a hectic, Hollywood-esque lifestyle that mixed soccer genius with off-the-field excess. Forza Italia is a fascinating tale of inspired players, skilled coaches, rich tycoons, glitzy media coverage, Mafia corruption, allegations of drug taking, and fan power—culminating in the 2006 World Cup victory that delighted a nation and a match-fixing scandal that shocked the world. It is also a personalized reflection on the consistent and continuing excellence of Italian soccer throughout a period of huge social, political, and economic upheaval, offering a unique insight into a society where soccer has always been much more than just a game.

Print length

336 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ebury Press
Publication date

October 1, 2008
Dimensions

5 x 0.88 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0091905621
ISBN-13

978-0091905620
See all details

Bought Together

Frequently bought together

Forza Italia: The Fall and Rise of Italian Football

$21.91

Get it Jun 30 - Jul 7

In stock.

Usually ships within 2 to 3 days.

Ships from and sold by InfiniteBooks_USA.

+

$19.74

Get it as soon as Monday, Jun 26

Only 12 left in stock - order soon.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

One of these items ships sooner than the other.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

John Foot
270
Paperback
19 offers from $12.01

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1985, Agnew and his girlfriend left their home and jobs in Ireland in search of adventure in a warmer clime. They settled in Italy, where she got a steady job teaching and he followed his dream of covering Italian football. Part memoir, part sports commentary, part political and cultural observations, these pedestrian fan's notes record the exciting and the sordid world of Italian football, including its relatively recent glory days of the 1990s. As he observes, football in Italy is currently undergoing a crisis, ranging from financial meltdown to match fixing and drug scandals, that reflects the wider political and social crisis afflicting the country. For example, Agnew chronicles the life of Diego Armando Maradona in the 1980s, one of Italy's greatest footballers of all time, whose penchant for drugs, sex and the fast life ruined his career. In spite of Maradona's shortcomings and eventual arrest on drug possession charges, Italians stood by their footballer, demonstrating just how strongly football is embedded in Italian culture. Agnew waxes poetic in his admiration for the game, concluding that it brings together the creative genius of Da Vinci, the fun of the carnavale and the elements of commedia dell'arte. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Paddy Agnew is a match commentator on Italian football for state broadcaster RAI and has covered Italian soccer for ESPN TV, BBC World Service radio, Reuters, World Soccer magazine, and many other news organizations.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ebury Press (October 1, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0091905621
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0091905620
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.88 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,492,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,677 in Soccer (Books)
- #4,023 in Sports History (Books)
- #4,721 in Football (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.2 115 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Paddy Agnew

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

115 global ratings

5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Sam P

Interesting Perspective Easy Read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 13, 2010

Verified Purchase

This was a very enjoyable book to read. Lots of great perspective on Italian Football. It is not the most complete book on the subject, but it is a very easy read. I always appreciate a book that is easy to follow and keeps your attention. The author is also very objective. He addresses allot of issues that are quite controvercial, but he tends to never come across as too judgemental or as somebody that has all of the answers.

Unfortunately, the subject matter was a little bit disheartening. Agnew pulls some really ugly skeletons out of the closet on the subject of Italian Football. Knowing what I know now, it will be hard for me to enjoy Italian football quite as much.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Charles FitzGerald

Excellent read, definitely worth the purchase price

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 6, 2014

I picked up this book during an airport stopover I wasn't expecting to have so suffices to say I wasn't in a brilliant mood, but this book quickly changed that. I sat in a quiet corner of the airport and was so engrossed in the book that I nearly missed my flight home.

It covers not only the football but the culture surrounding it and how Italian football reflects the character of the Italian people, from the scandals of Juventus to the world cup win in 2006 it really does cover an interesting period of Italian football.

If you have an interest in how Serie A came to be what it is and what is was definitely read this book, I can't recommend it enough.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Carlo Ghioni

mistake and shallow knowledge

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2011

Verified Purchase

just a few mistakes to start with: the legenday 'libero' of the '80s, is not Giacinto Scirea :-((
is Gaetano Scirea, Giacinto Facchetti was a left back defender in the 60s-70s,
the former played for Juventus Turin, the second for Inter Milan, it would be like naming Maurice Richard as John... or Kobe Bryant as Shaq...

the frankenstein-like defender built up this way would rather be an amazing player...although he never existed...

in 1990 - the world cup semi-final between Argentina and Italy final score was a tie, 1-1 - not an Argentinean victory as it is stated, and Maradona played rather bad, he scored the penalty kick in the series of shoot out after the game ended, leading Argentina to the final

the book features a never ending list of clichés and stereotypes on Italy and Italians, such they are generally enjoyed by wealthy British people living in the countryside, and is packed with minor mistakes such as the above-mentioned ones;
Italy looks that way if one were to live in a mansion in Tuscany, or in a villa in the countryside outside Rome;

life in the cities though is totally different, and hence the perspective one would get from, having to deal on a daily basis with corruption and organised crime and violence and abuse is totally another deal;
would have loved that the author spent at least a couple of days on those realitites, before phylosophying on a country only seen through the mirror of legends and clichés

the report from Turin, or from the South are un-realistic and fed with biais- the bar talks on monday morning in any bar in the country is rather more profound and documented;
the last chapter references to the 2006 match-fixing scandal are undocumented: if the author were to speak with any (any...) Italian fans, he would had been told what the recent trials held in Napoli is showing: the so-called-scandal was a general practise, behind the scandal sat other motivations such as rivalry within Agnelli family for the control and real ownership of Juventus and Fiat on one part (gianni agnelli's vs umberto agnelli heirs), a massive debts of big teams (Inter Milan and above all Roma and Lazio) towards the Italian revenue Agency of about 450 millions euros on the other , a debt that was cancelled by the Berlusconi's government a few months later B who also happened to be the president and owner of Milan...);

nothing of that backdrop is shed light upon; which is a little poor content for an investigative reporter

if anybody were to collect such a list of mistakes, misinformation, clichés and stereotypes, shallow analysis on either UK of the United States, the anglo-saxon communities would be outraged

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Brian Maitland

not just on soccer

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 10, 2011

Usually I hate books that place the author in the story but somehow this works mainly because Paddy Agnew is a person I think many of us can relate to. He talks about his life and how he and his wife came to the decision to move to Italy and how that morphed into this freelance position as a Irish Protestant (and soccer fan) who ended up covering the Vatican...and Serie A (and B, C and D as well) soccer.

The majority of the book focuses on the modern post-'80s history of Italian soccer with just a sprinkling of the history (for that go to John Foot's excellent Calcio). Agnew also is not a cynical writer and is a fan of soccer so it makes for a read that all fans can relate to. Lucky for us he was in Italy covered soccer just as the whole Diego Maradona w/ Napoli saga unfolded. He is also the first writer I feel who has been able to link the betting scandal of the '80s to Italy's 1982 World Cup win to the '90s match-fixing scandals that led really to Italy's 2006 World Cup win.

The book does not get bogged down in some sort of season-by-season chronolgical look at Italian soccer. Chapters on Berlusconi and how his Milan soccer team shaped his political successes and a look at how the Italian vs. British press operate by viewing it through the eyes of ex-Lazio and ex-England manager Sven Goran Eriksson rank up there with the very best of soccer writing.

The only two chapters I skimmed over were the Juventus on Trial and End Game which focused on the doping and match fixing scandals. Maybe because these were fairly recent and still somewhat at the forefront of my cranial lobe, they just did not grab me as much as the others.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

MZ

Nice to read

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 17, 2018

Verified Purchase

Lot of interesting details. Lot of non calcio related fillers too. If you know how to skim through those you will enjoy this book.

Michael DiIorio

Great read for Serie A fans and expats

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 22, 2013

Verified Purchase

Exactly what I was expecting, a great collection of the best and worst of Serie A in the last 25 years, combined with personal anecdotes about settling to life in Italy.

mapchapuk

Forza Italia

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 22, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is a genuinely enjoyable book about Italian football and life in the early 21st Century. I particularly enjoyed the parts about the author's early experience of Italian life.

2 people found this helpful

Stephen

Italy v Argentina

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 7, 2020

Verified Purchase

I liked the look into Maradona, but there wasnt enough about him the player and what he done in games. There was a few factual mistakes in there including the semi final result between Argentina and Italy which is quite a big mistake. It is a very good book on the whole.

One person found this helpful

R. Thomas

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

A book for my Italian football loving father. I'm sure he will appreciate.

One person found this helpful

See all reviews

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers	6pm Score deals on fashion brands	AbeBooks Books, art & collectibles	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Sell on Amazon Start a Selling Account

Amazon Business Everything For Your Business	Amazon Fresh Groceries & More Right To Your Door	AmazonGlobal Ship Orders Internationally	Home Services Experienced Pros Happiness Guarantee	Amazon Ignite Sell your original Digital Educational Resources	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Audible Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data	ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics	DPReview Digital Photography	Fabric Sewing, Quilting & Knitting

Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	IMDbPro Get Info Entertainment Professionals Need	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Prime Video Direct Video Distribution Made Easy

Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands	Amazon Warehouse Great Deals on Quality Used Products	Whole Foods Market America’s Healthiest Grocery Store	Woot! Deals and Shenanigans	Zappos Shoes & Clothing	Ring Smart Home Security Systems

eero WiFi Stream 4K Video in Every Room	Blink Smart Security for Every Home	Neighbors App Real-Time Crime & Safety Alerts	Amazon Subscription Boxes Top subscription boxes – right to your door	PillPack Pharmacy Simplified	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust

Buy new: $21.91$21.91 FREE delivery: June 30 - July 7 Ships from: InfiniteBooks_USA Sold by: InfiniteBooks_USA

Buy used: $1.40

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Forza Italia: The Fall and Rise of Italian Football Paperback – October 1, 2008

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Paddy Agnew

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$21.91

FREE delivery: June 30 - July 7

Ships from: InfiniteBooks_USA

Sold by: InfiniteBooks_USA

Buy used:

$1.40