Behind the Curtain: Travels in Eastern European Football

by Jonathan Wilson

Alternate-Cover Edition for this ISBN can be found here

From the war-ravaged streets of Sarajevo, where turning up for training involved dodging snipers' bullets, to the crumbling splendor of Budapest's Bozsik Stadium, where the likes of Puskas and Kocsis masterminded the fall of England, the landscape of Eastern Europe has changed immeasurably since the fall of communism. Jonathan Wilson has traveled extensively behind the old Iron Curtain, viewing life beyond the fall of the Berlin Wall through the lens of soccer. Where once the state-controlled teams of the Eastern bloc passed their way with crisp efficiency—a sort of communist version of total soccer—to considerable success on the European and international stages, today the beautiful game in the East has been opened up to the free market, and throughout the region a sense of chaos pervades. The threat of totalitarian interference no longer remains; but in its place mafia control is generally accompanied with a crippling lack of funds. Jonathan Wilson goes in search of the spirit of Hungary's Golden Squad of the early 1950s; charts the disintegration of the soccer superpower that was the former Yugoslavia; follows a sorry tale of corruption, mismanagement, and Armenian cognac through the Caucasuses; reopens the case of Russia's greatest soccer player, Eduard Streltsov; and talks to Jan Tomaszewski about an autumn night at Wembley in 1973.

Genres: Football, Sports, Nonfiction, Soccer, History, Travel, Russia

325 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Jonathan Wilson is a British sports journalist and author who writes for a number of publications including the Guardian, the Independent and Sports Illustrated. He also appears on the Guardian football podcast, Football Weekly.

Reviews

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind the Curtain : Travels in Eastern European Football (2006) by Jonathon Wilson catalogues much of Eastern European football from the years after WWII to the fall of Communism and beyond. It reads as part travel book, part sports book and part history book.
Wilson wrote the really excellent Inverting the Pyramid about football tactics and is a fine writer as well as a keen observer of football. He also has a love of Eastern European Football that comes through in the book.
The book covers Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, the former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, The Caucasus and Russia in long chapters that go through the history of national teams, major clubs, great players and great coaches.
The political arrangements are followed by the deal and corruption of the modern era. Despite being a football book it prompts the question of why organise football well at all if society is collapsing. In places where football is used as a political tool it makes sense but in corrupt broken countries it's hard to justify running a club well. It does make you realise that well run clubs that are not corrupt are in many ways stranger than a club run by a local rich man.
The book wouldn't be fun for anyone who isn't interested in football. It probably requires both an interest in football and an interest in Eastern Europe, but if you are interested in both then it's a well written, rewarding read.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing any book about Eastern Europe must be a hazardous process. The chief problem involves a decision on whether to concentrate on life before the collapse of communism or what has ensued since. Most authors take the former course and so Wilson should be congratulated for attempting to tackling the chaotic, often anarchic, events of recent years.

Wilson does well to capture the fast pace of change in Eastern Europe and the rise of previously unheralded clubs such as Litex Lovech and Groclin. The pace of events also proves to be his downfall though. It is quite possible that he should have waited until he was a bit older before writing the book (a mention of a 1992 school trip to Russia marks him out as startlingly young) and it is not clear if he travelled to the eastern Bloc before the end of the old systems, and recent astonishing events such as CSKA's UEFA Cup win and the huge sums dished out by the likes of Dynamo Moscow are relegated to the epilogue. He also states that "..for Steaua Bucharest, a second European Cup success is as far away as a second league title is for Ipswich". Steaua secured themselves a place in the semi final of the 2005-06 UEFA Cup - merely weeks after this book was published.

Another frustration is the selective nature of the coverage. To be more authoritative, the book could have been a good deal longer, with a statistics section at the back listing league title winners in the various countries. It might also have benefitted from broad brush analysis and less reliance on the personalized accounts of whichever personality Wilson managed to track down at any particular time (interesting as some of these undoubtedly are.)

East Germany - and Dynamo Berlin's run of league titles in the 1980s - is a major omission. It would have been fascinating to have Wilson's opinions on how the likes of Hansa Rostock and Dynamo Dresden have struggled in a united league. And what of Latvia? Their achievement in reaching the finals of Euro 2004 isn't mentioned at all.

Overall, however, the pace with which I read this book is a testament to how interesting it is and Wilson is certainly a football writer to look out for in the future.

[Rishabh Thakur]

By the way a couple of characters from recent Indian football turn up here. One (Igor Stimac (former national team manager)) turns up in the middle; while another Andrey Chernishov (current Mohammedan manager who led them to promotion) right near the end.

[Helena Demirci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favourite quotes:

'Injury time was approaching when Gavrila Balint headed what he believed was the goal that would give Steaua a 2-1 victory over their city rivals Dinamo in the 1988 Romanian Cup Final. As he raised his arms in celebration, though, the linesman raised his flag: offside. What followed has come to symbolise both the madness of football under the Ceausescu regime and the intensity of the rivalry between Dinamo and Steaua. According to most witnesses, Valentin Ceausescu, son of Nicolae and president of Steaua, signalled from the Communist Party box for his players to leave the field. 'A crazy day, a show of power', Mircea Lucescu, the Dinamo coach that day, told me. 'I said to their players, "come on, please, you are professionals", but they still went off. We were left standing around for half an hour waiting for somebody to tell us what to do'. Taking some kind of initiative, the Dinamo defender Ioan Andone dropped his shorts and waved his penis in protest at the Communist Party box, an act for which he received a one-year ban from football. The referee eventually abandoned the match and the cup was presented to Dinamo. 'We went home', Lucescu said, 'but the next day they took the cup off us because Ceausescu had decided that Steaua had won'.

'When they made the trip to Armenia to face Dinamo Yerevan in September 1949, Dinamo Moscow were on their way to a fifth league title. After thirty five minutes though, they found themselves 3-0 down... That, clearly, wouldn't do, so General Blinov, deputy minister of the Ministry of State Security, telephoned the government room at the stadium and ordered the Armenian Minister of the Interior, Comrade Grigoryan, to take measures to ensure victory for Dinamo Moscow... When the teams came out for the second half, a sinister figure in a black coat took up a position behind the Yerevan goal, every now and again hissing 'Miss!' When the goalkeeper went to gather a shot'.

[David Twine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guess what? Football is controlled by big money and it is not played on a level playing field. For all the obviousness of the conclusion this foray into Eastern European football is mostly entertaining, especially the insights into the development of football in former communist states. The author is a well-travelled football journalist and knows his subject.

[Fred Culley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Full of funny anecdotes, tragic stories and a clear love of football! What is not to like!!

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

As summarized in the title, this book is an introduction to the tragicomedy Eastern Europe and the history of its football (soccer). The fall of the iron curtain, the Bosnian war, intra-Soviet geopolitics, transitions from communism, disappointments in democracy, you get to see them all through the lens of football.

[Richard Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb advertisement for east European football. Well judged balance between history, culture and football.

[Nick Grammos · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much a book about the Wall, and how football was played. Imagine Death of Stalin the movie with football at the centre of the storyline.

[Matt Roylance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really is an excellent book. Although the fact that it was published in 2006 means that I would really love to see an updated version, it is still wholly relevant. Wilson combines a social, cultural and political history of the breakdown of the iron curtain with stories of great players, teams & generations from all over this fascinating part of the world. I feel that I now understand not just the football of the region, past & present in more depth, but the legacy of its past as well in a social and political sense as well. I can’t recommend this highly enough.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devoured this book because it appealed to my inner football/history/geography geek. Some great and disturbing stories are revealed. The author is clearly astonishingly knowledgable about the subject and obviously has a love of Eastern Europe (some bits and peoples more than others) Some amazingly exotic clubs and players referenced. Read the book in four days. Loved it but I’m not sure how many other people in the world are as as sad as me 😃

[Kevin Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable travelogue through East European football in mid 2000s. Detailed yet readable account which nicely uses the political and social context of the former Soviet bloc countries in describing the development of their football

[C M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behind the Curtain is the ultimate book on football and politics in Eastern Europe. Jonathan Wilson has long covered football in post-communist Europe for a variety of soccer blogs and magazines and combines rich historical detail with passionate and lively accounts of trips to the big and small teams of the region. Divided into chapters on specific countries (often within subregions), Wilson describes many famous historic stories about famous and mythical clubs, games or players -- often in excruciating and at times confusing detail -- but also tells lively stories of his personal trips through the region in which he interviewed the who is who in East European football. While the book is at times overly detailed, and does require quite some previous knowledge about the region to fully appreciate, it is an amazing work that belongs to the best books on football and politics.

[Andhika Padmawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish this book, since I'm only interested in Aranycsapat, the mighty Hungary national team in the 1950s. And then I lost my interest to read the rest because I'm not familiar with teams from Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina. But the story of Eduard Streltsov of USSR made me able to finish the book. This book is for people who want to understand the concept and history of football in Eastern Europe. Jonathan was able to brought this fairy tale into the book. Well done indeed.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book and an interesting insight into football in Eastern Europe. My only issues with the book were the fact it was a little difficult to really get into, and the fact it was quite the book I was excepting, I half excepted it to be a Travel Log/Historical football book, but I wasn't too disappointed really.

[Kealan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive account of football in Eastern Europe both before and after the fall of communism. What was merely a tool of by the regime became the plaything of oligarchs post-1989. My only criticism is the overwhelming level of detail; the sheer number of players, officials, etc. can be hard to keep track of. And why was the former Czechoslovakia omitted?

[James Ware · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, the mix of history and football culture was about right. The ex-players and people connected with the sport that he meets on his travels are interesting to say the least. This really is a must for the type of fan who has a thirst for knowledge on the game in the darker parts of Europe.

[Adam Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for the casual fan - when it’s good it’s very good and there’s some fascinating stories and histories to uncover. However, it can get a bit samey - when you don’t know the ins-and-outs of Eastern European football to begin with, some club and player names all start to sound the same which can gloss over some intricacies - the gist comes across, though. A good book for an aficionado.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eastern Europe Through the Lens of Football

It’s always a 5/5 for me when it comes to the subject matter for a Jonathan Wilson book.

His writing style is where I’m not always a fan, but I’m pleased to say this was an enjoyable read and well organized.

Recommended for football and history fans alike!

[Robin Peake · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great holiday read, but not a great commute read - the chapters need to be broken up to help you pick up where you left off.

Fascinating insights into the Hungarian international team of the 50s, and into the demise of the great Ukrainian domestic teams though

[Edmole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and taught me a lot about eastern european history than just their footballers.

My favourite bit was that there is a Romanian player called Adrian Bumescu.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Jonathon Wilson. An in-depth, anecdotal look at the power clubs, players and managers of Eastern European football. Favorite chapter was the one on Ukraine - love watching Shakhtar!

[John Costello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and interesting

[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

A first-time writer shows his inexperience by reviewing history at the expense of travel-writing; we can get this from the internet

[Brenda Stahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting review with some cultural pedagogy. For anyone watching the championships right now, this is such an introspective look at some of these countries.

[Matt Narode · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid read with the WC in Russia and Croatia making it to the final.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have generally liked Wilson's books, and the hallmarks of his style were there in this volume too - deeply researched, many interviews with relevant parties, staying on topics that clearly interest him personally, and a need to make a stab at concluding what actually happened without enough evidence to say.

Unfamiliar with the football of many of the nations featured, most of this was new to me, and with this sparse background knowledge Wilson did a good job of introducing the reader to the clubs and people involved. There was no clear central theme beyond football past and present, and the subjects varied from invididual owners, players and managers, to the general level of the facilities and the financial health of clubs and leagues.

There were many similarities, namely that lots of clubs had financial difficulties since the privatisation of football following the break up of the USSR and Yugolavia at roughly the same time. Those with sponsorship backing could do well, but were also in a more precarious position should that source of funding run dry, and corruption was common from the previous political patronage, to the newer political and financial influences in the mid-2000s. It can make for a more interesting story, but also caused me to doubt many of the past historical narratives when so much is of dubious legitimacy. It also enables seemingly every party to claim corruption on the part of others, although Wilson did try and sort the legitimate claims from the more fanciful.

It also formed part of the context for the popularity of football, which for the bigger clubs appeared to be in worse health than in the days when big clubs from each modern day nation were playing in the same league. This was partly put down to independence and clubs no longer acting as an expression of nationalism, and partly Bosman meaning players could move abroad earlier leaving behind a weaker league of dubious validity.

I felt the mix of personal stories and wider trends was well-judged, although the tale of Streltsov seemed a little out of context, and I presume the later novel means that this was a pet project of Wilson. Sometimes he would spend too long trying to be an authoritative voice on a subject that relied too much on hearsay, and the chapters with more personal experience were better for the increased access, while the more professional leagues like modern Russia lacked the detail that made the other chapters interesting. His own experiences of tracking down interviewees and travelling added some of this detail and made for a more atmospheric book.

The subject was similar and this was a bit like James Montague's books in its mix of football and travelogue, along with the mixed level of access. While reading this on a train a stranger told me it was good and this proved to be the case, even if some of the chapters appealed to me more than others.

[Edwin Setiadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

What footballing life is like in Eastern Europe

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.

[Tiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was written in 2006, so there is a couple of information that did not age quite well (namely the promise of a better Russian football at the UEFA level following the CSKA Moscow win against Sporting CP in 2005). Nevertheless it is an enjoyable read peppered with some fascinating stories and characters from eastern european countries.

Jonathan Wilson, a journalist, traveled to countries such as Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Russia, Yugoslavia and so on to watch some games and talk to football personalities (current and old). Throughout the book and we have a commom thread. Football in those eastern countries are on the decline, corruption is rampant, and the post-communist era led to the elevation of some shady people to positions of power in football. Another fact that led to this decline was the genesis of the Champions League in the 90s. Exactly during the same period these countries were reeling from the decline of their communist regimes. Wilson has a very british way to tell stories. Even someone who was never heard about him could deduce he as from England after reading a couple of paragraphs. Of course, all the analogies he makes uses England examples.

If the post-communist football in these countries are corrupt and used as money laundering by some shady people, during the communist era the corruption was quite the same. The main difference was that politics was heavily involved. The regime used sports as propaganda or, in some case, there was a clear "favorite team" of the leader. In the case of Soviet Union and Yugoslavia we could also see some nationalistic trends infused in football (Ucrania and Armenia vs Russia / Croatia vs Serbia vs Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Slovenia).

The book deserves 3,5 stars out of the 5 but I am rounding it down to 3 because I believe the book deserved a 20/25 page appendix listing the historical results of the leagues covered (league champions, cup champions, and UEFA competition highlights).

[Simon Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very pleasurable read. Jonathan Wilson delights in investigating football culture in the less-glamorous parts of Europe, and as someone who lived in Poland and attended Legia Warsaw matches for a number of years, I totally understand that.
The central theme of the book from start to finish is corruption, which seems to be a depressing fact of football life in Central and Eastern Europe. Or, at least, seemed to be in 2006, when 'Behind the Curtain' was published. And this is my one minor quibble. Is the same true now? In 2006, the Premier League was won by Chelsea, with Manchester United 2nd and Liverpool 3rd. No big difference there, you might say. However, in the book, Wilson writes about 'the big 4' of Polish football: Legia, Wisla Krakow, Amica Wronki and Groclin Grodzisk. The latter two don't exist any more and Wisla are a pale shadow of the club they were. I don't know if the same is true in other sections, but a lot of the chapter about Poland has been rendered redundant by radical changes. An updated version would be welcome.
But as I note, this is a small criticism, and it's hardly the author's fault that the football landscape in 2021 in some countries isn't remotely the same as it was in 2006. I devoured this book in a couple of weeks and thoroughly enjoyed it.