Offside Worlds: Football’s Unrecognised Nations and the Hidden Game is the story of a volunteer-driven football revolution. A working-class fan from Germany is drawn into the wild, underfunded world of unrecognised nations, stateless peoples and forgotten teams fighting to be seen, and ends up helping to build a global governing body. From smuggling squads across disputed borders to staging chaotic “World Cups” in places such as Abkhazia and London, he is thrust into a surreal world where identity, politics and survival are never far from the pitch. As tournaments teeter between triumph and collapse, cash runs low, egos clash and borders harden, the stakes become increasingly personal. What begins as an obsession with shirts, maps and outsider stories becomes a life-changing journey through resilience, solidarity and ambition. This is a gripping inside account of football at its margins, where every match carries meaning far beyond the result.

• An inside account of CONIFA and the rise of football among unrecognised nations and stateless teams
• First-hand stories from tournaments held in extraordinary and politically complex locations
• A unique football travel narrative spanning places few fans will ever experience
• Explores the intersection of football, identity, politics and representation
• A personal journey from fan obsession to global involvement in the game’s fringes
• A revealing look at a hidden football world operating beyond FIFA’s structures

"Offside Worlds" was written by James Hendicott and Sascha Duerkop.

Sascha Düerkop is a German journalist, researcher and football obsessive best known for owning a football shirt from every recognised national team. He was the first general secretary of CONIFA and led the organisation for seven years, exploring unrecognised nations on and off the pitch, organising international tournaments and navigating complex political challenges along the way. He is no longer involved in CONIFA, but continues to travel and work in diverse regions, alongside running a charity. James Hendicott is a Dublin-based journalist who befriended Sascha during a London tournament and worked with him to tell this story.