The football World Cup is unquestionably the biggest sporting event in the world. This fascinating collection of papers examines the background to the 2002 World Cup Finals, held in Korea and Japan, and explores the event's profound social, cultural, political and economic significance.
The book offers important insight into topics such as:
* the development of professional football in Korea and Japan
* the political and diplomatic significance of the first co-hosted World Cup
* FIFA and the 'back stage' dealing behind the World Cup
* football as a global culture and its impact on 'traditional' East Asian structures.
This book is essential reading for anybody looking to understand the power of sporting 'mega-events' and the increasingly complex relationship between sport and society. It is also an absorbing read for all serious fans of world football.

John Horne, Wolfram Manzenreiter

1. Introduction Section One: Political Economy 2. Staging the Finals 3. Governing Bodies in World Football 4. The Political Economy of the World Cup Section Two: Football in Korea and Japan 5. The Development in Football in Japan 6. The Development of Football in Korea 7. Korean Football at the Crossroads: A View from Inside Section Three: Football Fandom / Contestation 8. Gender and Football Fandom in Japan 9. Japanese Football: Following the Local and the National Team 10. Koreans and Football in Japan Section Four: Sport Spectacles, Mega Events and the Leisure State 11. The Political, Economic, and Diplomatic Significance of the 2002 Finals 12. The Mass Media and Football in Japan