Scum Airways
Inside Football's Underground Economy
John Sugden
- Football
- is
- big
- business
- and
- it
- doesn't
- come
- much
- bigger
- than
- Manchester
- United
- –
- commercial
- giants
- and
- the
- richest
- club
- in
- the
- world.
- But
- in
- the
- shadow
- of
- Old
- Trafford
- a
- black
- economy
- is
- growing
- to
- rival
- the
- commercial
- power
- of
- the
- official
- sales
- channels.
- Scum
- Airways
- is
- an
- inside
- investigation
- of
- the
- Manchester
- grafters
- –
- touts,
- black
- marketeers
- and
- shady
- dealers
- –
- who,
- led
- by
- characters
- like
- 'Big
- Tommy',
- have
- come
- up
- with
- a
- remarkably
- successful
- money-making
- venture:
- Scum
- Airways.With
- the
- expansion
- of
- the
- Champions
- League
- came
- the
- opportunity
- for
- the
- grafters
- to
- move
- from
- ticket
- touting
- and
- producing
- 'unofficial'
- replica
- kits
- into
- the
- independent
- travel
- business.
- International
- Travel
- is
- the
- company
- for
- those
- who,
- through
- choice
- or
- because
- of
- their
- police
- records
- prohibit
- them,
- do
- not
- travel
- with
- the
- official
- clubs.
- Their
- customers
- include
- many
- 'straight'
- supporters
- of
- Leeds
- United,
- arch-rivals
- of
- Man
- U,
- but
- Tommy's
- core
- clients
- are
- the
- 'Lads'
- -
- die-hard
- 30-something
- football
- hooligans.Scum
- Airways
- follows
- the
- exploits
- and
- adventures
- of
- Big
- Tommy
- and
- his
- team
- of
- grafters
- as
- they
- continue
- to
- build
- their
- empire.
- John
- Sugden
- went
- along
- for
- the
- ride
- and
- provides
- startling
- insights
- into
- professional
- football's
- burgeoning
- black
- economy.
- From
- Munich
- to
- Madrid,
- Amsterdam
- to
- Bangkok,
- through
- to
- the
- streets
- and
- bars
- of
- Toyko
- and
- Sapporo
- during
- the
- 2002
- World
- Cup,
- and
- beyond,
- Scum
- Airways
- reveals
- the
- dark
- side
- of
- the
- football business.
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