Everyone can agree that the global game is not perfect. There are a lot of issues facing the sport at the current time with corruption, match-fixing, and spoiled millionaire superstars among the biggest. But no problem is more pressing than the trafficking and exploitation of young players. It’s a truly disturbing and sickening issue, one that hasn’t gotten the attention it truly deserves.
The Lost Boys: Inside Football’s Slave Trade by Ed Hawkins is an absolutely incredible read. This book definitely shows how naive many of us are when it comes to the plight of young footballers around the globe. This is the ugly side of the beautiful game and it’s a big problem, much bigger than we would have ever thought.
Hawkins, armed with three Sports Journalist Association awards, proves to be a brilliant investigative mind. He uncovers a dark underworld of people that are using the game to make money from unsuspecting and innocent children and families. Children are being lured into false promises and dreams in far away countries, only to find themselves abused, homeless, or even worse. For every Ronaldo and Messi, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of kids like Jay-Jay, a key figure in the book. It’s terribly tragic and disgusting.
We have to say that this is Pulitzer-worthy, the most dramatic piece of investigative journalism to ever hit the beautiful game. It is a step above Declan Hill’s The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime, which is widely regarded as one of the finest football titles ever written. The difference here has to be the backing of Bloomsbury, a publisher that is known for brilliant offerings in sport.
This title’s best quality is its ability to raise awareness for an important issue, one that many didn’t know about or simply ignored. This is a difference maker, a book that can actually create change and make a real difference in the lives of children around the globe. Now that is a powerful text, our early favorite for the best football title in 2016.
