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Miguel Delaney is the chief football writer at the Independent and has been nominated for several awards, including the Football Supporters' Association Writer of the Year, British Journalism Awards Sports Journalist of the Year and SJA Sports Writer of the Year. He is one of football's leading journalists and has covered 14 consecutive Champions League finals, 4 World Cups, and 5 European Championships, amongst others.

States of Play by Miguel Delaney investigates how global politics and immense wealth have transformed football from a community sport into a tool of power. Delaney shows how state-backed owners and billionaires use clubs like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain to polish reputations and extend influence—a process known as sportswashing. He traces how weak regulation, from Financial Fair Play to failed oversight of takeovers, has allowed this shift to accelerate. The book highlights the human rights concerns and ethical compromises behind mega-events such as the Qatar World Cup.