Customer Reviews:
 More Than Just A Game October 12, 2008
K. Knight (Cumbria)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I met Tony Suze on a plane to Johannesburg. As fellow passengers we began to swap pleasantries. Trapped on a plane, away from the demands of work, we both had a few hours to while away the time. What followed was the most fascinating conversation I had ever experienced. Not only was Tony able to describe his feelings on being incarcerated on Robben Island for fifteen years of his youth but he also began to explain the workings of and rationale behind the Markana Football Association. As a football fan for many years I had never heard of this amazing league and, as the detail emerged, the level of organisation and passion with which every game was played was simply breath taking. Keeping to strict FIFA rules the prisoners were able to pass their time on the island not only playing the game that they loved but also developing vital skills needed for life after the apartheid regime would end.
`More Than Just A Game' is a beautifully written book which charts this incredible story with detail and feeling. Painstakingly researched from boxes of records from the Robben Island archives and interviews with ex-prisoners, and brought to life by empathetic writing, Professor Chuck Korr and co-author Marvin Close have produced a truly captivating written account of the story. The brutality of day to day life, the struggle for the right to play football (and other sports) and the challenge for prisoners from different political parties to work together against the authorities is extraordinary. With the 2010 Football World Cup just around the corner this book is a timely reminder of the role of sport in breaking down barriers as we all look forward to a successful tournament in the Rainbow Nation.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everyone.
The 'Beautiful' Game October 11, 2008
JLP (Yorkshire, England)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Mention football to me a few months ago and my head would fill with visions of over-paid pouting prima-donnas, who spent their days in training, and their evenings at exclusive night-clubs!
Two* things have changed my opinion of late. This excellent book is one of them. As I read, I began to question my own attitudes and my opinion of the game.
'More Than Just A Game' traces the struggle faced by prisoners on Robben Island to achieve the right to exercise in the way they wanted - by playing football. Their courageous fight against the cruelty of discrimination and oppression, led the prisoners to organise games following the strict laws that govern football in the wider world.
The consequences were far-reaching with regard to the breaking down of apartheid.
I began to see the 'beautiful' game in a different light - a game which could bring friendship, co-operation, a sense of achievement, the building of relationships and the growth of self-esteem and above all, HOPE for the future.
I recommend this well-written book and urge others to read it.
* the second thing - just look at the huge effect the recent success of Hull City F.C. has had on the morale of a much maligned, but beautiful city!
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