I turned up at his training ground and it was bizarre because at Chelsea, you wouldn't be able to get within 500 metres of him without being broken in half by a security guard. There was no one on reception, walked into the cafeteria and there was Marcel Desai sitting there eating on his own separate from the other players. He sounded a bit lonely the way he described it. But it was one of the things we sat down and he said, sit down, have some food, we'll talk. And it was quite interesting seeing the psychology of an elite player because he had the pressure that elite players are under to perform. I think he scored something like eight or nine goals that season
Sign up for Intelligence Squared Premium here: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/ for ad-free listening, bonus content, early access and much more. See below for details.
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar has officially kicked off, but not without its controversies. Ever since Qatar was awarded the tournament in 2010, making it the first country in the Middle East to do so, there has been scepticism from the West around the decision, with critics citing human rights violations, LGBT rights, and corruption within FIFA. On this episode of the podcast we're joined by journalist and author James Montague who first began covering football in the Middle East two decades ago. Drawing on his book, When Friday Comes: Football revolution in the Middle East and the road to Qatar, he discusses the intersection of football, politics, and global power. The host for this episode is Joey D’Urso, investigations writer for The Athletic UK.
…
We are incredibly grateful for your support. To become an Intelligence Squared Premium subscriber, follow the link: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/
Here’s a reminder of the benefits you’ll receive as a subscriber:
-
Ad-free listening, because we know some of you would prefer to listen without interruption
-
One early episode per week
-
Two bonus episodes per month
- A 25% discount on IQ2+, our exciting streaming service, where you can watch and take part in events live at home and enjoy watching past events on demand and without ads
- A 15% discount and priority access to live, in-person events in London, so you won’t miss out on tickets
- Our premium monthly newsletter
- Intelligence Squared Merch
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices