To celebrate Thailand’s fourth ASEAN Cup title

If you were among those people watching with excitement as Thailand broke the hearts of Malaysian fans, a further way to commemorate the occasion might be to learn more about the sport by reading one of the books in the collection of the TU Libraries.

Even if you hate football, knowing more about it can help you to understand why it means so much to other people around the world and especially in the Kingdom.

For example, The Guinness book of world soccer: the history of the game in over 150 countries.

or The Encyclopedia of World Cup Soccer.

or The World Cup: the ultimate guide to the greatest sports spectacle in the world.

or The World Cup: the complete history.

Learning about football in other countries can add to your perspectives about the game, so take a look at Pelé, the king of soccer.

and Pelé: the autobiography.

or Schmeichel: the autobiography.

or indeed David Beckham: my side.

or Beckham.

and John Aldridge: my story.

and Managing my life: my autobiography by Alex Ferguson.

Rio: my story by Rio Ferdinand.

Blessed: the autobiography by George Best.

Michael Owen off the record: my autobiography.

or try Golazo!: the beautiful game from the Aztecs to the World Cup : the complete history of how soccer shaped Latin America.

or Passion of the people?: football in South America.

or Does your Rabbi know you’re here?: the story of English football’s forgotten tribe.

or Global perspectives on football in Africa: visualising the game.

If you are accustomed to reading about football in Thai language publications, there has even been an analysis of these, A comparative study of two most popular football magazines in Thailand, Soccer Fever and FourFourTwo Thai edition.

If you are a parent with football-mad kids who demand your participation in their enthusiasm, a book such as The baffled parent’s guide to coaching girls’ soccer might contain useful advice.

You may wish to deepen your understanding of some unpleasant aspects of football fandom, by checking out Understanding football hooliganism: a comparison of six Western European football clubs.

or Football hooligans: knowing the score.

There are also weighty studies for serious intellectuals who want to place football in the context of great world trends, such as The economics of football.

and also Football : a sociology of the global game.

as well as Beautiful game theory : how soccer can help economics.

and Fanatics!: power, identity, and fandom in football.

and Football cultures and identities.

and The football world: a contemporary social history.

or Post-fandom and the millennial blues: the transformation of soccer culture.

or Football goes East: business, culture, and the people’s game in China, Japan, and South Korea.

Some authors claim that watching football can help you in other aspects of life, such as Business and the beautiful game: how you can apply the skills & passion of football to be a winner in business.

At the very least, by reading any of these titles, you will hone your English skills and refresh your vocabulary if you ever need to argue with farang friends about sports and who will win the next match. Reading any of these should add knowledge and understanding for the next time the Thai team triumphs. If you need cheering up whenever the team does not do so well, there is always The world’s best football jokes.

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)