---
product_id: 3390316
title: "Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football"
brand: "jonathan wilson"
price: "4748 kr"
currency: ISK
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.is/products/3390316-behind-the-curtain-travels-in-eastern-european-football
store_origin: IS
region: Iceland
---

# Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football

**Brand:** jonathan wilson
**Price:** 4748 kr
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football by jonathan wilson
- **How much does it cost?** 4748 kr with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.is](https://www.desertcart.is/products/3390316-behind-the-curtain-travels-in-eastern-european-football)

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## Description

Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football

## Images

![Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Ww3E1sy7L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    What footballing life is like in Eastern Europe
  

*by E***I on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 12, 2022*

This is a romantic book about life as a football reporter in Eastern Europe, a place where the beautiful game is played a little bit differently, where the line between sports and politics is a little less clear, but with passion for the game unmistakably resonates the universal love like in any other parts of the world.The book tells the tales of local heroes and legends, the larger than life characters, the rise and fall of the local teams, and the memorable moments in their respective national team’s history. It tells the anecdotes such as why so many supporters eat sunflower seeds in Georgia, or which club’s vice president have pictures of Britney Spears in his leather-bound notebook. And of course it tells about all the iconic football matches - the Dynamo Kyiv, the Spartak Moscow, the Red Star Belgrade, the Steaua Bucharest, the CSKA Sofia, the Hajduk Split -, including the ones that the author, Jonathan Wilson, attended himself, from the big name derbies to an invigorated match in the 3rd division pitch in the Bulgarian FA Cup.The book also tells about the many stories outside the football field that define the environment of the region. Such as the hatred among the former Yugoslavian countries that are reflected in the matches, the deep mistrust of everyday people in Romania, the hooliganism problem in Hungary, the chilling atmosphere during the dictatorship of Stalin, and the many incredible personal stories such as what happened when French player Youri Djorkaeff went to his ancestral home Armenia, or the story of the last plane leaving Bosnia before the war broke in 1992 that was carrying a future football superstar Hasan Salihamidžić.Meanwhile, as in other many walks of life in Eastern Europe, corruption and bribery are rampant, while match fixing is not uncommon. And while the countries from Baltic to Balkan to Caucasus have transitioned from a communist subject into independent countries, plenty of the embedded old structures are still pretty much in place in their societies, with Soviet/Yugoslav control replaced by local dictators or oligarchs or gangs of mafia that have vested interests in the football matches.Thus, reporting about football in this part of the world becomes an intricate job, as it often deals more with the likes of prostitutes, kidnappings and even assassinations than just another injury update or a transfer rumor. This, in short, is what makes this book mighty interesting.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    A good set of stories
  

*by A***R on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 18, 2014*

Viewed as a collection of unrelated stories on the same topic (triumph and tragedy in the football cultures of former Soviet republics), this book succeeds.  It is not a tight continuous narrative, though.  This makes for good airplane or beach reading.  Take a country's chapter, read it on a short flight, and you can pick up a few weeks later with another country if you like.It is also a vivid depiction of these places and the people who inhabit them, which is a nice bonus in a football book.  There have been some real personalities over the years.I recommend Behind the Curtain if you enjoy learning about this part of the world and if you like reading stories about football or sports in general.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Excellent book on Eastern European football!  Loved every page.
  

*by J***R on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 20, 2013*

Jonathan Wilson is a great author who investigated these stories so well!  I've always been in love with Eastern European football, and it was great to learn about it in such entertaining and detailed fashion.This covers the Balkans thoroughly, Hungary, the Caucasian states, of course Ukraine + Russia, Poland and more.  Weaving history and culture with football, the big picture issues with money after the fall of communism are painted brilliantly.  The politics of historically politically significant Eastern European clubs are depicted wonderfully.I wish there was more to go from here and more Wilson books available on Kindle!Only thing is that the landscape in Russia has changed so dramatically over the past few years (see Zenit, Rubin, Terek, Anzhi), it could perhaps use a bit of an addition to the Russian section.  Other than that, an amazing book!

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*Product available on Desertcart Iceland*
*Store origin: IS*
*Last updated: 2026-01-27*