Book description
Football is big business and it doesn't come much bigger than
Manchester United - commercial giants and the richest club in the
world. But in the shadow of Old Trafford a black economy is growing to
rival the commercial power of the official sales channels. Scum
Airways is an inside investigation of the Manchester grafters -
touts, black marketeers and shady dealers - who, led by characters
like 'Big Tommy', have come up with a remarkably successful
money-making venture: Scum Airways.
With the expansion of the Champions League came the opportunity for
the grafters to move from ticket touting and producing 'unofficial'
replica kits into the independent travel business. International
Travel is the company for those who, through choice or because of
their police records prohibit them, do not travel with the official
clubs. Their customers include many 'straight' supporters of Leeds
United, arch-rivals of Man U, but Tommy's core clients are the 'Lads'
- die-hard 30-something football hooligans.
Scum Airways follows the exploits and adventures of Big Tommy
and his team of grafters as they continue to build their empire. John
Sugden went along for the ride and provides startling insights into
professional football's burgeoning black economy. From Munich to
Madrid, Amsterdam to Bangkok, through to the streets and bars of Toyko
and Sapporo during the 2002 World Cup, and beyond, Scum Airways
reveals the dark side of the football business.
John Sugden has written many sports books, including
FIFA and the
Contest for World Football
and the acclaimed
Badfellas
(with Alan Tomlinson). He is a Professor of the Sociology of Sport at
the University of Brighton's Chelsea School.
