

World Football
BBC World Service
Original football stories and interviews from around the globe.
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Jan 26, 2017 • 33min
The Rebirth of Chapecoense
On Saturday 21 January, Chapecoense took to the pitch for the first time since the plane crash which killed 71 people. The friendly against Palmeiras was a symbolic and emotional return for a club trying to recover from a tragedy. World Football's Mani Djazmi travels to Chapecó to find out how the team and the city are rebuilding, after one of football's great disasters.Also, Otto Pfister talks about his remarkable career. The German coach began his African adventure when he took over Rwanda in 1972. Along the way, he became friends with President Mobutu of Zaire and some of the best African footballers of all time.Picture: Brazilian Chapecoense goalkeeper Jackson Follmann (C), a survivor of the LaMia airplane crash in Colombia, receives the Copa Sudamericana trophy in Arena Conda stadium before a charity match between Chapecoense and Palmeiras in Chapeco, Brazil on January 21, 2017. (Photo by Leonardo Benassatto/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Jan 19, 2017 • 28min
Africa Cup of Nations and Match Fixing in Cyprus
The former Cameroon goalkeeper Joseph Antoine Bell hits out at the organisation of the Africa Cup of Nations. The AC Omonia coach, John Carver, talks openly about his suspicions of match-fixing in Cyprus. And after being awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Dutch government, what's next for Louis van Gaal?Picture: A Mali supporter cheers for his team ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations match between Mali and Egypt in Port-Gentil (JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images).

Jan 12, 2017 • 27min
In Conversation with Dante
We chat to the Brazilian defender Dante about Nice's surprise title challenge, team-mate Mario Balotelli and former coach Pep Guardiola. Plus, Ghana's Andre Ayew looks ahead to the Africa Cup of Nations.Picture: Dante of OGC Nice during the French Ligue 1 between Nice and Lille at Stade Allianz Rivera (Getty Images)

Jan 5, 2017 • 29min
Salomon Kalou, Hapoel Tel Aviv and Rene Meulensteen
The Ivory Coast international Salomon Kalou tells us why representing your country at the Africa Cup of Nations could damage a footballer's career. We'll be finding out more about the problems facing one of Israel's most famous and successful clubs, Hapoel Tel Aviv. And Rene Meulenstenen talks openly about the lack of job security for coaches.Picture: Ivory Coast's forward Salomon Kalou during a friendly match between France and Ivory Coast (FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)

Jan 3, 2017 • 27min
2016: Memories, Tributes and Historic moments
A tribute to Johan Cruyff and Carlos Alberto who both died in 2016. Plus, the story of Kosovo's fight for FIFA recognition.(Picture: A tribute to Johan Cruyff at Wembley Stadium before a match between England and the Netherlands - Getty).

Dec 22, 2016 • 27min
When Stars Align: The Story of the New York Cosmos
The story of the rise and fall of the 1970s New York Cosmos, arguably the World's first ever football Super Club. With the likes of Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto and Giorgio Chinaglia they put the game on the map in the USA. But how was a soccer team able to capture the American imagination? And why didn't the good times last? Former players, fans and officials remember a unique moment in sporting history.Picture: Tony Field #7, Giorgio Chinaglia #9 and Pele #10 of New York Cosmos look on before a game at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, circa 1975 - 1977, Credit Robert Riger/Getty Images

Dec 15, 2016 • 29min
The Youngest Bundesliga coach - ever!
Meet the youngest coach in Bundesliga history, Hoffenheim's 29 year old manager Julian Nagelsmann. The former West Ham footballer Clyde Best talks about the racism he suffered in the 1970s. And ahead of the Catalan derby, the Espanyol coach Quique Sanhez Flores discusses his family's love of flamenco.Picture: Head coach Julian Nagelsmann of Hoffenheim looks on prior to the Bundesliga match between 1899 Hoffenheim and Hertha BSC (Simon Hofmann/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Dec 8, 2016 • 31min
Sepp Blatter: My Biggest Mistake
An exclusive interview with disgraced former FIFA President Sepp Blatter. He talks about his breakdown following the corruption scandal and talks openly about the mistakes he made. Also on the show...the Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans Joachim Watske explains why Red Bull Leipzig are the most hated club in Germany. And the Dutch player Nathan Ake tells us why Chelsea is like Harvard University in terms of getting a football education.Picture: The former FIFA president Sepp Blatter smiles during the 'Sepp Blatter Tournament' in Ulrichen, Blatter's hometown. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Dec 1, 2016 • 27min
The Tragedy of Chapecoense
A football team on the way to a Cup final. It was supposed to be Chapecoense's moment of glory, but instead Brazil is left to mourn the dead. Friends of the dead pay tribute and talk of their grief following the air crash which killed 71 people.(Picture: View of a flower hanging from a net during a tribute to the players of Brazilian team Chapecoense Real who were killed in a plane accident in the Colombian mountains - Heuler Andrey/Getty Images)

Nov 24, 2016 • 27min
The Boavista Slavery Club and a Chelsea Outcast
The Nigerian international Michael Uchebo tells how he has been treated ‘like a slave’ by the Portuguese club Boavista. Chelsea's John Obi Mikel says he is ready to quit Stamford Bridge in January if he cannot force his way back into the team. Plus, an interview with the new American owner of Marseille, Frank McCourt, who tells us how he plans to outsmart his rivals.(Photo: Michael Uchebo in action for Nigeria. Credit: Getty Images)


