Football Today: Recent Episodes
Football Today
Football Today gives you in-depth analysis of the biggest stories from the world of football in episodes that you can listen to in a single commute. From corruption and controversy to the issues that are changing the fabric of the game. Don't just read the game, feel the game.
The famous New York radio station 1010WINS motto used to be "give us 10 minutes and we'll give you the world." On today's episode in just over 60 minutes we'll give you the biggest stories from World Cup qualifying.
We talk:
*Canada's best start in over 20 years
*Club vs country debate between South Americans teams and the Premier League
*UEFA's most competitive group
*Germany's makeover
*Japan's iffy start
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
In our latest episode we discuss 6 of our favorite transfer trends, signings and observations during the current window.
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Why are we talking about the 2030 World Cup now?
We just had the Euros, we’re in the middle of the Olympics and a few weeks ago Matt Slater of The Athletic reported that Saudi Arabia were exploring a bid with Italy to host the World Cup in 2030. Today we ask, who should host the 2030 World Cup?
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
On May 21st, after 4 largely successful years Nuno Espirito Santo and Wolves decided to part ways. But Wolves' loss is Tottenham's gain. However, it took Tottenham 72 days to hire Espirito Santo and he wasn't their first choice after deals with Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso fell through.
Wolves' search was far less dramatic, hiring ex-Benfica manager Bruno Lage. Today we ask: how will both managers do at their new jobs and are they good fits?
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
While the Euros has captured the attention of most English football fans this summer, club football has seen its fair share of chaos. Both Everton and Crystal Palace have had to replace their managers, with each club enduring a long-drawn-out coaching search. But now the dust has settled.
Today we analyse Everton's decision to hire Rafa Benitez and Crystal Palace's decision to hire Patrick Vieira.
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
A week ago, FIFPro sent an open letter to its players signaling its desire to solve the issue of fixture congestion. Sadly, scheduled games due to a packed calendar are the norm. We discuss that topic and some potential solutions in our latest episode.
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
In this episode, Dave and Josh break down the 4 most interesting teams of the Euros. They'll also discuss a breakout star who has been compared to Mohamed Salah and the player every fan should be rooting for. Plus, they'll talk about a European manager whose name elicits standing ovations in Brazil.
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
On Wednesday, Germany released their provisional squad for Euro 2020 (2021). It will be the last major tournament for German national team manager, Joachim 'Jogi' Löw. Löw has been the figurehead of German football since he took the reins in 2006. He's won a World Cup and made it to the semi-finals of every Euros he's coached.
Is he suited for club football and if he chooses to coach at the club level, where should he go? We examine those questions and dive deep into his career with Germany in our latest episode.
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Less than 2 weeks ago Bayern Munich made headlines by signing RB Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann. But what was noteworthy wasn't that they had poached another young talent from a Bundesliga rival, instead it was the reported €25 million fee they paid.
Recently, the transfers of head coach Adi Hutter from Frankfurt to Borussia Mönchengladbach and Marco Rose from Borussia Mönchengladbach to Dortmund have cost a reported €12.5 million in total.
Today we look at the growing head coach transfer market.
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Karim Benzema is Real Madrid's fourth highest goal scorer of all time and the fifth-highest goal scorer in the Champions League. And yet, he seems a forgotten striker amongst the world elite. Last season he led Real Madrid to a La Liga title and as it stands, Real Madrid is level on points with Atlético in La Liga.
Why isn't he considered all-time great for Real or France? We investigate in our latest episode.
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Back in March, the Confederation of African Football had just elected a new president, Patrice Motsepe.
Given Motsepe was Gianni Infantino’s candidate, it was inevitable that the President of FIFA would be there to celebrate his candidate’s win.
Sure enough, a photo appeared on Twitter of Infantino with the CEO of Tanzanian club Simba SC, Barbara Gonzalez.
But it was the words of the tweet that caused the stir:
It was great catching up with FIFA President, Gianni Infantino on the sidelines of the CAF Elections 2021. The rollout of the African Super League with 20 permanent member clubs is underway.
In this episode, we ask: is an African Super League realistic? And how would it impact African football?
Guests:
Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) is an African football expert who appears on Joy 99.7 FM and whose work can be found on the BBC, Al Jazeera, the Guardian, CNN, the Blizzard, the New York Times and elsewhere.
Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) is a football news reporter at The Athletic.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Individual Tracks:
Bask VX - Limoncello
Undying - Banana Cream
Steely - Moon Juice
Relay 7 - Marble Run
Stucco Blue - Orange Cat
Nine Count - Reflections
Teshi Line - Kokura Station
Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio
Saturday was a rough day for Crystal Palace. After a 4-1 loss to Chelsea, Crystal Palace is tied for 12th in the league and comfortably above the relegation zone. It’s a familiar position for Palace, not quite good enough for Europe and too good to be a yo-yo club.
However, with manager Roy Hodgson’s contract finishing in the summer along with a number of key players, Palace have big questions to answer. Should they rebuild and start afresh with a new squad or run it back with the same cast of characters?
Today we ask; what should Crystal Palace do this summer?
Guest:
Matt Woosnam (@MattWoosie) covers Crystal Palace for The Athletic.
Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Ultima Thule’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Li Fonte’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Soothe’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Plasticity’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘JoDon’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: Sky Sports
On Saturday Lille beat PSG 1-0 to take a 3 point lead atop the Ligue 1 table. If they pull it off, it would their first Ligue 1 title since 2011. But their journey has been far from straightforward. Since 2013 they've had 9 different managers and 3 different owners. Furthermore, before the club was sold in December of 2020 it was at risk of insolvency.
Today we ask: is this the end of PSG's dominance?
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
In November of 2017 at the FIFA Executive Football Summit in Istanbul, President Gianni Infantino declared his intention to reform the practices of football agents.
Now almost 4 years later and there is a proposed regulation to do just that. But high-profile agents won’t go down without a fight and recently they’ve been speaking out. It appears agents and FIFA are on a collision course destined to end up in court.
Today we analyze the conflict and ask, why are football agents at war with FIFA?
Guest:
Daniel Geey (@FootballLaw) is a leading sports lawyer for Sheridan and the author of Done Deal: An Insider's Guide to Football Contracts, Multi-Million Pound Transfers and Premier League Big Business.
Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Haena’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Slow Dial’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Vik Fence Haflak’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Gaddy’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Lupi’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: Goal, ITV
In March, we marked the anniversary of the first coronavirus lockdown.
This was a step into the unknown for everyone. And that everyone included football clubs.
With competitive football cancelled and large gatherings banned altogether, things had never looked more precarious for the beautiful game.
Fast forward a year and things are starting to look a little more positive. This week, organised games were allowed for the first time in 2021.
But is football ever going to be quite the same again? Will the game continue to command the same sorts of fees? The same audience share? The same financial pull?
In this episode, we ask: what has the cost of coronavirus been for football?
Guest:
Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) is a lecturer at the University of Liverpool and one of the hosts of the Price of Football Podcast (@POF_POD).
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Individual Tracks:
Plasticity - RadioPink
Our Lament - Moon Juice
Illa Villardo - Cold Case
Flatlands 3rd - Flatlands
Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio
Do you ever get the feeling of déjà vu? Like you’re witnessing the same thing over and over again. Well, if you’re an African football fan, you might’ve had that feeling recently… About four years ago Ahmad Ahmad promised change following his CAF presidential election. Four years later and African football is still mired in corruption and dysfunction. On March 12th South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe was elected unopposed as CAF’s new president. Like Ahmad Ahmad before him, Motsepe has promised a transformation and a brighter future. Today we ask, what does the election of Patrice Motsepe mean for the future of African football? Guest: Samindra Kunti (@samindrakunti) is a football journalist for Inside World Football. Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Verdigris’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Partly Sage’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Jog to the Water’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘The Face of Thrush’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘White Limit’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: France 24
On March 16th Belgium’s 25 biggest clubs voted unanimously to continue to explore a potential merger with the Dutch Eredivisie. It could lead to clubs doubling their revenue and become the 6th biggest league in Europe. Yet, it could also be the first of multiple cross-border leagues around the world such as a European Super League. Today we ask, what would the BeNeLiga mean for world football?
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
On Boxing Day, when Leicester City prepared to play Manchester United, the Foxes sat in 8th place. Over the next 3 months, their talisman, Jamie Vardy would only score 1 league goal. Normally, this would signal the end of Leicester’s Champions League aspirations. But this has not been a normal season. Leicester is in 3rd place in the league and after their win against Manchester United on Sunday they're in the FA Cup semifinals. One major reason they've been so successful recently is the form of striker Kelechi Iheanacho. Since the beginning of February, Iheanacho has led the league with 6 goals and has scored 9 goals in his last 9 games in all competitions. But with the international break coming, key players will be returning from injury. Today we ask, what should Leicester do with Kelechi Iheanacho? Guests: Rob Tanner (@RobTannerLCFC) covers Leicester City for The Athletic.
**Support Us:** https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Highride’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Lick Stick’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Palms Down’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Hard Boil’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: Skysports
Under normal circumstances, a 0-0 draw played out at Tannadice Park, the home of Dundee United, would barely register on any football fan's radar.
But this time around, things were different.
At the start of this season, Celtic were on course to achieve a long-coveted goal: ten in a row. A decade of consecutive Premiership titles.
At the end of the season, however, they find themselves without the record, without a manager and without the goodwill of the fan base, who have been sorely tested in recent months.
In this episode, we ask: what has gone wrong with Celtic Football Club?
Guest:
Christian Wulff (@TheCynicWolf) talks and writes for The Cynic (@90MinuteCynic), a Celtic fan media outlet.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Individual Tracks:
Arbic Tallow - Lillehammer
Cicle Ariel - Cicle Kadde
Um Pepino - Orange Cat
Our Lament - Moon Juice
Babble Babble Brook - High Horse
Mood Unit - Kittyhawk
Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio
On the surface Football Index looked like a breakthrough in football betting. It was strewn across football shirts in the Championship and featured on the biggest radio stations and podcasts in the UK. But now, after 6 years, Football Index is going into administration. Was it a Ponzi Scheme? How could something like this happen? and what does it mean for the thousands of users who have been left high and dry? We explore those questions and more on Football Today. Guests: Dave (@index_dave), Football Index user. Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Watercool Quiet’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘More Weather’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Jumbel’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Crumbtown’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Dowdy’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Friction Model’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Our Lament’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: Football Index, Football Index Guide podcast, Totally Football Show
Despite a loss to Liverpool on Wednesday night, RB Leipzig is having a successful season. They're second in the Bundesliga and hot on the heels of Bayern Munich. However, Leipzig just the tip of the Red Bull multi-club model.
If you look around Europe other multi-club models are thriving. Both Manchester City and Troyes of City Football Group are leading their respective leagues. Barnsley is the hottest team in the Championship and would qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today.
Today we ask, is the Red Bull model the future of football?
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
On the pitch, Inter Milan are first in the league and flying high. After 11 years of waiting, Inter are on the verge of winning Serie A and yet, things are far from rosy at the club… In recent months Inter have been unable to pay player wages and reports in Italy suggest their owners are looking to sell part or all of the club. Today we ask, why is Suning Group trying to sell Inter Milan? Guests: James Corbett (@james_corbett) is a financial reporter for OffthePitch.com Simon Chadwick (@Prof_Chadwick) is a Professor & Director of Eurasian Sport at Emlyon business school Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Gra Hovedvei’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Walking Shoes’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Highride’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Sunday Night Lights’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Trod Along’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Stucco Grey’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Wahre’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
On the evening of February the 20th, Aktuelles SportStudio - the German version of Match of the Day - was just kicking off.
That weekend, Karl Heinz Rummenigge, the CEO of Bayern Munich, was a special guest on the programme.
Having covered a number of different topics, the conversation turned elsewhere…
When questioned about Bayern’s links with Qatar, Rummenigge prevaricated, talking about how Qatar was a "very young country with a different culture and different religion." At this point, the host interrupted: "Human rights abuses are not culture."
In this episode, we ask: What impact will Bayern’s sponsorship by Qatar Airways have on German football?
Guests:
Matt Ford (@matt_4d) is a freelance football journalist who covers German football and fan culture whose work can be found at DW Sports.
Alex Fischer (@alex_muc86) is a fan of Bayern Munich and a member of Club Nr 12 (@clubnr12), an independent association of Bayern fans.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Individual Tracks:
Cicle DR Valga - Cicle Kadde
Careless Morning - Glacier Quartet - Araby
Doghouse - Warmbody
Jenner - Cafe Nostro
Our Lament - Moon Juice
Dany PKL - Limoncello
Drone Pine - The Pine Barrens
Masonry - Union Hall
Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio
So long in fact the last time they won it in 2002, Ronaldo was is their youth team, Lady Marmalade was the number 1 song worldwide and Star Wars Episode II was in theaters. But that might about to change in. Sporting are first in the league and after a draw against Porto on Saturday the club are 10 points ahead of their Portuguese rivals. Today we ask, can Sporting Lisbon end their title drought? Guest: Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) is the creator of Portugoal.net and is World Soccer Magazine's Portugal correspondent. Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Andelo’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Georgia Overdrive’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Astrisx’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Symphony 40 in G Minor’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘We Build With Rubber Bands’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Before 1958 Brazil had never won a World Cup. Within 12 years, Pele would lead the Seleção to three titles, cementing themselves as the most popular team in the world.
This is the backdrop for Netflix's newly released documentary about football superstar, Pelé. In today's episode, we analyze Pelé's impact on the Brazilian national team and how he was used for political purposes.
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
On July 11th Norwich City lost 4-0 to West Ham confirming the Canaries' relegation from the Premier League. But if you listened to Norwich's head coach Daniel Farke after the loss it was clear this outcome was inevitable and he didn't seem overly concerned. That's because both Farke and the club were prepared for the relegation. Just as they were also prepared to sell Ben Godfrey and Jamal Lewis in the summer. It is this forward-thinking that has Norwich atop the Championship table. Today we take a look at Norwich City and ask, what’s the purpose of a football club? Guest: Murad Ahmed (@muradahmed) is the sports editor of the Financial Times. Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Ranch Hand’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Palms Down’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Tessalit’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Lakeside Path’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
It’s been a tough year for the football industry…
Of course, it’s one thing to lose money through a lack of gate receipts. It’s another thing to lose money through lack of television revenue… But that is precisely what is happening around Europe.
We’ve seen broadcast rights deals drop in Germany and in France, and it’s now Italy’s turn to face the music.
In this episode, we ask: what’s going on with Serie A’s broadcast rights deal?
Guest:
David Hellier (@hellierd) covers football finance at Bloomberg.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Individual Tracks:
Plate Statis - Algea Fields
Rate Sheet - Union Hall
Median Point - Glass Obelisk
Cab Ride - Pacha Faro
Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio
On Friday more than a billion people around the world celebrated the Lunar New Year and according to the Chinese calendar we are now in the year of the ox.
In European football, we're currently 5 months into the year of the underdog. So far European giants like Juventus, Liverpool, PSG and Real Madrid have all struggled in their domestic leagues. But no club has disappointed their fans more than Borussia Dortmund. Following a 2-2 draw against Hoffenheim on Saturday Dortmund sit in 6th place in the Bundesliga. With just 13 games to go the club is 6 points back of fourth-place and are in danger of failing to qualify for the Champions League. Today we detail Dortmunds disappointing season and break down who will qualify for the final Champions League positions in Germany. Guest:
Chris Williams (@chris78williams) is a Bundesliga journalist and DFL world feed co-commentator
Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Idle Ways’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘The Consulate’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Step In Step Out’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Cloudline’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Greyleaf Willow’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: BT Sport, ESPN
When Daniel Levy and ENIC took over Tottenham was a mid-table team worth approximately £80 million. Now, 20 years later, Tottenham regularly qualifies for the Champions League and boasts the highest revenue of any club in London.
Daniel Levy has transformed the club on and off the pitch. Yet now Tottenham are struggling. The club sit in 8th place and have lost three of their last four games. But beyond the poor results on the pitch, could there be more structurally wrong with Daniel Levy and the club?
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Atletico Madrid and Luis Suarez are on the hottest team and player in Spain. Atletico has won their last 7 games and Suarez has scored 9 goals in his last 8 games. Los Colchoneros now lead the league by 7 points and have games in hand.
Today we ask: how are Suarez and Atletico dominating La Liga?
Guest:
Andy West (@andywest01) is a sports writer and commentator. He regularly contributes to LaLigaTV, BBCSport, Sport360, and the EuroLeague. He is also the author of 'Lionel Messi and the Art of Living’.
Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Careless Morning’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Hard Boil’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Are We Loose Yet’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Lobo Lobo’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘A Certain Lightness’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: Canal+, ESPN
It’s April 2014… A 15-year-old is waiting nervously beside a football pitch in the Norwegian city of Drammen…
That day, aged 15 years and 118 days, Martin Ødegaard became the youngest footballer ever to play in Norway’s Tippeligaen.
It’s January 2021… A 22-year-old is waiting nervously beside a football pitch in the English city of London…
7 years have past and Martin Ødegaard has failed to live up to the early promise he offered.
Moving to Real Madrid and being loaned to clubs around Europe, he’s spending the rest of the season at Arsenal in a bid to kick-start his career.
In this episode, we ask: whatever happened to Martin Ødegaard?
Guests:
Mads Lochert (@studythetape) is a Norwegian football analyst
Om Arvind (@OmVAsports) is managing editor of the Managing Madrid channel and host of Las Blancas podcast
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Individual Tracks:
Svela Tal by Lillehammer
Thoughtless by Warmbody
Ultima Thule by Glacier Quartet - Araby
Loom by Textile Caramb
Trailrunner by Zander
Median Point by Glass Obelisk
Minutes by Pacha Faro
Peacetime by TinyTiny Trio
It was just six years ago that Barcelona was the envy of world football. But now, they’re in the midst of a financial crisis. Last week Spanish newspaper El Mundo revealed that the club had more than €1 billion in debts and then on Saturday night they reported that Messi will be paid more than €500 million over the last 4 seasons. Today we ask, how dire are Barcelona finances and what do they mean for the future of the club? Guest: Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) is an editor of Football Espana and author of The Frying Pan of Spain: Sevilla v Real Betis - Spain's Hottest Football Rivalry
Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘KeoKeo’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Checkered Blue’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Rate Sheet’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Black Ballots’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Union Hall Melody’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Stretch of Lonely’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: UEFA, TalkFCB, Bloomberg
It's been a long time since Sporting Lisbon won the Portuguese league. So long in fact the last time they won it in 2002, Ronaldo was is their youth team, 'Lady Marmalade' was the number 1 song worldwide and Star Wars Episode 2 was in theaters.
But that might about to change in. Sporting is first in the league and after a draw against Porto on Saturday the club is 10 points ahead of their Portuguese rivals. Today we ask, can Sporting Lisbon end their title drought? Guest: Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) is the creator of Portugoal.net and is World Soccer Magazine's Portugal correspondent. Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Andelo’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Georgia Overdrive’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Astrisx’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Symphony 40 in G Minor’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘We Build With Rubber Bands’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Last week The Times revealed new information regarding the formation of a potential European Super League starting in 2022-2023. But before it was released, FIFA, UEFA, and the 5 other regional federations united in the opposition to such a league.
Today we examine the latest proposal and ask, what does it mean for football?
Guest:
David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.
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The best two English teams in the last several years have been Liverpool and Manchester City. On the field and off it they are seen as the among best in the country. However, in one department Liverpool has recently had a distinct advantage. Due to the work of Ian Graham Liverpool are widely considered league leaders in their use of data science. But that might be about to change. It appears Manchester City is building a data science department to rival Liverpool's. Last week Training Ground Guru reported that Manchester City hired Laurie Shaw as their new Lead AI Scientist, their fourth data-driven hire within a year. Today we ask: can Manchester City overtake Liverpool in English football's data race? Guest: Paul Neilson (@pjneilson) is the Director of Performance at SkillCorner, which provides data services to the Football industry. He was formerly the Head of Performance Lab at Prozone. Simon Austin (@sport_simon) is the founder of Training Ground Guru, which is a website that reports on the teams behind the teams in professional football. He is also a co-host with Josh on the Training Ground Guru podcast. Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Heather’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Suzy B’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Paramo Ocho’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Kalsted’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Cicle Vascule’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Gra Hovedvei’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Scalloped’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: ITV, ABC
Earlier this month, all eyes were on the Bundesliga as fallen giants Schalke narrowly avoided matching the longest winless streak in league history…
But at the same time, there was another streak at stake that seemed to have gone below the radar…
Beating Koln 5-0, Christian Streich’s Freiburg had put up their longest winning run in Bundesliga history, putting the club well above the relegation spots and all but confirming another season in the German top division.
In this episode, we ask: who are SC Freiburg? And why are they so anonymous?
Guest:
Derek Rae (@RaeComm) is the commentator on EA’s FIFA video game and lead commentator for ESPN’s Bundesliga coverage and on the DFL world feed.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Illa Villardo by Cold Case
Lead Shroud by Wax Museum
Cabernet by Cafe Nostra
Waterbourne by Algea Fields
An Accumulation by CloudCover
Pastel de Nata by Orange Cat
Peacetime by TinyTiny Trio
In recent years, goals have been increasing England, Germany, and Italy. But in Spain, goals per game are decreasing dramatically. In fact, La Liga is averaging 2.41 goals per game which is the lowest of any big-5 European league since 2014/15.
Today we ask: why is La Liga the lowest scoring league in Europe’s big-5 leagues?
Guest:
Euan McTear (@emctear) is a Madrid based football journalist. He is also the author of Eibar the Brave. Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Tessalit’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Curio’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Filing Away’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Hash Out’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Coulis Coulis’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: ESPN, Sky Sports
On January 17th, 2020 Schalke beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-0. It would take them another 356 days to get their next win in the Bundesliga, which they did by beating Hoffenheim 4-0. Had Schalke lost or drawn the game they would’ve tied a 55-year-old Bundesliga record held by Tasmania Berlin for the most consecutive winless games.
Today we ask, how did one of Germany’s biggest teams become historically bad? Guest: Jack Mangan(@JMMangan), Co-Host of SchalkeMerica. Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Roadside Bunkhouse’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Dance of Felt’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Inamorata’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Tartaruga’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Heartland Flyer’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Line Exchange’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: BT Sport, Rabona TV, ITV
There are some players in football that divide opinion. Players that are a lightning rod for attention. John Stones is one of those players and he always has been. This only intensified when he transferred from Everton to Manchester City for £47.5 million in 2016. At the time it was the second-highest fee for a defender. Yet, as the years progressed he seemed to stagnate. But this season has been different. Both the perception and play of Stones has changed. In his last 6 Premier League games, City have kept 5 clean sheets, ascending to 5th in the table. Today we ask, what’s changed for John Stones? Guest: David Mooney (@DavidMooney) is the host of the Blue Moon podcast and the ‘Why Always Us’ Podcast. He also contributes to BBC Radio 5 Live. Support Us: https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Tapoco’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Plasticity’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Dialtone 11’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Lakeside Path’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Setting Pace’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: Sky Sports, Tifo Football
In the present day, the idea of buying a football has become run-of-the-mill…
Over the last few years, we’ve seen American actors buying clubs, Russian oligarchs buying clubs, Chinese businessmen buying clubs, and Middle Eastern states buying clubs…
There may not be pots of gold to be made owning a football club, we are frequently told, but there is power to be wielded and kudos to be apportioned. Owning a football club can open doors to the highest echelons of modern society.
So why would an American investment firm think to take over a parochial football club in the North West?
In this episode, we ask: why are ALK Capital investing in Burnley Football Club?
Guest:
Andy Jones (@adjones_journo) covers Burnley for The Athletic
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
House of Grendel by Lemuel
At Our Best Alone by Holyoke
Mr Mole and Son by Love and Weasel
Closet Interlude by Union Hall
Calisson by Confectionary
Highway 430 by Truck Stop
Peacetime by TinyTiny Trio
Five months ago PSG almost won the Champions League... however, due to some poor finishing, PSG and their manager, Thomas Tuchel went home empty-handed.
Despite taking the Parisiens further in Europe than they’d ever been before Tuchel is now out of a job. To replace him, this past week PSG hired ex-Tottenham manager, Mauricio Pochettino. Today we ask: why did PSG fire Tuchel and what does Pochettino’s hiring mean for the club. Guest: Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) is a football writer and broadcaster who contributes to The Times, Canal+ and The Totally Football Show. Support Us:
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Thumbscrew’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Donnalee’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Rambling’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘The Poplar Grove’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: BT Sport
From the outside this year looked like it was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Bayer Leverkusen. After losing star-player Kai Havertz and narrowly missing out on the Champions League, Leverkusen could have easily taken a step back. Instead, they’re flying high. Despite a 2-1 loss to Bayern Munich on Saturday, Leverkusen sit in 2nd place just 2 points behind Bayern as they head into Germany's winter break. Today we ask, why are Bayer Leverkusen even better than they were last season? Guest: Chris Williams (@chris78williams) is a Bundesliga journalist and DFL world feed co-commentator Support Us:
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Thread of Cloud’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘McCarthy’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Soothe’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Pastel de Nata’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Santo Apure’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Guinea’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: BT Sport, Bundesliga, ESPN, Bein Sports
Back in 1956, Gabriel Hanot - the chief football writer for the magazine France Football - asked colleagues from across Europe to vote for their player of the year.
By the time the numbers had been counted up, Blackpool’s Stanley Matthews had narrowly beaten Real Madrid’s Alfredo Di Stefano by three votes.
Fast forward 70 years and that award, the Ballon d’Or, is still celebrated year on year, voted for by journalists from around the world.
But with the Coronavirus pandemic raging on, the 2020 iteration of the Ballon d’Or has been cancelled.
Without the glitz and glamour of the awards ceremony to dazzle us, in this episode, we ask: do we still need the Ballon d’Or in 2020?
Guest:
Sam Tighe (@stighefootball) is a football journalist who can be found on Bleacher Report and the Ranks FC podcast.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Cicle Gerano by Cicle Kadde
Careless Morning by Glacier Quartet
The Green Room by Warmbody
Izeah by Moon Juice
Hickory Shed by Onesuch Village
Veins of Silver by Marble Run
Peacetime by TinyTiny Trio
In the 2002-2003 season, Fulham became the first team to be sponsored by a betting company (Betfair). Last season, half the Premier League had betting sponsors on the front of their shirts.
Gambling and football's relationship is as strong as ever.
However, change is on the horizon. Last week, the UK government's Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport began collecting evidence for its review on gambling laws.
Today we ask, what’s is football's relationship with gambling and what reform is necessary? Guest: Rob Davies (@ByRobDavies) is a Business Reporter for the Guardian where he covers gambling, alcohol, tobacco and secondary ticketing. Dr. Steve Sharman (@stevesharman81) is a Research Fellow for the National Addiction Centre and King's College London. Support Us:
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Gra Hovedvoi’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Trod Along’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Are We Loose Yet’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘True Blue Sky’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Capering’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘The Consulate’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: BT Sport, Sky Sports
A recent study from the Mail on Sunday found almost half of the players from the 1965-66 season in England who’ve died since did so because of a neurodegenerative disease like dementia or Alzheimer’s.
This year, the sheer scale of football’s dementia problem has slowly reared its head, with name after name of players from that era either passing away with dementia or revealing they’d been diagnosed with it.
In November, Bobby Charlton, one of the famous faces from that very World Cup-winning team, revealed he too had dementia. He lost his brother Jack in the summer, and teammate Nobby Stiles just weeks ago - both of which also had the disease.
Former Premier League winner Chris Sutton is now the face of Daily Mail campaign aiming to get the FA, and Players union the PFA, to put more effort into addressing the problem. His father Mike Sutton also has dementia and played in that same 1966 season as a midfielder for Norwich.
In this episode, we ask: What more can UK authorities do to tackle dementia in football?
Guest: Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) is a football pundit who appears on BT Sport and BBC Radio 5 Live - among many other places. Support Us:
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Wax Paper Jewel’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Felt Lining’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Waterbourne’ by Blue Dot Sessions
It seems it’s almost impossible to watch and discuss a game without talking about the injury status of both teams. Players are dropping like flies. While injury statistics are hard to track according to the website PremierInjuries.com, injuries in the Premier League are up by more than 20% compared to last season. Today we ask, why are injuries on the rise and how are clubs coping with them? Guest: Dave Carolan (@davecarolan) is a Performance Coach for Millwall FC and has previously worked at Stoke City, Derby and Birmingham City. Support Us:
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Our Digital Compass’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Waypost’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Walking Shoes’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Boston Landing’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Thumbscrew’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: BT Sport, Sky Sports
When Gianni Infantino ran for FIFA President in 2016, he ran on an anti-corruption ticket.
Looking to succeed Sepp Blatter, this approach was hardly surprising. The problem is… the claims of corruption just haven’t gone away.
The most recent FIFA representative under scrutiny is the President of the Confederation of African Football, Ahmad Ahmad, who, earlier this month, was suspended for 5 years by FIFA.
In this episode, we ask: Why has Ahmad Ahmad been suspended by FIFA? And why doesn’t the corruption go away?
Guest:
Philippe Auclair (@PhilippeAuclair) is the England Correspondent for France Football.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Our Only Lark by Bitters
Parissi by Marisala
Periodicals by Albany, NY
The Green Room by Warmbody
Peacetime by TinyTiny Trio
Sometimes in football you get a moment or a story that seems like it was taken out of a Hollywood script. With Ryan Reynolds' and Rob McElhenny's recent takeover of Wrexham, the roles are being reversed. Now, Hollywood is ready to call the shots in football. Today we ask, why are Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElneny really buying Wrexham? Guest:
Will Magee (@W_F_Magee) is a freelance journalist who has worked for Vice, the Mirror, and the i newspaper. For more information on Wrexham’s takeover, I recommend his recent article for Vice.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Via Verre’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Copley Beat’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Donder’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Vernouillet’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips Used: The Colbert Show, The Emirates FA Cup, Wrexham AFC Twitter, Sky Sports, NBCSN
Ligue 1, France’s top footballing division, is widely considered to be the worst of the top five leagues in Europe. The league’s management, though, have been working hard to change this.
One avenue open to leagues looking to improve their profile is increasing their broadcast revenue. In 2018, Ligue 1 did this by moving from Canal+ to Mediapro as the leading rights holder for the league.
In October, though, Mediapro failed to produce a scheduled 172 million Euro payment to the league, throwing French football into turmoil.
In this episode, we ask: what impact will Mediapro’s row with Ligue 1 have on the broadcast rights market?
Guest:
Murad Ahmed (@muradahmed) is the sports editor of the Financial Times.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Nesting by Origami
Cabernet by Cafe Nostro
Drizzle by Cafe Nostro
Min by Sketchbook 2
Highride Chrome by Truck Stop
Relay 7 by Marble Run
Last year, on October first, the UK’s Home Secretary, Priti Patel, addressed hundreds of Tories at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, but she might as well have been standing in the halfway circle addressing thousands at Old Trafford, Anfield or Stamford Bridge.
Fast forward to this month and English football has its own immigration point-based system. Due to Brexit, freedom of movement with European players has officially ended.
As a result, the Football Association and the Premier League have been forced to agree on new rules regarding non-homegrown players. It is one of the biggest reforms to the English transfer system in years.
Today we break down the new points system and ask, what does it mean for English football?
Guests:
Mike Keegan (@mikekeegan_DM) is a Sports News Correspondent for the Daily Mail and is the Editor of the Sports Agenda column.
Tim Wigmore (@TimWigmore) is a sports journalist for The Telegraph and author of the recent book, The Best: How Elite Athletes are Made
Support Us:
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Andelo’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Ultima Thule’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Sayera’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Even Dreams of Beaches’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Colrain’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘We Build with Rubber Bands’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Periodicals’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
When the most recent Premier League season kicked off, Leicester City fans could have been forgiven for being worried about their defence.
Little did they know it was going to get worse before it got better.
But rather than slipping away, Leicester now find themselves top of the table eight games into the season. And many of the accolades have gone to one man…
In this episode, we ask: who is Wesley Fofana? And how important is he for Leicester City?
Guest:
Rob Tanner (@RobTannerLCFC) covers Leicester City for The Athletic.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
The Summit by K2
Junca by Orange Cat
Highway 94 by Truck Stop
Cases to Rest by Bodytonic
Cicle Veroni by Cicle Kadde
Wahre by Cloud Harbour
Peacetime by TinyTiny Trio
If you go back to the mid-2000s which was the coolest football team in the world?
Was it Mourinho's Chelsea? Maybe Fergie's United or Madrid's Galacticos? Or possibly Ancelotti's Milan?
For me and millions others, there was only one answer…. It was the Brazilian national team
Brazil had it all. It had the Nike 'Joga Bonito’ commercials, it had the likes of Roberto Carlos, Ronaldinho, and Ronaldo, it had the step overs, and of course, it had the classic yellow shirts.
It was mesmerizing and millions around the world agreed. Within a decade the Brazilian national team would be touring the world entertaining fans from Switzerland to Singapore.
But all good things in life come at a cost.
Today, we ask: Are Brazilian fans falling out love with their national team?
Guests:
Joshua Law (@JoshuaMLaw) is a freelance writer and was previously an editor of Yellow and Green football, which focuses on Brazilian football.
Steve Menary (@MenarySteve) is a freelance journalist and contributes to World Soccer and When Saturday Comes.
Support Us:
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘The Summit’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Copper Halls’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Three Stories’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Castor Wheel Pivot’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Rose Ornamental’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Solemn Application’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips used: Nike, Fox Sports, FIFA, ESPN Classic
In 1872, two football teams met together at Hamilton Crescent in Partick to play a football match.
In the end, neither England nor Scotland would do enough to win the game which ended in a 0-0 draw. But international football had been born.
Nearly 150 years later, international football continues to take place. But football has changed irrevocably.
In that time, the domestic game has outstripped its international counterpart and many fans consider international football an annoyance to be endured rather than the pinnacle of the sport.
In this episode, we ask: do we still need international football in 2020?
Guests:
Jonathan Liew (@jonathanliew) is a Sports Writer at The Guardian.
Grant Jendo (@odneJ) is a Scotland fan and has written for World Football Index (@WorldFootballi).
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Topslides by Blue Dot Sessions
Drizzle by Blue Dot Sessions
Cab Ride by Blue Dot Sessions
Nesting by Blue Dot Sessions
Lost Shoe by Blue Dot Sessions
Walking Shoes by Blue Dot Sessions
If you look around Europe you'll see some unlikely clubs leading their domestic leagues. Leicester City sits atop the Premier League, AC Milan leads Serie A, but maybe the biggest surprise is in Spain…
Through 9 rounds, Real Sociedad are in pole position in La Liga. The club boasts the most prolific offense and the league's top goalscorer.
Today we analyze La Real's start and ask: what makes this Real Sociedad team so special?
Guest:
Alexandra Jonson (@AlexandraJonson) is a freelance journalist and covers Spanish football.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘The Summit’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Copper Halls’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Three Stories’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Castor Wheel Pivot’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Rose Ornamental’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Solemn Application’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips used: Premier Sports, Eleven Sports, Bein Sports, ESPN, Sky Sports, La Liga
Today, England began its second national lockdown. Meanwhile, 7,000 miles away, Argentina entered it's 231st straight day in lockdown or partial lockdown, the longest streak in the world.
Unlike Britons, Argentinians haven't had domestic football as an escape from the mundane. So what happens, when you cross a football-mad country, with a 7-month lockdown and no football?
Today we ask, what happened when football disappeared from Argentina?
Guest:
Daniel Edwards is a writer for Goal and the Buenos Aires Times.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Valantis’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Tuck and Point’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Algea Trio’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Steadfast’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Rodney Skopes’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips used: Al Jeezera, Roja Directa, Copa90, Ultras Avanti
One year ago, Andrea Pirlo was just beginning his UEFA Pro License course, at Italy's famed coaching school, Coverciano. Now one year later he's learning on the job in the Champions League and Serie A.
In the last 2+ years, we've seen Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all signed by big clubs despite having limited prior success or experience.
Today we ask: do elite players make elite managers?
Guest:
Alex Stewart (@AFHStewart) is a Senior Content Strategist for The Athletic and covers tactics for Tifo Football (@TifoFootball_).
Les Ferdinand is the Director of Football for QPR and was an elite player for Tottenham, QPR and Newcastle amongst others…
Support Us:
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘JoDon’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘La Inglesa’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Gullwing Sailor’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Fifteen Street’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Milkwood’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Step in Step Out’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Lobo Lobo’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Clips used: BT Sport, Totally Football Show, ESPN, Juventus
Three seasons ago, Benevento were in trouble in Serie A. 14 games into the season, they had 14 losses to their name.
But then, the most unlikely thing happened... A 2-2 draw with Rino Gatusso’s Milan stopped the rot and gave Benevento a chance of turning things around.
In the end, it wasn’t to be, but their manager that day, Roberto De Zerbi, had done enough to impress another club, Sassuolo, and, when Benevento eventually went down, De Zerbi made the move North.
Since then, De Zerbi has impressed and his Sassuolo currently find themselves third in the Serie A table.
In this episode, we ask: who is Roberto De Zerbi? And how good are his Sassuolo side?
Guest:
Nicki Bandini (@NickyBandini) is a sports writer and broadcaster specialising in European football and she appears regularly in the Guardian, ESPN, Talksport and elsewhere.
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Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Neon Drip - RadioPink
Mood Unit - Kittyhawk
Closet Interlude - Union Hall
Deixa - Orange Cat
Pastel de Nata - Orange Cat
The Provisions - K4
Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio
If you were in a coma for the last month, you might be waking up today, wondering what in the world has happened to football.
On the pitch, Everton is top of table, Aston Villa is in the top four and both Manchester clubs are in the bottom half of the table.
Off the pitch, Premier League games are being played on PPV, people are talking about something called Project Big Picture, there are suggestions of B-teams in the lower leagues, hundred-year-old clubs are on the brink of financial ruin and a European Super League is being discussed.
October has been one of the craziest months, in the craziest year, in recent history. But the year is nearly finished and 2020 has seen the game transformed in unimaginable ways.
Today, we zoom out and look at the wider trends in football and ask: what is the state of football in 2020?
Guest:
David Goldblatt(@Davidsgoldblatt) is an author, journalist, historian, and academic. His latest book is The Age of Football: The Global Game in the 21st Century.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘More Weather’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘The Records’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Dialtone 11’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Tanguedo’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Wisteria’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
I don’t know about you but I’m finding it harder and harder to be a football fan.
It’s not that I’m not enjoying the standard of football - the quality of the elite game has probably never been better across the top European divisions.
It’s just that I feel increasingly disconnected from the whole charade.
Every year, elite football feels more oriented around the spectacular: it is a show that I am invited to view from a distance but one in which I am less and less able to take part.
I want to feel like a fan again. I want to be part of a community. I want to feel like I belong.
In this episode, I tried to get to the heart of the question: does English football need a more active fan culture?
Guests:
Stevie Green (@StevieGreenXI) is a writer, editor and podcaster, and a member of Clapton Community Football Club.
Mark Doidge (@markdoidge) is a Principal Research Fellow at the University of Brighton focuses on the sociology of European football fan cultures. He is also a fan of Whitehawk FC.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Slate Tracker - Glacier Quartet - Araby
Willow Belle - Little Rock
Easement - The Bulwark
JoDon - Orange Cat
Rapids - Grey River
Setting Pace - Duck Lake
Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio
On Saturday in Manchester City's game against Arsenal Sergio Aguero grabbed a lineswoman's neck. Some people on Twitter criticized his actions as sexist.
Often these moments aren't captured on camera in front of millions. More commonly gender discrimination happens in offices, training grounds and board rooms.
How common is gender discrimination in football? How supported are women who suffer from abuse or harassment?
Today, we analyze Women in Football's landmark survey and ask: what are working conditions like for women in football?
Guest:
Ebru Köksal (@ebrukoksal1) Chair, Women in Football. You can read more about their landmark survey here.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Lick Stick’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘A Certain Lightness’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘The Face of the Thrush’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Capering’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Lobo Lobo’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
Back in April, Bayern Munich were playing a game and losing…
If that weren’t already remarkable enough, that 1-0 loss to Kaiserslautern was actually enough to see them win the league title.
As you might have guessed, this was not Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich, but Sebastien Hoeness’ Bayern Munich Zwei - Bayern’s B-Team.
But having won the Dritte Liga, Bayern Zwei had got as high as they could go. Even Bayern’s reserves had become uncompetitive.
Over in England, the debate over B-Teams rages on.
With coronavirus pushing the pyramid to the limit, solutions to the problem of English football are rife. The call for B-Teams is back.
In this episode, we ask: are B-Teams really the solution to English football’s problems?
Guests:
James Cave (@jaycave14) is the co-founder of Against League 3 (@AgainstLeague3) a media channel that raises awareness on lower league issues.
Matt Ford (@matt_4d) is a freelance journalist who covers German football and fan culture for DW Sports and others.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Sunday Lights - Onesuch Village
Gullwing Sailor - Migration
Felt Lining - The Cabinetmaker
Vik Fence Haflak - The Fence
Paving Stones - The Contessa
Boston Landing - Skittle
Relay 7 - Marble Run
Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio
For much of the summer headlines in England were dominated by Chelsea deals and Manchester United speculation. But if you looked under the surface a trend was picking up with pace; clubs were paying more for younger players than ever before.
On today's episode we ask: are clubs investing too much money in 'wunderkids'?
Guest:
Omar Chaudhuri (@omarchaudhuri) is the Chief Intelligence Officer at the consulting firm, 21st club.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Paper Feather’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Bundt’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Marquetry’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Vernouillet’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
On Sunday, Sergino Dest made his debut for Barcelona, making him the first American to play for the club in a competitive fixture.
He’s not the only young American thriving at an elite club in Europe. So’s Christian Pulisic…
Weston McKennie…
Gio Reyna…
In fact, there have never been more Americans playing the sport at the highest level.
In this episode, we ask: is there a revolution taking place within US soccer?
Guest:
Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) is a NYT Best Selling Author and host of the Futbol with Grant Wahl podcast.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Pxl Cray - The Fence
Dirty Wallpaper - Lemuel
Lumber Down - Barstool
Children of Lemuel - Lemuel
Delicious - Towboat
Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio
Last week it seemed like every football conversation was about the new enforcement of the handball rule. But football games weren't always dominated by penalty decisions. In fact, there was a time before penalty kicks even existed.
Today we revisit the origin of the penalty kick and ask: has the original intent been lost?
Guests:
Stephen McManus is the Secretary of the Milford Building Preservation Trust.
Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell) is a Features Writer for Yahoo Sports
Additional Reading:
https://sports.yahoo.com/handball-rule-soccer-football-fix-tottenham-newcastle-ifab-165144057.html?src=rss
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Stucco Blue’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Tessalit’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Li Fonte’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Guinea’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Thumbscrew’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Scalloped’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
As the coronavirus continues to roil its way across the world, causing devastation in its wake, there is no area that is not affected.
Football is no different.
But to talk about an amorphous entity “Football” is one thing. The reality is quite different.
In English football, we like to talk about the football pyramid - a metaphor which conjures up the idea of a communal egalitarianism, a base springing from the grassroots and lofting its way all the way up to the Premier League.
With lower league football rocking on its heels, we ask: is there really such a thing as the football pyramid? And what does the top have to do with the bottom?
Guests:
Michael Calvin (@CalvinBook) is a best-selling author whose books include The Nowhere Men, Living On The Volcano, No Hunger In Paradise and State of Play. He also hosts BT Sports Football Writers Podcast.
Ollie Bayliss (@Ollie_Bayliss) is a Journalist, Football Commentator and Presenter of The Non-League Show on BBC Three Counties Radio.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Periodicals by Albany, NY
Felt Lining by The Cabinetmaker
The Trestle by Lillehammer
Four and Fourteen by Holyoke
Mineral Still by Cholate
Ultima Thule by Glacier Quartet - Araby
Fullback used to be an unfashionable position but now some of the Premier League's best players play right-back.
Tariq Lamptey has terrorized defenses to start the season and has drawing penalties and praise all around England.
Today we profile Brighton's breakout star and explain why we're seeing better right-backs than ever before.
Guests:
Andy Naylor (@AndyNaylorBHAFC) covers Brighton and Hove Albion for The Athletic and that is where you can read his recent profile on Tariq Lamptey.
Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) is a freelance journalist whose work can be found in the i paper, BBC Sport and the Totally Football Show amongst others
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Desmontes’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Cirrus’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Cash Cow’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Highway 430’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Slow Rollout’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Setting Pace’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
In 1972, Hunter Davies released a book that documented his experiences spending a whole season behind the scenes with Bill Nicholson’s Spurs.
Davies's book - The Glory Game - offers an eye-opening account of football in the 70s with a level of intimacy that gave the book a real edge as a piece of football history.
Nearly 50 years later, global mega-company Amazon are offering a comparative experience. But where Hunter Davies went in armed with a notepad and pencil, Amazon takes us behind-the-scenes with video cameras and microphones.
In this episode, we ask: what did we learn from All or Nothing, Amazon’s television docu-series about Spurs?
Guests:
Jack Pitt-Brook (@JackPittBrooke) covers Tottenham and England for the Athletic and hosts the View from the Lane podcast.
Chris Miller (@WindyCOYS) is the host of the Extra Inch podcast 15 Minutes (With Flav And Windy) a podcast in which Flav and Windy devote 15 minutes to a random topic.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
Cicle Clavis Textile - Cicle Kadde
Waterbourne - Algae Fields
Three Stories - Skittle
Entrance Shaft 11 - The Depot
Topslides - The Cabinetmaker
Scalloped - Crab Shack
Last Sunday, scenes became ugly in France's biggest game, Marseille vs PSG. There were kicks and punches thrown and allegations of racism, homophobia, and spitting. But when the dust settled, Marseille was the 1-0 victor.
It was the first time Marseille had beaten PSG in the League for 9 years. With two losses to open the season PSG's position at the top of French football now looks vulnerable.
Today we ask, can Marseille mount a Ligue 1 title challenge?
Guest:
Eric Devin (@ericdevin_) is a French football expert and works as a Chief Features Writer for Get French Football News as well as the Guardian and WhoScored.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Vik Fence Haflak’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Three Stories’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Valantis’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Cab Ride’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
A little over four years ago Wolves were an average team in the Championship. Now they're competing with the top teams in the country. One of the primary reasons for their success has been their recruitment of Portuguese players. In the current transfer window they've recruited two top talents from FC Porto; Fabio Silva and Vitinha.
Today, we analyze their recent signings and look at the growing influence of superagents and networks in football.
Guests:
Joe Edwards (@JoeEdwards_Star) covers Wolves for the Express and Star and is a co-host of the E&S Wolves Podcast.
Dr.Paul Widdop (@Fire_and_Skill) is an Associate Professor of Sport at Manchester Metropolitan University and is the Chair of the Football Collective.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘Tiny Putty’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Filing Away’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Fiesty and Tacky’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Clay Pawn Shop’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions
At the end of September last year, Leeds United visited the Valley to play Charlton in the EFL Championship.
In the end, it was an unremarkable enough game, despite the eventual Champions losing to newly promoted Charlton.
But after the game, it soon became apparent that something more sinister had happened on the pitch.
After a long investigation by the FA, Kiko Casilla was eventually found guilty of a charge of racist abuse and received an 8 match ban and a 60,000 pound fine.
Leeds United, though, stuck by their player.
In this episode, we ask: did Leeds United get things wrong in their response to the Kiko Casilla incident?
Guest:
Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) covers Leeds United for the Athletic
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘A Simple Shroud - Ray Catcher’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Taoudella - Azalai’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Well Water - The Bulwark’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Periodicals - Albany, NY’ by Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio’ by Blue Dot Sessions
For most of us, James Rodriguez burst onto the scene during the 2014 World Cup. But since then, the Colombian playmaker has not really reached the ceiling that many expected he could reach…
This week, though, James took a new step in his career, joining Everton in time for the beginning of a new Premier League season.
In this episode, we ask: how will James Rodriguez fit in at Everton?
Guest:
Alex Stewart (@AFHStewart) is Senior Content Strategist for The Athletic and covers tactics for Tifo Football (@TifoFootball_).
Alex recently published a piece at The Athletic titled: "What makes James Rodriguez an elite player – and where he will fit at Everton"
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.
‘House of Grendel - Lemuel’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Minutes - Pacha Faro’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Kalsted - Lillehammer’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Paramo Ocho - El Baul’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Lakkalia - Banana Cream’ from Blue Dot Sessions
Welcome to a bonus episode of Football Today. On yesterday's episode, we made the case for why Barcelona should sell Lionel Messi. Today we step back and take a look at the role of star players more generally in the transfer window. How important are they and how easy are they to replace?
Guest:
Omar Chaudhuri (@OmarChaudhuri) is the Chief Intelligence Officer at 21st Club and 15th Club.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
‘Boston Landing’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Refraction’ from Podington Bear
On August 25th Lionel Messi declared his intent to leave FC Barcelona. Then, last Friday, he shocked the world by saying he would return to Barca for one last season. Many fans and pundits have looked at this as a 'win' for the club. But what if Barcelona is better off without Messi?
Today we make the case for why Barcelona should sell Messi. This was recorded on Thursday before Messi made his decision.
Guest:
Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) covers La Liga for The Athletic.
Suggested Additional Reading:
Explained: What Messi’s U-turn means for him, Barcelona and Manchester City
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
‘Illway’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Um Pepino’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Bauxite’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Stucco Grey’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Cirrus’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime’ from Blue Dot Sessions
There's a curious phenomenon in modern football. Clubs who have centuries-long pedigrees are suddenly finding it hard to survive.
The last in the litany of beleaguered football clubs is Charlton Athletic.
Having dropped down into League One last season, the club is now in a race to prove to the EFL they have sufficient funds to survive next season. If they can't, they risk been expelled from the football league.
In this episode, we ask: what has gone wrong at Charlton Athletic?
Guests:
Will McGee (@W_F_Magee) is a freelance journalist who has worked for Vice, the Mirror, and the i newspaper and who has bylines at the Independent, When Saturday Comes, Huck, Tribune, and The Guardian.
Sam Cooke is a Charlton Fan and a Board Member of the Charlton Athletic Supporters’ Trust (@CAStrust).
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
‘Setting Pace - Duck Lane’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Lupi - Orange Cat’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Set the Tip Jar - Warmbody’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Naptime - Lemuel’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Arbic Tallow - Lillehammer’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Sunday Lights- Onesuch Village’ from Blue Dot Sessions
‘Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio’ from Blue Dot Sessions
As we chronicled last week, football clubs are collecting more data than ever before. Every action and movement on a pitch is captured, tracked, and recorded.
But what happens to this data once it's stored? Who is protecting it and how?
Today, we ask: how safe is football's data?
Guest:
Sarah Lyons is the Deputy Director for Economy and Society Engagement at the National Cyber Security Centre
Suggested Reading:
The Cyber Threat to Sports Organisations
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
'Gra Hovedvei' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Charcoal Lines' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Cicle DR Valga' from Blue Dot Sessions
'True Blue Sky' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Pastel de Nata' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Setting Pace' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Thread of Clouds' from Blue Dot Sessions
For many of us in the UK, the closest we get to seeing the US women’s national team players in the flesh is when there is an international tournament in Europe.
This is about to change though. With the news that Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle are joining Manchester City and Tobin Heath and Christen Press could be joining Manchester United, the US women’s national team is now feeling much less distant.
In this episode, we ask: why are American players migrating to the United Kingdom? And what impact will it have on the English game?
Guest:
Tim Stillman (@Stillberto) writes about Arsenal and Arsenal Women for arseblog (@arseblog) and talks about Arsenal on the Arsenal Vision Podcast (@ArsenalVPodcast)
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
'Wax Paper Jewel - Origami' from Blue Dot Sessions
'McCarthy - Glacier Quartet - Araby' from Blue Dot Sessions
'House of Grendel - Lemuel' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Towboat Theme - Towboat' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Cab Ride - Pasha Faro' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio' from Blue Dot Sessions
Data. As the world evolves data is becoming increasingly important. Performance data, medical data, tracking data, financial data, the list seems to never end. In football, players' personal data is increasing at a seemingly exponential rate.
But who owns this data? Who is responsible for holding it? And who can make money on it commercially? Ex-manager Russell Slade, 400 players and a global sports company are seeking to find out. The group are preparing to sue gaming and betting companies over the use of player data.
Today we explain Project Red Card and what it means for the future of data in football.
Guests:
Richard Dutton is the director of the data advisory company Elias Partnership which is consulting Project Red Card.
Mike Clohisy is the President of Beasy- Blockchain made easy and has worked as a sports lawyer in the United States for more than 25 years.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
'Kirkus' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Coulis Coulis' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Cirrus' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Aourourou' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Arizona Moon' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Darn that Weasel' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Warn the Fingers' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio' from Blue Dot Sessions
When the football season draws to a close and the summer arrives, it can only mean one thing…
The transfer window is upon us and that brings with it the phenomenon of the transfer rumour
But where do these rumours come from? Are they even real to start with?
In this episode, we trace a transfer rumour back to its origin and ask: can anything be done about rumour-mongering?
Guests:
Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) is editor of Football Espana and author of The Frying Pan of Spain: Sevilla v Real Betis - Spain's Hottest Football Rivalry
Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) is football news and investigations reporter at The Athletic
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
'Flashing Runner - Resolute' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Dash and Slope - Castro' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Leela - Marble Run' from Blue Dot Sessions
'An Unknown Visitor - Cold Case' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Le Marais - The Sweet Hots' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Slate Tracker - Glacier Quartet' from Blue Dot Sessions
'Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio' from Blue Dot Sessions
I don't know about you, but May feels like a lifetime ago. Back then there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of football and nowhere was this feeling stronger than in the EFL. With dozens of clubs at risk of bankruptcy, many within the game thought structural change was necessary
After months of talk, Leagues One and Two have finally agreed on hard salary caps for their respective leagues starting this season.
Today we explain the new rules and ask, what do they mean for English football?
Guests:
Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) is a football finance expert working at Liverpool University and co-host of the Price of Football Podcast (@POF_POD).
Noah Croom worked in the NBA for more than 20 years and he is currently General Counsel and Partner at the Beautiful Game Group.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
Vik Fence Haflak by Blue Dot Sessions
Gaddy by Blue Dot Sessions
One Quiet Conversation by Blue Dot Sessions
Sunday Lights by Blue Dot Sessions
The Provisions by Blue Dot Sessions
Naptime by Blue Dot Sessions
On Early Night by Blue Dot Sessions
Peacetime by Blue Dot Sessions
I don’t know about you but I find my eyes glazing over when I hear that FIFA is in the news again for something less than salubrious…
When it was announced that Swiss prosecutors had opened proceedings on Gianni Infantino, then, you’d be forgiven for raising an eyebrow and continuing scrolling through your feeds.
But this case is a little different…
In this instance, Infantino is being charged as an individual not as president of FIFA. But despite this, FIFA seem very, very concerned...
In this episode, we ask: why is Gianni Infantino going to court? And why are FIFA so nervous about it?
Guest:
Paul Nicholson’s work can be found at Inside World Football (@InsideWorldFoo1).
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
Throughput by Blue Dot Sessions
Camp Femin by Blue Dot Sessions
Funk and Flash by Blue Dot Sessions
Lupi by Blue Dot Sessions
Douglass Stairs by Blue Dot Sessions
Pastel De Nata by Blue Dot Sessions
Peacetime by Blue Dot Sessions
With the 2020/2021 season coming soon for many leagues around Europe, clubs are unveiling their new kits online. The reaction online can be extreme but usually, it focuses on how attractive a shirt is. Important of course. But we rarely consider how the shirts we adore are actually made.
Today we look at the practices of multinational sports apparel companies and ask, what is the human cost of making football kits?
Guests:
Paul Roeland (@polyester) is a transparency coordinator for the Clean Clothes Campaign.
Rob Warner (@Real_Rob_Warner) is the co-founder and creative director of the design agency Spark. In the past, he's worked for companies like Umbro, Puma, O'Neill, and LuluLemon.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
Denzel Sprak by Blue Dot Sessions
Clay Pawn Shop by Blue Dot Sessions
The Poplar Grove by Blue Dot Sessions
Mercurial Vision Solo Wurlitzer by Blue Dot Sessions
Chicken Steak by Blue Dot Sessions
Four months ago, it looked like Amanda Staveley, the Reuben Brothers and the Saudi Public Investment Fund would be the next owners of Newcastle United. Then, last Thursday, the deal collapsed.
Today we explain why and what it means for the future of the club.
Guests
Liam Kennedy (@LiamJKennedy23) is a Newcastle United writer for JPI Media and co-host of the Mouth of the Tyne podcast
Alex Hurst (@tfalex1892) is the Chairman of the Newcastle United Supporters Trust and Editor & host of the True Faith Newcastle United Fanzine and podcast
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
Our Fingers Cold by Blue Dot Sessions
Partly Sage by Blue Dot Sessions
Highway 430 by Blue Dot Sessions
San Diego Sunday by Blue Dot Sessions
Rambling by Blue Dot Sessions
Vernouillet by Blue Dot Sessions
Cylinder Six by Chris Zabriskie
Three weeks ago, when CAS made their verdict in the Manchester City FFP case, there was a lot of uncertainty in how it reached its verdict. Then, last Tuesday, CAS released a 93-page document explaining their decision.
Today, we examine the CAS verdict and tell you why UEFA may have dropped the ball.
Guest:
Rob Harris (@RobHarris) is Global Sports Correspondent for the Associated Press.
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music:
Curio by Blue Dot Sessions
Lakeside Path by Blue Dot Sessions
Darkened Treeline by Blue Dot Sessions
Jog to the Water by Blue Dot Sessions
Softly Villainous by Blue Dot Sessions
Since 1959, only two teams outside of Turkey's big three (Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray) have won the league title. Last week İstanbul Başakşehir became the third team to do so.
Today, we explain how they did it and what it means for Turkish football.
Guest:
John McManus (@JohnMcManus06) is an anthropologist and author of 'Welcome to Hell? In Search of the Real Turkish Football'
Suggested Reading:
'New Money'
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
For the first time in football history, dozens of games are being played in empty stadiums. This has given us unprecedented insight into how fans impact on-pitch performance.
Today we ask: what happens to home-field advantage when there are no fans?
Guests:
John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) is a senior data visualisation journalist at the Financial Times.
Stuart Carrington (@StuCarrington07) is a Lecturer in Sports Coaching Science at St Mary's University, London and the author of Blowing the Whistle: The Psychology of Football Refereeing
Suggested reading
Does home advantage exist without football’s partisan fans?
Support Us:
https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday
Follow Us:
@FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
When Albert Celades was sacked at the end of June, everyone thought it was just another chapter in the story of Peter Lim’s ownership of Valencia.
However, over in Singapore, Lim’s daughter, Kim, fired up her Instagram and began typing.
"Some Valencia fans are scolding and cursing at my family and I. Don't they get it? The club is ours and we can do anything we want with it. Deal with it."
Since Peter Lim took over the club, the ups and downs have been vertiginous. But things seem to have reached a new low at the Mestalla.
With rumours that a large number of the squad could be sold off in a summer fire sale, we ask: Is Valencia a club in crisis?
Guest:
Pål Ødegård (@paalpot75) is a Norwegian journalist whose work on football politics can be found in Josimar.
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Earlier this month, after years of hard work and preparation the academies of Burnley, Leeds and Crystal Palace were upgraded to Category One status. It is evidence of a larger trend of clubs investing more heavily in their academies and renovating their training grounds.
Today, we explain why Premier League clubs are increasing their spending on their academies and what it might mean for the future of British football.
Guests:
Matt Woosnam (@MattWoosie) covers Crystal Palace for The Athletic.
Simon Austin (@sport_simon) is the Founder and Director of the website, Training Ground Guru. He also co-hosts the Training Ground Guru podcast with Josh Schneider-Weiler.
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What is football? Who is it for?
Big questions to be asking on a nondescript day in July, perhaps. But questions that are being subtly answered all the time whether we recognise it or not.
On Monday, we were given a clearer indication of what football is in the present day. That day, Manchester City saw their UEFA Champions League ban overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, raising questions about the usefulness of Financial Fair Play.
Does this ruling suggest that the rules just do not apply for the very richest clubs? Is football now just a business with sport attached?
In this episode, we ask: why was Manchester City’s UEFA ban overturned? And what does it mean for football?
Guests:
Rob Harris (@RobHarris) is Global Sports Correspondent for the Associated Press.
David Mooney (@DavidMooney) is a Manchester City fan, creator of the Blue Moon Podcast and host of the Athletic’s Why Always Us? Podcast
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In 24 hours everything changed for Wigan fans. The Latics went from celebrating a 3-0 win over Stoke to a club entering into administration. In this episode, we spoke two Wigan fans who are fighting to keep the club alive.
Guests:
Adam Conroy is a Wigan fan and secretary of the Wigan Supporters Club (@WiganAthSC).
Jay Whittle (@JayWhittle6) is a Wigan fan and freelance contributor to the Wigan Evening Post and Observer.
Donate to the Official Wigan Athletic Football Club Fundraiser Here.
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Every season, it’s the same. Four teams, four spots.
But this season, there’s a twist.
With Manchester City the potential recipients of a Champions League ban, we could see a surprise addition to the competition’s English quota.
The race for the Champions League will see some clubs’ fortunes made and some clubs’ fortunes dented.
In this episode, we ask: what does this year’s race for the Champions League look like? And who is set to lose the most by missing out?
Guest:
Seb Stafford-Bloor (@SebSB) is Tifo's Content and Scripts Editor whose work can also be found at FourFourTwo and Football365.
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This weekend as COVID-19 cases in the UK fell, people returned en masse to pubs and restaurants. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Brazilian cities are reopening despite surging cases and deaths of COVID-19.
While many experts believe the worst is yet to come, football has returned to Rio de Janeiro causing discord between locals clubs and government officials.
Today we look at Brazil's handling of the coronavirus and ask, is football coming back too soon in Brazil?
Guest:
Tim Vickery (@Tim_Vickery) is a South American football expert and broadcaster. He regularly writes for ESPN.com and The Sun and is a co-host of The Brazilian Shirt Name podcast.
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Earlier this year, it was announced that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia was close to securing an 80% share of Newcastle United. But time has passed and the deal still remains incomplete.
In fact, the Premier League have an almighty dilemma on their hands. Not the obvious moral dilemma… but one that involves the esoteric world of broadcasting rights.
The introduction of a Saudi player in the marketplace of the Premier League puts the league at the heart of a row that has riven the middle east for the last three years.
In this episode, we ask: how could a broadcast rights deal scupper the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United?
Guest:
Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) is a football news & investigations reporter at The Athletic.
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In 2016 as Hull City were preparing for a season back in the Premier League, fans were calling for the end of Assem Allam's ownership of the club.
Now, four years later, the club sit in 21st place, facing possible relegation to League One. Attendances are at a new low and the club have won since January.
To make matters worse the club recently banned the Hull Daily Mail from attending their latest home match against Charlton and have publicly condemned an investigation by the Athletic.
Today we ask, why is Hull City at war with the media?
Guest:
Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) is a journalist for The Athletic.
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Additional Reading:
'Special investigation: The story of Hull City’s decline'
2012 might not seem that long ago but the world was a very different place back then…
There was a different political situation for a start…
The Olympics were held in London…
And Instagram released on Android devices…
But in the world of football, something even more remarkable happened… A team named Bayern Munich didn’t win the Bundesliga.
Last week, Bayern confirmed that they would finish the season top of the table again.
The Bavarian club have now won eight Meisterschalen in a row, raising questions about the league’s attractiveness to foreign audiences.
In this episode, we ask: is Bayern’s dominance an issue for German football?
Guest:
Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) covers the Bundesliga for The Athletic, Der Spiegel, BT Sport and the Totally Football Show.
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More than 3 months after it was suspended, the Premier League has returned. Leagues in Germany, Spain, and Italy have also restarted their seasons. France is the only top-5 European league to cancel its season. However, there are still questions about how that decision was made.
Today we ask, who really canceled Ligue 1?
Guest:
Tariq Panja (@tariqpanja) is a sports reporter for the New York Times.
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Additional Reading:
'How French Soccer Fell Apart'
It’s been quite a year for Timo Werner.
Second highest scorer in the Bundesliga, he’s now wanted by a host of Premier League clubs.
But after a deal with Bayern Munich fell through last year, everyone was expecting the young German striker to end up in Liverpool.
Last week, though, it became apparent that the Merseyside club couldn’t afford him, opening the door for Chelsea to make an approach.
In this episode, we ask: why can Chelsea buy Timo Werner and Liverpool can’t?
Guests:
Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) covers Chelsea for The Athletic.
Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) is a football finance expert working at Liverpool University and co-host of the Price of Football Podcast (@POF_POD).
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Arsenal have qualified for European competition every season since 1994-1995. As the PL restarts they sit in 9th place, putting their streak in jeopardy. Today we preview Arsenal's remaining 10 games and examine if the Gunners are still a top 6 club.
Guest:
Tim Stillman (@stillberto) is a writer for Arseblog and a regular contributor to the Arsenal Vision podcast.
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It was the news that everyone had been waiting for: after a long break for coronavirus, the top two divisions of English football were back.
But not everyone is happy about the news about the resumption.
Despite the best efforts of the FA, the Premier League and the EFL, there are still concerns about the safety of Project Restart.
In this episode, we ask: just how safe is Project Restart?
Guest:
Alex Benham (@aut_omnia) is a PhD student at the University of Oxford whose work focuses on public health and the history of pandemics.
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On May 30th, UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden announced that live sport could return. However, there are public health officials who are still concerned the UK is loosening restrictions too early.
Today, we speak Labour MP and Shadow Minister for Sport, Alison McGovern (@Alison_McGovern) to discuss if now is the right time to bring back the Premier League and how the coronavirus pandemic will impact the futures of the EFL and women's football.
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When an unknown eighteen-year-old scored for Spurs against Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League back in 2011, little did the fans realise what an important role he would play in the club’s history.
Fast forward a decade and Harry Kane has a World Cup semi-final and a Champions League final under his belt.
But where the rise of Harry Kane has been dramatic, so has his decline. Beset by injury, a hamstring tear against Southampton in January was the latest of the litany of problems the Spurs striker has suffered throughout his career.
With Kane’s underlying numbers dropping away in recent seasons, in this episode, we ask: will we ever see the old Harry Kane again?
Guest:
Nathan Clark (@NathanAClark) is an analyst working in media and football. You can hear him talking about Spurs on The Extra Inch Podcast (@TheExtraInch).
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The hottest club in Germany is Bayern Munich. Bayern have won 16 of their last 17 league games and sit 7 points ahead of second place Dortmund. With 5 games left, they appear to be on their way to their 8th straight Bundesliga title.
But back on November 3rd this didn't seem so inevitable. At the time Bayern had just sacked head coach Niko Kovac and hired assistant Hansi Flick on an interim basis.
Today we profile Hansi Flick's career and explain how he might be building the next Bayern Munich dynasty.
Guest:
Manuel Veth (@manuelveth) covers the Bundesliga for Forbes and Transfermarkt
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When you think of nations with a storied footballing history, you might not immediately think of Haiti.
But in 1974, the small island state became the first Caribbean country to represent at a World Cup.
Since then, the history of the country has been rocked with tragedy and scandal.
Football hasn’t been immune from this. Earlier this year, allegations were made that the country’s President of the Football Federation, Yves Jean-Bart, had sexually abused young female footballers.
In this episode, we trace this harrowing case through the words of one of the journalists who uncovered it.
Guest:
Romain Molina (@Romain_Molina) is an investigative journalist with bylines in The Guardian, CNN, BBC, The New York Times and Le Temps.
According to recent reports in the Financial Times CVC Capital is in talks to acquire 20% of Serie A. We examine the potential deal and what it would mean for Serie A. Plus we tell you why it is so difficult to build stadiums in Italy.
Guests:
Murad Ahmed (@muradahmed) is a sports editor for the Financial Times.
Alasdair Mackenzie (@aksmackenzie) is a freelance journalist and Serie A expert. He is also a co-host of the Lazio Lounge podcast.
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Going into this season, the Bundesliga’s media tagline was "Football as it’s meant to be".
On Saturday, the Bundesliga resumed after taking a long break due to the emergence of coronavirus. Whatever else it was, this wasn’t how it was meant to be.
In the Revierderby, Borussia Dortmund romped home to a 4-0 victory over their rivals Schalke. But not everyone was happy...
In this episode, we ask: was the Bundesliga’s return a success? Or will the shine soon wear off?
Guests:
Sebastian Wessling (@fluestertweets) is a football journalist for Funkesport
Abel Meszaros (@BundesPL) is a Bundesliga Analyst who works for Sport TV Hungary and who writes a regular Bundesliga Bulletin
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France exports more players than any other country except Brazil according to the CIES Observatory.
Yet, Zinedine Zidane is the only French manager in one of Europe's top 5 leagues outside of Ligue 1. Why and what does it tell us about French managers in 2020?
Guest:
Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) is a football writer and broadcaster and contributes to ESPN.com, Bleacher Report and The Totally Football Show.
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If you’re anything like me, you probably haven’t ever given much attention to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee: the government select committee that deals with football.
Last week, the committee interviewed Rick Parry, the chairman of the English Football League to talk to him about the impact of COVID-19 on the lower tiers of English football.
Parry was bullish, attacking the financial structures underpinning the game in Britain.
Having eviscerated the whole system, he took more careful aim.
If you wanted a culprit for the swingeing inequalities in English football, Parry seemed to be saying, then you could look no further than parachute payments.
But what are parachute payments? And why are they so bad?
In this episode, we ask: Are parachute payments holding British football back?
Guest:
Dr Rob Wilson (@DrRob_Wilson), a Football Finance Expert at Sheffield Hallam University.
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On April 30th 2018, Celtic beat rivals Rangers 5-0 to clinch their 7th straight Scottish Premiership title. The loss meant Rangers would stay below Aberdeen and in 3rd place, a worrying sign for one of Scotland's two biggest clubs.
Within five days Rangers would fire their manager, Graeme Murty, and sign Steven Gerrard to a 4-year contract.
Now two years later Rangers are in the last 16 of the Europa League and are the second-best team in Scotland. Today, we examine Steven Gerrard's two years as a manager.
Guest:
Stefan Bienkowski (@SBienkowski) is a journalist for BBC Sport Scotland
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On the 15th April 1989, Hillsborough was the scene of the worst disaster in British football history.
That day, 96 people tragically lost their lives, crushed in two small standing areas in the stadium.
Thirty years later and the issue of standing at football remains contentious.
The Taylor Report, an inquiry into the question of safe spectating at football matches concluded in part that, “Whilst standing accommodation is not intrinsically unsafe, all-seater stadia bring benefits to spectator comfort, safety and crowd control”.
To this day, there are no standing terraces in the top tiers of English football. But this could be about to change.
In this episode, we ask: what impact will Manchester United’s stadium plans have on safe standing in English football?
Guests:
Ian Stirling (@Stirling061) is Vice-Chair of Manchester United Supporters’ Trust and Fans' Forum Rep.
Jon Darch (@SafeStandingRS) runs the Safe Standing Roadshow and has spent the last decade lobbying clubs, politicians and fans about the benefits of safe standing in football.
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Less than two weeks ago, two ex-players from Real Betis and five former executives from Osasuna were convicted of sporting corruption and sentenced to prison. It’s the first time in the history of La Liga players and executives have been sentenced to prison.
Today, we look at the ramifications of the Osasuna case and explore the long history of maletines in Spain.
Guest:
Richard Martin (@Rich9908) is a Spanish football journalist.
Craig Williams (@glasgowmixtape) is a journalist with Glasgow Live and Spanish football aficionado.
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Back in March, Jon spoke to Kelsey Trainor (@ktrain_11) about the US Women’s National Team’s ongoing legal struggles to achieve equal pay with their men’s national team.
Yesterday evening, news broke that the judge in the case had ruled in Summary Judgement.
The result came as a shock to everyone.
Today, Jon is rejoined by Kelsey - a lawyer, writer and producer - to talk through yesterday’s revelations.
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On March the 11th, a historic Bundesliga game was played: Borussia Mönchengladbach beat Köln 2-1 behind closed doors in a bid to avoid infection from the coronavirus.
But as the virus continued its relentless march across the globe, these Geisterspiele - or ghost games - were themselves judged to be too risky.
Last week, the Bundesliga’s CEO, Christian Seifert, gave a press conference. In the course of his statement, he revealed a 41-page plan that the league was presenting to the German government proposing a potential return for football in May.
Not everyone is happy though. One fan association, Unsere Kurve, released a statement noting their displeasure.
In this episode, we ask: how feasible are the Bundesliga’s plans for a return?
Guests:
Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) is a social producer and football journalist for Goal.com covering the Bundesliga amongst other things
Matt Ford (@matt_4d) is a freelance journalist whose work regularly appears on DW Sports.
Derek Rae (@RaeComm) is a commentator and covers German football for Bundesliga Intl, Prime Video, NBC, ESPN and Fox.
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On March 20th, Boris Johnson announced all pubs, bars and restaurants in the UK would be closed. More than a month later, the pubs remain closed. However, despite their forced closure many pub tenants are being forced to pay their full rent.
Today we look at how coronavirus is affecting British pubs and see how that might affect football's relationship with pubs.
Guests:
Greg Mulholland, Chair of British Pub Confederation
Martin Whelan, Owner of The Tollington pub
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One day in October 2018, a journalist - Jamal Khashoggi - went into the Saudi Arabian consulate in Instanbul. He would never come out.
Although Saudi Arabia rigorously denied it, it soon became evident that Khashoggi had been killed in an assassination most likely sanctioned by the crown prince - Mohammed bin Salman.
Less than two years later, Mohammed bin Salman is back in the news.
Heading up a consortium to buy Newcastle United off Mike Ashley, the man known more colloquially as MBS finds himself following the footsteps of his mentor MBZ - Mohammed bin Zayed, the owner of Manchester City.
In this episode, we ask: who is Mohammed bin Salman? And why is he buying Newcastle United?
Guest:
Nicholas McGeehan (@NcGeehan) is a human rights activist and researcher
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Barcelona's board is in chaos. Six Barcelona board members have resigned and there has been an allegation of corruption. Josep Maria Bartomeu's presidency is coming under increased pressure by fans, players and board members.
Today we ask: what is 'Barcagate' and why is there chaos on the Barca board?
Guest:
Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) covers La Liga for ESPN.com and the Guardian. He is also the co-host of the podcast, The Spanish Football Podcast.
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Early in the morning on May 27th, 2015, plainclothes policemen started visiting hotels in Zurich, Switzerland and systematically rounding people up.
For years previously, an investigation carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service had been tracking financial irregularities at FIFA, the governing body of world football.
Following this momentous occasion, a stream of indictments had been handed out to individuals involved with FIFA. But slowly, the indictments dried up. It seemed like the trail had gone cold.
Then, last week, a new indictment was unsealed at a District Court in New York. The FIFA corruption trials were back.
In this episode, we ask: what has been happening with FIFA’s corruption charges over the last five years? And why are they suddenly back on the agenda?
Guest:
Ken Bensinger (@kenbensinger ) is an investigative journalist at Buzzfeed and the author of the book, Red Card: How the U.S. Blew the Whistle on the World's Biggest Sports Scandal
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On November 18th, 2019, Trinidad and Tobago Football Association president David John-Williams opening the country's new football stadium and complex.
The same day of the unveiling, FIFA president Gianni Infantino lauded the work of the T&T Football Association and John-Williams. John-Williams would lose his bid for re-election just 6 days later.
Now less than 6 months later, FIFA is declaring that Trinidad and Tobago's football association is not fit for purpose and has appointed a normalisation committee to run football operations in the country.
Today we look at why Infantino and FIFA made such a drastic u-turn and why might this be a dangerous precedent for football associations around the world.
Guest:
Lasana Liburd (@Lasanaliburd) is the CEO and editor of the website wired868.com, which is where you can find ongoing coverage of this story and other Caribbean football news
Philippe Auclair (@PhilippeAuclair) is a writer and broadcaster and you can read his exclusive interview with Keith Lok Loy on Josimar.com
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In the last few weeks, it feels like everybody is talking about wages in football.
It’s not just footballer’s wages that have come under scrutiny; across the Premier League, clubs have been coming under criticism for making use of a government furloughing scheme to save imbursing their lower-paid staff.
With more money than ever in football and less money than ever in the economy, people are asking questions about football’s relationship to wealth.
In this episode, we ask: why is everyone talking about wages in football? And how is football being used as… well... a political football.
Guests:
Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) is a freelance journalist whose work can be found in the i paper, BBC Sport and the Totally Football Show amongst others
Will Davies (@davies_will) is Professor in Political Economy at Goldsmiths, University of London.
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Ecuador won their first four games of South American qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, yet they would fail to qualify. They are hoping to get to the world's biggest stage.
In January, Ecuador signed Jordi Cruyff on a 3-year contract. The hiring is just one part of a larger strategy by the Ecuadorian Football Federation to rebrand and modernize the national team.
Today we examine the Jordi Cruyff signing and ask: can he lead Ecuador back to the World Cup?
Guest:
Xavier Zavala (@Zavxav) is a youth development football coach and covers Ecuadorian football for World Football Index and the Futbolgrad Network
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As the football industry slumbers in quarantine, players, coaches, and fans are flocking to FIFA, videogames and esports to escape the cold reality.
Today we ask, how are leagues and clubs leveraging videogames and esports to fill the footballing void?
Guests:
Noah Davis (@noahedavis) is a freelance football writer and regularly covers MLS and the US Men's National Team.
Alastair Pusinelli (@pusi11) is the editor-in-chief of RealSport101.com.
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With all the upheavals in global football occasioned by life within a world beset by pandemic, a remarkable story of online abuse and a career ruined has gone somewhat under the radar.
Streatham Rovers (@StreathamRovers) are a non-league side in South London.
Playing in the Xterminate Rat Poison Football League, their fans dream of one day reaching the dizzying heights of neighbouring media darlings, Dulwich Hamlet.
All that changed this year when their manager Taff Goose (@TaffGoose) resigned from his position at the club with immediate effect.
In this episode, we ask: who are Streatham Rovers? And what happened with their manager?
Guests:
Roger Parsnip is a long-standing fan of Streatham Rovers and community, schools & youth engagement officer at the club.
Chris Legarde is Rovers' striker and plays at Number 10, 11 and -1.
Kevin Splash is a fitness coach at Rovers.
Special thanks to Robert Vaughan, Jonathan Turner and Joel Whitall.
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In 2010, Brighton and Hove Albion were a small club playing homes games for under 10,000 fans in England's third division. Now the club are playing their third consecutive season in the Premier League, hosting crowds of more than 30,000.
Behind the transformation is owner Tony Bloom. On today's episode, we chart Bloom's rise from professional gambler to Brighton's savior.
Guest:
Andy Naylor (@AndyNaylorBHAFC) covers Brighton and Hove Albion for The Athletic
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The US Women’s National Team is one of the most successful football teams in history.
They are also in the unique situation of being one of the few sports franchises in which the women’s team is more successful than the men’s.
Unfortunately, though, this hasn’t been enough to convince the United States Soccer Federation that equality in payment should be guaranteed across both teams.
For over a year now, players on the US Women’s National team have been battling their federation in the law courts in a bid to reach parity with the men.
In this episode, we explore the ins and outs of the US Women’s National Team’s lawsuit against the USSF and ask: how will US soccer come back from this?
Guest:
Kelsey Trainor (@ktrain_11) is an entertainment lawyer and sports writer
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This is part II of a two-episode series on the people who make football Wikipedia. Part I featured Jonny Sharples on how he uses Wikipedia as a tool for humor. In this episode, we speak to Gabriele Anello (@nellosplendor) who tells us why he edits Japanese Wikipedia pages, the process of making the edits, and why his photographs are used for several national team players.
Guest:
Gabriel Anello writes about Japanese football on his blog, J-League Regista, and regularly contributes to Wikipedia.
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The biggest online resource for football fans is Wikipedia, yet the contributors to the platform are largely anonymous. We speak to humorist Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) who is a longtime Wikipedia contributor and prankster. If you have ever been down a Wikipedia 'rabbit hole' this episode is for you.
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In recent months, the Coronavirus has ripped through the world, causing havoc in its wake
Despite its usual immunity to these things, the world of football has proved to be just as susceptible to the virus.
With almost no professional football being played for the foreseeable future, new questions are being raised about the state of the game.
In this episode, we ask: what impact has coronavirus had upon the business of football? And can things ever be the same again?
Guest:
Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) is Area Manager of the USA for TransferMarkt and covers the Bundesliga for Forbes.
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Welcome to a special edition of Football Today. We hope everyone listening is safe and taking the necessary precautions against the coronavirus pandemic.
Today, we're joined by author James Montague (@JamesPiotr), who takes us through a chapter from his new book, 1312: Among the Ultras, A Journey With the World's Most Extreme Fans.
In this episode, he tells us the story of Sergei Filimonov a Ukrainian ultra, who went from hooligan to national hero.
A little more than one week ago Brazilian legend Ronaldinho was arrested for entering Paraguay with a fake passport. Now he sits in a Paraguayan prison with his brother to await the outcome of the investigation.
Today we break down the case and look at what Ronaldinho has been up to since he retired.
Guest:
Roberto Rojas (@RobertoRojas97) covers South American football and is a co-host of the Low Limit Futbol podcast.
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If you were to go by last weekend’s result, Manchester United seem to be doing just fine.
However, doing the double over their cross-city rivals is not enough to mask United’s long-term problems since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013.
In a bid to offset the gap that exists between the club and the challengers at the top of the Premier League table, they announced the imminent creation of a data analytics department.
In this episode, we look at the impact that an analytics department could have on Manchester United and assess the broader context of analysis as it exists in the Premier League already.
Guest:
Tom Worville (@Worville) is Football Analytics writer for The Athletic.
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Almost everyone in world football knows Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, but the youngest face to grace the European stage for Dortmund this season is Giovanni Reyna. Tonight the trio take on heavyweights PSG for a spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Today, we profile one of the best 17-year-olds in the world, Gio Reyna.
Guest:
Rodrigo Marion is a U-17 coach for New York City FC and former academy director of NYCFC.
Stefan Buczko (@stefanbuczko) is the host of the Yellow Wall podcast.
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Italy has been one of the countries most affected by coronavirus. Consequently, football in the country has come under a microscope. Paolo Dal Pino, Lega Serie A president, has flip-flopped on how to respond to the outbreak.
Today, we look back at how Serie A reacted to the outbreak and ask, what can other leagues learn from Serie's management of the virus?
Guest:
Nima Tavallaey covers Italian football for SempreInter.com and the Serie A Show podcast.
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Some fans chanted Dietmar Hopp, others called him a son of a bitch…was it a day of shame or finally the day where German ultras had their voice heard?
This weekend Bayern Munich thrashed Hoffenheim 6-0 to extend their Bundesliga lead to 3 points, but their emphatic win isn't what made headlines in Germany. Instead, it was the referee's decision to stop the game not once twice due to vulgar banners.
Today we ask, why are Germany's ultras protesting Dietmar Hopp and the German Football Assocation.
Guest:
Christoph Biermann (@chbiermann) covers German football for 11freunde and the Steilcast podcast.
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@FT_podcast
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Back in December, Leeds United were playing Cardiff City at home in the Championship. A win would put them top of the table, 12 points clear of third place.
Going 3-0 up early in the second half, all seemed well. But then disaster struck.
This started a slump in form that saw Leeds fritter away points. Before long, they were caught up by the chasing pack.
Fast forward a month, and Leeds find themselves a point off the top of the table with a five-point buffer from Fulham in third place and with a much easier run of fixtures on paper.
In this episode, we ask: could this be the season where Leeds finally do it? And what will the next three months mean in the context of Marcelo Bielsa’s career?
Guests:
Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) covers Leeds United for the Athletic and appears weekly on the Phil Hay Show Podcast.
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Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
According to reports in France and Italy, Mario Balotelli is under investigation for sexual assault stemming from an incident in July of 2017. Yet despite the severity of the incident, the only English speaking publications to run a story were The Sun and The Daily Mail.
Today we ask, what does the Mario Balotelli case tell us about football's relationship with sexual violence?
Guests:
Shireen Ahmed (@_shireenahmed_) Writer, Activist and Co-host of the Burn It All Down podcast
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Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2018, Real Madrid has struggled to score goals. Recently, Madrid has scored one goal or fewer in three their last five La Liga games.
As they prepare for Sunday's El Clasico with Barcelona, we break down their offensive woes and ask, how do you replace a modern superstar?
Guests:
Euan McTear (@emctear) Subeditor at Marca/Co-host La Liga Lowdown podcast
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Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
For supplemental information, listen to our episode, 'The Rise of Rodrygo and Juni Calafat'
Last week, Arsene Wenger offered his own solution to the offside rule problem that has plagued the Premier League since the introduction of VAR.
But in so doing, he implied that FIFA have decided to rewrite the laws of the game to suit the age of technology.
In this episode, we ask: how do Wenger’s modifications of the offside rule fit in with the long history of the laws of the game?
Guest:
Jack Pitt-Brooke (@JackPittBrooke) covers Tottenham Hotspur and England for The Athletic and hosts their 'View from the Lane' podcast.
Follow us on Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
On December 4th, Everton was in the relegation zone, watching their season evaporate in thin air. Now they sit in 11th place, just 5 points off 5th, with a chance at Champions League football.
You can trace much of that success back that to Carlo Ancelotti's appointment as manager. Since he took over, the club has the 3rd most points in the league.
Today we ask, how has Carlo Ancelotti rejuvenated Everton?
Guest:
David Hughes (@DAHughes_) Football Scouting and Analysis Writer/Reach PLC
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Friday 14th of February - Valentine’s Day. Manchester City have just received notice of a ban from UEFA: two years out of the Champions League and 30 million euro fine.
The ban comes in the wake of UEFA’s claims that Manchester City “overstated its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016”. They also claim that the club “failed to cooperate in the investigation”.
It is now Friday the 21st of February and the dust has started to settle. In this episode, we trace the last seven days in the history of Manchester City Football Club and attempt to unpick the threads, looking at the impact of the Champions League ban on the fans, on the club, on the players, on the Premier League, on European football in general.
Guests:
David Mooney (@DavidMooney), creator of Blue Moon Podcast (@BlueMoonPodcast) and host of The Athletic’s Why Always Me? Podcast.
Matt Slater (@mjshrimper), football news and investigations reporter at The Athletic.
Jonathan Smith (@jonnysmiffy), Manchester City correspondent for Goal.com (@goal).
Follow us on Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
This weekend racism in football was back in the news after FC Porto's Moussa Marega left the game saying he was racially abused.
But racism from fans isn't isolated to Portugal, it's prevalent here in England as well.
Earlier this month a Brighton fan, George Reynolds was convicted and sentenced to prison for racist comments he made at a game against Tottenham. Today we look at the 'landmark' case and examine what it means for football.
Guests:
Aidan Barlow (@ArgusAidan) Crime Reporter/The Argus
George Starkey-Midha (@GStarkeyMidha)Ex-Media Officer/Kick it Out
Paul Barber Chief Executive/Brighton and Hove Albion FC
Follow us on Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Jurgen Klinsmann lasted 76 days as manager of Hertha Berlin. Then he quit. Today we look at why Klinsmann really left Hertha Berlin and what the fallout of the decision will be for Klinsmann and the club.
Guest:
Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) Football Journalist/Goal
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Three years ago, there was an air of expectancy around Chelsea Football Club.
Having fallen behind in the matchday revenue tables, they had just been granted approval to build a new stadium on the Fulham Road plot on which Stamford Bridge is situated.
Fast forward to the present and that planning agreement is set to expire imminently.
In this episode, we ask: how important is a stadium to a football club in the twenty-first century?
Guests:
Liam Twomey (@liam_twomey) covers Chelsea and more for The Athletic
Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) is a football finance expert working at Liverpool University and co-host of the Price of Football Podcast
Follow us on Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
When Ralf Rangnick took over as Sporting Director and manager of RB Leipzig in 2012 the club were in the 4th division of German football. Now the club has been transformed. They have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League and are pushing Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title.
However, just last week German newspaper Bild reported that Rangnick, who is the Head of International Relations and Scouting at Red Bull, was set to join AC Milan as a manager and sporting director.
Yesterday, La Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy contradicted Bild's report and said Milan wouldn't be hiring him.
So today, we ask, what is next for Ralf Rangnick and can he replicate his success elsewhere?
Guests:
Raphael Honigstein (@honigstein) German Football Writer/The Athletic
Gabriele Marcotti (@marcotti) Senior Writer/ESPN
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
On Saturday, Vissel Kobe beat Yokohama F. Marinos in a 3-3 thriller to win the Japanese Super Cup. The game went into penalties and at one point the two teams missed 9 penalties in a row. But the game played second fiddle to many of the fans in attendance.
With the new season around the corner, we explore Japan's Mascot Election and find out what else makes Japanese fan culture special.
Guest:
Dan Orlowitz (@aishiterutokyo), Sports Writer at the Japan Times
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On Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Music provided by: Poddington Bear (Sepia, Refraction) & Celestial Aeon Project
The coronavirus is turning megacities into ghost towns and cruise ships into floating prisons. But despite travel bans and the World Health Organization declaring it a public health emergency, the death toll continues to rise. Now, it's not only affecting people's health, but every aspect of society
Coming up on Football Today, how is the coronavirus affecting football?
Guests:
Jonathan White (@jmawhite) is the Senior Production Editor at the South China Morning Post.
Cameron Wilson (@cameronwef) is the founder of Wild East Football and lives in Shanghai.
Follow us on Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
On Sunday, Tottenham managed to pull off an unlikely victory over Manchester City, putting them in prime position to break into the top four of the Premier League. But although they won, the chasm between the two teams was notable.
It is now three months since Jose Mourinho came into the club. But do Spurs really look like a team who are taking the next step?
In this episode, we cast an eye over goings-on at new White Hart Lane and ask: are Spurs stuck in the past?
We're joined by Nathan Clark (@NathanAClark), an analyst working in media and football and Seb Stafford-Bloor (@SebSB),a journalist whose work can primarily be found at Tifo Football, FourFourTwo and Football365.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
After a rough season last year, Paolo Dybala is back. Through 20 games he has 5 goals and 8 assists for Serie A leaders Juventus.
However, as 2020 begins could he be on the move? Today we talk with Sid Lowe (@sidlowe) who recently traveled to Turin to interview the Juventus star for the Guardian. He spoke to Dybala about his future, why he feels more Polish than Italian and the reason he's having a renaissance season.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
For more than a decade Cyprus football has been plagued by bomb attacks, match-fixing and corruption.
But new allegations of match-fixing and recent attacks have energized football authorities and government officials to clean up the game. Can they? Or will these deep-rooted issues persist? We examine that and more.
Guest:
Jonathan Shkurko (@JonathanShkurko) Journalist/Cyprus Mail
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Courtesy of our friends at Classic Football Shirts (@classicshirts), we're giving away this 2019/20 Parma away shirt!
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Earlier in the month, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker posted a video of himself and teammate Roberto Firmino on Instagram.
Nothing surprising there, you might think. But in this video, Alisson was baptising Firmino.
Having seen the video, the Athletic's Simon Hughes (@Simon_Hughes__) wanted to dig a little deeper into the topic of religion and football, asking the question: how did religion come to play such an important role at Liverpool Football Club?
In this episode, Simon joins us to tell us what he learned.
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Courtesy of our friends at Classic Football Shirt (@classicshirts), we're giving away this 2019/20 Parma away shirt!
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1. Follow us on Twitter
2. Retweet this post
3. Tag a friend in the comments
Richard Fitzpatrick (Bleacher Report) tells us about his recent trip to Barcelona manager, Quique Setien's hometown of Liencres.
Courtesy of our friends at Classic Football Shirt (@classicshirts), we're giving away this 2019/20 Parma away shirt!
To enter:
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Follow us on Twitter
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Retweet this post
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Tag a friend in the comments
On January 19th, 2010, David Sullivan and David Gold bought their hometown club West Ham United, saving it from financial ruin. They then pledged they'd turn the club around and take it to new heights.
Fast forward to last Saturday and instead of celebrating their 10th anniversary, West Ham's owners were greeted by fan protests. Now, the club sit in 17th place, mired in a relegation fight, just like the day they bought it.
Today we look at the last decade and ask, has West Ham United lost its soul?
Guest:
Roshane Thomas (@RoshaneSport) West Ham Correspondent/ The Athletic
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Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
For years, there have been tentative links made between heading and neurodegenerative diseases.
Following the release of a report that suggests those links are increasingly credible, the Scottish FA have decided to take a stance on the issue.
In this episode, we look at the SFA’s proposed ban on heading in youth football and ask: is this the best approach to preventing head injuries in football?
We're joined by Chris McLaughlin (@BBCchrismclaug), the sports correspondent at BBC Scotland (@BBCSportScot) who broke the story, and John Curtis (@JCurtisSoccer), a former player, USSF A Licence coach and the founder of the National Centre of Excellence Programme, who has experienced similar rule changes in the United States.
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Twitter: @FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
In the last 5 years, MLS has rapidly changed. There are six new teams, franchises are being bought for hundreds of millions of dollars and attendance is at an all-time high.
Yet, if you ask the players more changes are necessary. With the MLS season set to get underway on February 29th, the clock is counting down for the league and the players to thrash out a new collective bargaining agreement.
Today we break down the negotiations and ask, what do they tell us about the league entering its 25th season?
Guest:
Sam Stejskal (@samstejskal) Staff writer/The Athletic
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Twitter: @FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Last weekend South Wales police used facial recognition during the Cardiff vs Swansea derby, sparking protests at the stadium. Today, we examine facial recognition and what it could mean for the future of football fans.
Guests:
Tom Coleman (@tomEcoleman) Sports Writer/Wales Online
Felix Tamsut (@ftamsut) Journalist covering German fan culture
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Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
On January the 8th 2010, a group of armed militiamen attacked the Togolese national team bus as they travelled to the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. That day, two team members died.
Ten years later and the attack has largely fallen out of the public consciousness. In this episode, we look back at what happened in a bid to find out why.
We're joined by Matthew Kenyon (@MK_BBC), who covers sport for the BBC World Service (@bbcworldservice), as we retell the tale of the attack on the Togolese national team and trace the history up to the present day.
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On Saturday Ciro Immobile scored the lone goal in Lazio's 1-0 win against Napoli taking the club to within six points of first place Juventus- with a game in hand. The win was their 10th straight, a club record.
Immobile's goal was the 20th of the season, the highest total in all of Europe's top leagues.
But despite his prolific form and Lazio's success, he isn't thought of as an elite striker. Today we ask, why is Italy's most prolific striker so underrated?
Guest:
Nima Tavallaey (@NimaTavRood), Football Writer at SempreInter.com and Goal
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
The loan system has grown steadily over the last few decades in England and Europe leading to record highs. Yet, that doesn't mean it's being used more efficiently and for the correct purposes.
Today we chart the evolution of loans and examine if they're damaging football in 2020.
Guest:
Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85), Football Writer & Broadcaster/i Paper, BBC, Totally Football Show
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
At the beginning of the last decade, AS Monaco found themselves dropping down into Ligue 2, a once-great French club now beleaguered in the second division.
By the end of the decade, though, they had made their way back - winning the top division title and taking an exciting team packed with starlets to the Champions League semi-final in 2017.
But once again, the wheels of time have turned against them. Monaco is back in decline.
In this episode, we ask: what has gone wrong for Monaco?
Joining us to discuss the topic is Adam White (@_Adam_White_), Chief Features Writer at Get French Football News (@GFFN), Football Radar's (@FootballRadar) Senior Ligue 1 Analyst and French football writer for the Guardian (@guardian).
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
For many Newcastle United fans losing Rafael Benitez this summer was the final straw. Thousands of supporters decided to boycott St.James Park to protest Mike Ashley's ownership.
In response, the club chose to give away 10,000 free half-season tickets to rebuild their relationship with the fanbase. Yet it has only further angered some of those boycotting.
Today we ask, why are Newcastle fans divided on these free tickets and what does the ticket giveaway tell us about the power of fans in 2020?
Guests:
-
Chris Waugh (@ChrisDHWaugh), Reporter/The Athletic
-
Alex Hurst (@tfalex1892), Chairman/Newcastle United Supporters Trust
Twitter: @FT_Podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
With one Instagram post, Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil simultaneously sent off alarm bells from Arsenal headquarters in London to the Chinese government in Beijing, leading the latter to erase him from the internet in the country.
Today we look at his post with Lily Kuo (Beijing Bureau Chief of Guardian/@lilkuo) and Simon Chadwick (Professor of Sports Enterprise at University of Salford/@Prof_Chadwick) and ask 'what will the fallout be for Arsenal, the Premier League and football fans in China?'
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Magnus Carlsen is now the highest-ranked chess player and Fantasy Premier League player in the world…
In this episode, we ask: how did it happen that a chess genius made his way to the top in fantasy football? What, in other words, does chess have to do with fantasy football?
Helping us answer these questions, we have front editor of Scandinavia Online (@soldotno) and journalist for Matt & Patt (@MattOgPatt), Tarjei J. Svensen (@TarjeiJS), and editor of FFScout (@FFScout), David Munday (@DavidMunday815).
Follow us on Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
According to multiple reports, Japanese international Takumi Minamino will be transferred from Red Bull Salzburg to Liverpool FC in the January transfer window.
In doing so, he is moving to one of the most high profile leagues and clubs in the world, making him an overnight celebrity to millions of Liverpool fans.
We look at how the deal will impact Liverpool's presence in Japan and ask, will Minamino become Japan's next superstar?
Our guest is Dave Phillips (@lovefutebol), who works in marketing and communications at sports streaming service, MyCujoo.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
For 14 years, CEO John Delaney was the Republic of Ireland's most powerful football figure. Then in March, the Sunday Times said he had given a €100,000 loan to the Football Association of Ireland. By September he would resign.
Today we are joined by Mark Tighe (Sunday Times/@marktighe) to chronicle how Delaney kept millions from the board and how he plunged the association to the brink of insolvency.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
In the last few years, we've seen a curious rise in stadium sales in the Championships as club owners purchase their own assets and use the figures to offset their debt. Sheffield Wednesday are one such club. However, in this instance, the EFL are fighting back.
Today, we are joined by The Athletic's Sheffield Wednesday journalist, Nancy Frostick (@nancyfrostick) and football finance expert and host of the Price of Football Podcast, Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) to discuss the case of the sale of Hillsborough and the wider context of finance in English football's second division.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
In many ways Amazon's stream of the Premier League last week sounded and looked similar to every traditional broadcast of the last decade.
Yet, in many ways, this marked a historic point in football consumption. As 2020 approaches, writer Steve McCaskill (@MickeyCaskill)and I look at Amazon's week of Premier League coverage and ask, what does it tell us about the future of football broadcasting.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Borussia Monchengladbach are first in the Bundesliga table and host Bayern Munich on Saturday. If their manager Marco Rose can lead them to a win, they would go take a 7 point lead on their rivals.
Today we ask: who is Marco Rose and why is he one of the hottest coaching prospects in all of Europe?
We're joined by freelance journalist Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth), who covers the Bundesliga for Forbes, ProSoccerUSA and the Futbolgrad Network.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Later this month, Liverpool head to Qatar to compete in the Club World Cup in what is a test run for the World Cup in 2022.
In this episode, we ask: 'What will we learn about the 2022 World Cup from Liverpool's trip to Qatar?'
Today we are joined by Liverpool ECHO journalist Ian Doyle (@IanDoyleSport), Spirit of Shankly (@spiritofshankly) chair Joe Blott and co-founder of Goal Click (@Goal_Click) Matthew Barrett (@matthewlbarrett) to explore the social and political contexts surrounding the 2019 Club World Cup.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Referees around the world have been blowing their whistles to protest their treatment.
In the last five weeks alone there have been referee strikes in Cologne, Berlin, and Uruguay. In Uruguay, it caused a postponement of first division matches last weekend. Recently there have been cases of alleged assaults on referees in Nigeria and England.
Today we hear from a referee who has allegedly been physically assaulted and speak to Tom Webber (@DrTomWebb) about why England has one of the worst records of referee abuse in Europe.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Wales. Golf. Madrid. It's the latest in a long succession of controversies that has plagued Gareth Bale in the Spanish capital, turning him into persona non grata amongst Real Madrid fans.
But was it always that way? Today, we talk with Euan McTear, @emtear, (Marca, La Liga Lowdown Podcast) to determine when it all went wrong for Gareth Bale at Madrid.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Last week it was announced that Euromillions jackpot winner Colin Weir had been successful in his bid to buy a majority share in Scottish club Partick Thistle.
Surprisingly, though, the news came out that he was giving his share, free of charge, to a supporters group, Thistle For Ever.
In this episode, we ask: how did Partick Thistle fans win the lottery?
Today we are joined by Herald and Times Sport journalist and Thistle fan James Cairney (@JamesCairneyHT) to talk through recent events at Firhill and look at other examples of fan ownership in Scotland.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
In the last decade, Sheik Mansour has invested more than €2 billion in Manchester City, turning them into one of the biggest clubs in the world.
In the same timeframe, City has settled with UEFA on one Financial Fair Play case and await a decision on another. Then on Nov. 14, The Athletic reported that they believe Man City will avoid a European ban.
Today we are joined by The Athletic's Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) to dissect the case and examine the effects it could have on both City and FFP.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Following Napoli's 0-0 draw with Genoa on November 9th, the club sit in 7th place in Serie A. They haven't won a league match in over a month.
However, off-the-pitch the club look even worse. Players are fighting with management and fans are fighting with players.
Today we unpack Napoli's 'civil war' and ask if they can turn it around.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
For the past month, Chile has been gripped by protests against the incumbent government. With hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets, everyday life in the country is in turmoil. In this episode, we ask: why is there no football being played in Chile right now?
We're joined by Adam Brandon (@AdamBrandon84), Chilean League Analyst for Football Radar.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
The President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, attended Sao Paolo's 1-1 draw at Santos on Saturday inciting a mixture of boos and applause from the crowd. This upcoming weekend he plans to go to the Copa Libertadores final between Brazilian side Flamengo and Argentinian side River Plate.
Since he was elected last year he's been the centre of attention at numerous Brazilian football matches around the country. Today we ask Joshua Law (@JoshuaMLaw), how is Bolsonaro using football for his political advantage and we profile a club battling his views.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Last week Rodrygo became the second-youngest player (at the age of 18) to ever score a hat-trick for Real Madrid in the Champions League when they beat Galatasaray 6-0.
This international break he is expected to make his senior debut for the Brazil national team. In this episode, we speak to writer Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) about Rodrygo's rise and profile Juni Calafat, the man who has been behind more than a dozen of Real Madrid's most recent transfers.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Jon Mackenzie is joined by Stevie Green (@StevieGreenXI) and Kehinde Andrews (@kehinde_andrews) to discuss the death of Dalian Atkinson, who was killed in an incident with police three years ago. Why was he killed and why have we forgotten about his death?
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After experiencing historic television audiences and record attendances during this summer's Women's World Cup, women's players went back to their clubs with the same rights as before the tournament.
In Spain, talks resumed between players and their clubs over a new collective bargaining agreement. Then, on October 23rd, players said they would strike the weekend of November 16th if their demands weren't met.
We are joined by the Daily Telegraph's Molly McElwee (@molly_mcelwee) to look at what the strike might mean for women's football and see how has women's football progressed since the World Cup.
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www.FootballTodayPodcast.com
Last season, despite Manchester City's second consecutive Premier League title, it was Chris Wilder and not Pep Guardiola who won LMA's Manager of the Year. And yet following their promotion to the Premier League, Sheffield United was one of the consensus picks for relegation.
Just 11 games into the new season and the club is in 6th place, higher than both Manchester United and Tottenham, while Wilder has been linked with Arsenal. Today we dive deep on Chris Wilder's career and look at why he is one of the most successful managers in England.
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On September 24th, Derby County players Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett were drunk and crashed their cars. Derby's captain, Richard Keogh, was in the back of one of those cars and injured his knee.
Now, despite Bennett and Lawrence being found guilty of drunk-driving, it is Keogh who has been sacked for 'gross misconduct'. Today we ask, what do we learn about football and morality from the case of Derby County?
We're joined by The Athletic's Ryan Conway (@RJConway92) and freelance writer Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85).
Follow us on Twitter: @FT_podcast_
www.footballtodaypodcast.com
Following three losses in eight days, Southampton sit in 18th place in the Premier League, a position that not long ago would've been unthinkable.
Just three years ago they were playing in Europe and the envy of clubs across Europe. We speak with The Athletic's Carl Anka (@Ankaman616) about Southampton's identity crisis and see how they can turn it around.
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November 9th marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. One of the defining moments of the 20th century. On Saturday night, Hertha Berlin and Union Berlin play the first Berlin derby in Bundesliga history.
Today, we speak to freelance journalist Manuel Veth (Forbes, Futbolgrad Network, ProSoccerUSA) to preview the game and chronicle how football has evolved in the German capital since World War II.
Follow us on Twitter: @FT_podcast_
Follow Manuel: @ManuelVeth
www.footballtodaypodcast.com
Despite being one of the smallest teams in the Portuguese League, newly promoted FC Famalicão stand only two points off the top of the table. We speak with Portuguese experts Tiago Estevao and Tom Kundert about their improbable rise and how super-agent Jorge Mendes has contributed to it.
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www.footballtodaypodcast.com
For decades young Irish players have flooded the English leagues for the benefit of both countries. Yet a possible Brexit could drastically alter this longstanding tradition.
We chat with Off The Ball's Johnny Ward to see how Brexit may be a defining moment in Irish football history and change the future of the League of Ireland.
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www.footballtodaypodcast.com
In 2010 when Khun Vichai bought Leicester City, the club was one year removed from League One. Six years later he led Leicester to its legendary Premier League title. Then, on October 27th, 2018, Vichai, two pilots and two of his colleagues died in a helicopter accident at the King Power Stadium.
To mark the one year anniversary of the event, Josh Schneider-Weiler traveled to Leicester to speak with fans about their memories of the tragic event and find out how it has impacted the community.
Jon Mackenzie is joined by Tom King (political consultant) and Tom Cannon (Professor Emeritus at Liverpool Management School) to discuss the ways a no-deal Brexit might affect football.
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https://www.footballtodaypodcast.com/
Following Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered an offensive on the Kurdish soldiers in the region.
The move launched an international outcry, but none more so than in Germany. At the same time, players of Turkish descent made salutes across Europe supporting the army. Today, we examine, how is this conflict disrupting German football?
We speak with German football journalist for DW, Felix Tamsut (@ftamsut).
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www.FootballTodaypodcast.com
On October 8th, AC Milan sacked manager Marco Giampaolo after only seven games in charge.
Jon Mackenzie speaks to ESPN.com Senior Writer, Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) about how Milan's new manager Stefano Pioli's fit with the club and why Milan has struggled this decade.
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With the two nations still technically at war, Tuesday's game between North and South Korea was always going to be different from your average World Cup Qualifier. But it took on a new light when North Korean officials didn't allow the game to be broadcast forcing South Korean fans to follow the game through text updates on social media.
We speak to John Duerden (@JohnnyDuerden) about one of the most bizarre Korean derbies and examine the history surrounding it.
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On Wednesday, October 17th Leeds United celebrates its 100th anniversary as a club.
We chronicle how it went from Leeds City to Leeds United and examine the highs and lows in the history of the club.
Jon Mackenzie sits down with Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) and Andrew Dalton (@lufcstats).
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On June 14th Takafusa Kubo signed for Real Madrid in one of the biggest transfers in Japanese history. He is one of a growing trend of young Japanese players moving abroad at a young age. During this international break, a record 20 out of the 23 man squad were playing in Europe.
When did this movement begin and who were the Japanese trailblazers who made this possible? We are joined by Japan Times sports journalist, Dan Orlowitz, to explore those questions and more.
We're joined by Norwegian football analyst for Football Radar, Ben Wells.
Norway hasn't qualified for a major tournament since Euro 2000. But with Euro qualifying coming to a close they sit just 2 points behind Sweden. On Saturday they host Spain.
Martin Odegaard and Erling Braut Haaland are young phenoms grabbing headlines throughout Europe. Today we ask, is this Norway's golden generation and why haven't they qualified for a major tournament in 19 years?
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We're joined by Andy West, who is a writer and commentator for BBC Sports and 360 Sports.
On Sunday night Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 win against Sevilla to climb to second place in the La Liga.
However, was the game a sign of the uncertainty surrounding two of its biggest players, Ousmane Dembele and Sergio Busquets?
We discuss the two sides of Dembele and Busquets' starting role going forward with the club.
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Football leaks has led to the conviction of the biggest stars in the game and has exposed corruption at the highest levels. Today we look at Rui Pinto, the man behind the leaks, and ask is he a hacker or whistleblower?
We speak to Nuno Tiago Pinto (@ntpinto23) who is editor and chief of Sabado magazine in Portugal.
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Football Today gives you in-depth analysis of the biggest stories from the world of football in episodes that you can listen to in a single commute. From corruption and controversy to the issues that are changing the fabric of the game. Don't read the game, feel the game.