ABSTRACT
The French urban theorist of speed Paul Virilio argues, that people are moving from cosmopolis to claustropolis. The author notion of claustropolitanism, developing the idea from a spark lit by Virilio, denotes a contemporary cultural condition where people are starting to feel 'foreclosed', almost claustrophobic, wanting to stop the planet so we can get off, well away from our 'mobile accelerated nonpostmodern culture' or MANC or 'nonpostmodernity'. The author sprinkle this chapter with his contemporary research on football culture which sits alongside new and innovative theories and concepts which develop an analysis of football culture for these contemporary accelerated and claustropolitan times. The chapter demonstrates, the political question of 'getting our ball back' in what is increasingly the politics of 'barbaric sport' worldwide has become crucial. In 1992, Tony Wilson joined the board of the manchester institute for popular culture (MIPC) which author had set up with his colleague Derek Wynne at manchester metropolitan university.
