Association football is the richest, most popular sport in history with a multicultural global following. It is also riven with corruption, racism, homophobia and a violence that has for decades resisted all attempts to tame it. Cashmore and Cleland examine football's dark side: the unpleasant, sleazy and downright nasty aspects of the sport.

Ellis Cashmore is Professor of Culture, Media and Sport at Staffordshire University, UK. is the author of Beckham; Tyson; Making Sense of Sports and other books on social and cultural aspects of sport. You can find out more about Ellis at http://bit.ly/EllisCashmore. Jamie Cleland is a Lecturer in Criminology at Loughborough University, UK. He has published widely on contemporary football fandom and identity. You can find out more about Jamie at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/socialsciences/staff/cleland-jamie.html.