Matt McAvoy Book Review

Anthony Ranieri is a lovely author, incredibly eloquent, eager and inoffensive.  Furthermore, it is so refreshing to read a book set in the future, which focuses more on the sci-fi than on burdening its reader with doom and dystopia, its characters happy and ambitious.  The final product is a short novella about the use of technology in the business of football, set in the year 2050.

Ranieri is undoubtedly a passionate and well-experienced football fan and professional, and this shows in the childlike glee and excitement throughout his book, about scouts’ discovery and development of new youth playing talent, and the fantastic technology which will one day be in place to facilitate this.  I am in absolutely no doubt that Ranieri’s vision of the drone and data technology to which he refers will come into commonplace use in the game – my only disagreement with this book is that I believe it will be in use long, long before Ranieri’s projection, perhaps even as soon as the next 5-10 years; furthermore, I would be very surprised if the development of this specific technology has not already begun.  I do agree with the author’s prediction, however, that the technology will probably be coveted and adapted for its military potential – perhaps by dusting the enemy positions with some sort of nano-powder, which transmits data back to the drone.  After all, as humans, isn’t that what we do with all of our best technological innovations: find new ways to kill each other, in greater numbers?

The thing is, although this is an inoffensive book and a nice, engaging, easy read, I would have liked to have seen more meat to the story.  There are only 30,000 words or so, and probably some legroom in the book for a lot more.  Ranieri develops the characters well, making them likeable, and the somewhat slight story is amply detailed – I just think that he could have perhaps built more of it around Harry’s character, and the attempts at inducement of the young player’s future, by those with a military agenda; a touch more Crichton suspense, perhaps.  But I can see why Ranieri felt compelled to simply fuel his passion, while playing nice and steering this book away from the darkness.  And, whilst you shouldn’t expect the same high drama or suspense as Dick Francis’s books about the horseracing business, World Football Domination is certainly a nice, relaxing way to spend a couple of hours.

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