We recently caught up Anthony Higgins, author of a new book about Spanish football and here he gives us a synopsis of what the book is all about:
I have been going to football matches for well over 30 years, primarily Newcastle United, and had always wanted to write a book about my experiences.
Whilst researching for a regular feature that I do, for Newcastle fanzine True faith, called The Real Spain, I discovered a fan owned and very atypical football club, called CAP Ciudad de Murcia. It soon dawned on me that I had the perfect opportunity to write about football and my growing disillusionment with the modern game. It also gave me a chance to write about general life in Spain and the history and customs of what is a fascinating country.
I travelled far and wide, to every corner of the Region of Murcia and further afield to places as diverse as Gibraltar and Bilbao.
On my travels I saw some good football and some downright bad football, but all of that was only a backdrop. The people on the terraces took precedence over the players on the pitch but that has always been the way for me. I met some great people along the way from a wide range of places like Dublin, Manchester, London, Bilbao, Cadiz, Seville and many other places. All of these people had interesting stories to tell.
Along the way, I uncovered some lost football history, about the pioneers that had brought football to Murcia, none more so than the Geordie Spaniard, Manny Pelegr
