Surreptitious slogans: I Belong to Jesus is a visual survey of a rich footballing sub-culture
![Belong To Jesus](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gb4o2jgDbQ9cto62Q8Zuqh-415-80.jpg)
For a world so marked by advertising slogans, technical jargon and the waffling of commentators, football is conspicuously devoid of personal engagement between players and fans.
This is, in part, down to a 2014 FIFA ruling that banned players displaying messages on their kits after scoring – whether personal, political or professional – and which carried punishments of fines and suspension.
As Craig Oldham and Rick Banks' lovingly compiled new book, I Belong to Jesus, shows, this practice was a rich, extensive tradition of self-expression; visually and descriptively collected in a publication that acts as palimpsest of collective, sometimes fractious, memories (and meticulously designed to boot).
Take, for instance, Robbie Fowler's 1997 display of pro-docker sentiment. In 1995, a tumultuous dispute between the Liverpool dockers and the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company led to the sacking of a number of workers, who fought for two years to have their jobs reinstated (garnering a wealth of press and media support in the process). In a match against Norway's SK Brann, Fowler and Steve McManaman – then Liverpool FC strikers – both wore undershirts with bastardised Calvin Klein logos professing solidarity with the cause. Fowler, scoring first, revealed his during the match. Duly fined by FIFA, he won the lifelong respect of the local working class community (even the Everton fans among them).
I Belong to Jesus features a wealth of similar case studies, under the chapter headings of 'Politics', 'Religion', 'Personal Matters' and 'Football Folklore' (though covering topics as diverse as social awareness, the environment, war and family). Providing a 'visual narrative of perhaps one of the last real, personal, unchecked forums and genuine connections between player and supporter', say the authors, the book features coded outbursts from players as auspicious as Mario Balotelli, Ian Wright, Paul Pogba, Billy Sharp, Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney and, the inspiration for the book's title, Kaka.
Published in a limited edition (thread sewn, bound with an armband and resembling a referee's notebook), I Belong to Jesus is proof that, even for non-football fans, the beautiful game can carry truly meaningful messages.
The publication is a survey of ’one of the last real, personal, unchecked forums and genuine connections between player and supporter’
Under the chapter headings of ’Politics’, ’Religion’, ’Personal Matters’ and ’Football Folklore’, the book features a wealth of insightful, controversial and irreverent moments, now abolished by a 2014 FIFA ruling
As I Belong to Jesus shows, this practice was a rich, extensive tradition of self-expression; collected here in a publication that acts as palimpsest of collective, sometimes fractious, memories.
Robbie Fowler’s 1997 display of pro-docker sentiment is a salient example of the book’s political content.
The book’s striking, punchy design is exemplified in spreads from the ’Religion’ section (pictured).
Published in a limited edition, the book is thread sewn, bound with an armband and packaged with a replica Kaka t-shirt (bearing the titular slogan ’I Belong to Jesus’)
INFORMATION
For more information and ordering, visit the I Belong to Jesus website
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Tom Howells is a London-based food journalist and editor. He’s written for Vogue, Waitrose Food, the Financial Times, The Fence, World of Interiors, Time Out and The Guardian, among others. His new book, An Opinionated Guide to London Wine, will be published by Hoxton Mini Press later this year.
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
How the west won: Ivan McClellan is amplifying the intrepid beauty of Black cowboy culture
In his new book, 'Eight Seconds: Black Cowboy Culture', Ivan McClellan draws us into the world of Black rodeo. Wallpaper* meets the photographer ahead of his Juneteenth Rodeo
By Tracy Kawalik Published
-
‘Package Holiday 1968-1985’: a very British love affair in pictures
‘Package Holiday’ recalls tans, table tennis and Technicolor in Trevor Clark’s wistful snaps of sun-seeking Brits
By Caragh McKay Published
-
‘Art Exposed’: Julian Spalding on everything that’s wrong with the art world
In ‘Art Exposed’, Julian Spalding draws on his 40 years in the art world – as a museum director, curator, and critic – for his series of essays
By Alfred Tong Published
-
Marisol Mendez's ‘Madre’ unpicks the woven threads of Bolivian womanhood
From ancestry to protest, how Marisol Mendez’s 'Madre' is rewriting the narrative of Bolivian womanhood
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Photo book explores the messy, magical mundanity of new motherhood
‘Sorry I Gave Birth I Disappeared But Now I’m Back’ by photographer Andi Galdi Vinko explores new motherhood in all its messy, beautiful reality
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Best contemporary art books: a guide for 2024
From maverick memoirs to topical tomes, turn over a new leaf with the Wallpaper* arts desk’s pick of new releases and all-time favourite art books
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
The best photography books for your coffee table
Flick through, mull over and deep-dive into the best photography books on the market, from our shelves to you
By Sophie Gladstone Last updated
-
Behind the scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining: new book charts the making of a horror icon
Published in February 2023 by Taschen, a new collector's book will go behind the scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, charting the unseen making of a film that defined the horror genre
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published