World Cup Chronicles

Jorge Knijnik's wonderful new book, The World Cup Chronicles - 31 Days that Rocked Brazil, is a unique and different look at the 2014 World Cup and its social, cultural, political and sporting impact on the people of Brazil. The World Cup wasn't 'just' a football tournament for Brazilian people - even though it came to be defined by the infamous 7-1 semi-final result against eventual winners, Germany - but it was part of the national psyche and important social change, overlaid by what we now know as corrupt practices within world football which included those in power in football in Brazil over decades. Knijnik's book looks at before, during and after the World Cup and discusses the much-vaunted 'legacy' issues to which FIFA has always pointed as being what they give back to a nation.