Ajax, the Dutch, the War : Football in Europe During the Second World War

The Holocaust, the Second World War, the Jewish community of Amsterdam, all seen through the filter of football. The Dutch club Ajax is the vehicle through which Simon Kuper recounts the stories of both survival and persecution of members of Amsterdam's Jewish population - almost 80 per cent of Amsterdam's Jewish Corner was wiped out in the War, and the long-held notion that, by and large, half the Dutch population had some kind of link to the Resistance has, of late, come into question. Simon Kuper explores this issue and looks deeper into the role of football across Europe in the years both preceding and following World War 2. "Prior to the war, Amsterdam was seen as a city of 'Jews and cyclists'. Crammed into the Jewish quarter was a population of around eighty thousand, many of them rag merchants, banana sellers and diamond cutters. A couple of miles to the east lay Ajax's De Meer stadium - of a Sunday, a bustling hub of activity at the furthest edge of the Quarter. By 1940 the Germans had sealed off the Quarter with barbed wire; by 1945 almost eighty per cent of the ghetto's population had been wiped out. And by the end of the century the long-held notion that, by and large, half the Dutch population had some kind of link to the Resistance was coming under question. This, in a country falling under the shadow of Pim Fortuyn's party ... " "In looking into the lives of individual players, club officials and ordinary fans during this tumultuous period Simon Kuper has skilfully pieced together an alternative account of World War II, one seen through the lens of football. He also widens the scope to take in England, France and Germany, and in depicting a continent obsessed with football during war-time - on the day Germany invaded the Soviet Union, ninety thousand spectators were in place for the kick-off of the German league final in Berlin - he challenges accepted notions of the war in occupied Europe."--Jacket. In Football Against the Enemy Simon Kuper crossed the globe in search of the links between football, politics and culture. In Ajax, the Dutch, the War he skilfully pieces together an alternative account of World War II. He looks at the lives of the footballers who played for the Dutch club, the officials and the ordinary fans during this tumultuous period and challenges the accepted notion of the War in occupied Europe. With almost 80 per cent of Amsterdam's Jewish Corner wiped out during the war, the long-held belief that, by and large, half the Dutch population had some kind of link to the Resistance has, of late, come into question. Kuper explores this issue and looks deeper into the role of football across Europe in the years both preceding and following the War. The result is a compelling and controversial account of the War, seen through the lens of football. Praise Title Page Dedication Acknowledgments A NOTE ON THE TEXT 1 - ORANGE SOLDIERS 2 - A SUNDAY BEFORE THE WAR 3 - A FRIENDLY SALUTE 4 - THE WARM BACK OF EDDY HAMEL 5 - THE LOST MEMORIES OF MEIJER STAD 6 - SPARTA I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. AFTER THE WAR IX. X. 7 - BOOM 8 - STRANGE LIES I. II. III. IV. 9 - CAPTAIN OF FRANCE, COLLABORATOR IN GORCUM STRASBOURG, SUMMER 1940 GORCUM, AUTUMN 1941 STRASBOURG, SUMMER 2001 GORCUM, AUTUMN 1941 STRASBOURG, 1943 GORCUM, 1942 WHY? STRASBOURG–POSTSCRIPT GORCUM–POSTSCRIPT 10 - THE NETHERLANDS WAS BETTER THAN THE REST 11 - SOLDIER HEROES I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. 12 - OF BUNKERS AND CIGARS I. II. III. IV. 13 - THE MOST POPULAR TEAM IN ISRAEL 14 - SOCCER SONGS OF THE NETHERLANDS 15 - DISNEYTOWN AND THE SECRET MONUMENTS AFTERWORD TO THE U.S. EDITION SOURCES INDEX Copyright Page The Holocaust, Dutch football and World War II - from the bestselling author of the award-winning FOOTBALL AGAINST THE ENEMY.