09 - 15 NOVEMBER 2026
Miguel Delaney
Miguel Delaney is Chief Football Writer at The Independent. He has been in role since 2017, having worked as a football journalist for The Independent and other outlets for 15+ years. He has covered four World Cups, four European Championships and 15 Champions League finals, while distinguishing his work with coverage of all of the sport's major issues from sportswashing to the state of the game. This has seen him nominated for all major sportswriting awards, including British Press Awards sportswriter of the year and Sports Journalist Association football writer of the year.
ABOUT THE BOOK
'States of Play'
The definitive account of how capitalism and the world’s elite corrupted modern football
As the 2022 World Cup in Qatar drew to a close, there was a bitter undercurrent to Argentina’s triumph. Throughout the tournament, numerous allegations of sportswashing and financial misconduct had been made against the state of Qatar, moving what had previously been a smaller conversation into the worldwide spotlight.
The question had been asked, who really owns and runs football?
Journeying from Abu Dhabi to Newcastle, and onto London, Paris, Moscow and New York, journalist Miguel Delaney investigates the allegations of sportswashing and misconduct in the beautiful game. The result is a gripping account of how football has been taken over by the world’s wealthiest businessmen, state-backed corporations, media tycoons and oil-rich oligarchs.
From Neymar’s £198 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and Abu Dhabi’s construction empire in Manchester to failed Financial Fair Play constraints and the dawn of the European Super League, Miguel draws on exclusive interviews and unprecedented access to key stakeholders to produce an all-encompassing exposé of modern footballs highest echelons.
Event Details
Friday, 14 November 2025 at 17:00:00 UTC
The Mayor's Parlour, City Hall
Governor's Parade, Gibraltar GX11 1AA, Gibraltar
