The Sweeper

This episode of The Sweeper begins with a focus on South American domestic cup competitions. We hear about the Juan Fernández Islands – 670km off the coast of Chile – taking part in the Copa Chile as a special invitee and the unusual journey opponents Santiago Wanderers must take to reach them. Up next is Ecuador’s non-existent cup competition and the story of a team called Bonita Banana ('Beautiful Banana'), followed by some terrible pitches and hideously named players in Peru.With Sudan’s Al-Hilal set to join the Tanzanian Premier League to escape the conflict in their homeland, we look at teams playing in other country’s football leagues in Part 2, including the likes of Liechtenstein's FC Vaduz and their uniquely tough path to the Champions League. Finally, we have an update on The Sweeper’s competition in conjunction with Icarus, which will send one lucky fan to Bhutan to watch Thimphu City in action.To hear the bonus segment of this podcast, Sweeper Xtra, which is an extended Q&A session with Lee Wingate and Paul Watson touching on their best and worst football experiences, culinary treats, animal encounters and aspirations for the future, join us at patreon.com/sweeperpod.RUNNING ORDER:00:00 - Intro01:20 - The Juan Fernández Islands in the Copa Chile09:00 - The non-existent Copa Ecuador12:36 - Horrendous pitches & player names in Peru20:04 - Al-Hilal of Sudan to play in Tanzania23:43 - Clubs playing in leagues of other countries33:19 - Update on the Bhutan competition by Icarus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up on this episode of The Sweeper, we delve deeper into North Korea’s mysterious cancellation of their World Cup qualifier against Japan and look back at memorable moments in the hermit kingdom’s football history. Then we’re off to Georgia to hear about the nation’s maiden qualification for a major tournament, before we chat through Austria's Rangnick resurgence as they shape up to be EURO 2024 dark horses.After the break it’s time to show some love for groundhoppers and to hear some amazing stories from our patrons in pursuit of the joy of ticking off new stadiums. Then we announce an exciting new competition from Thimphu City and shirt manufacturer Icarus that will see someone win a trip of a lifetime to Bhutan, plus there's a San Marino shirt giveaway too!To hear the bonus segment of this podcast where we chat about Estonia’s U21 side playing a friendly against the wrong team, a Romanian player who was sacked for turning up to training drunk and then appointed sporting director, and a Bosnian giant in decline, join us at patreon.com/sweeperpod.RUNNING ORDER:00:00 Intro01:15 North Korea's mysterious no-show08:33 Georgia's EURO jubilation11:57 Austria's Rangnick resurgence16:22 Glorious groundhoppers33:25 Thimphu City/Icarus competition38:29 San Marino shirt giveawayBrowse the Icarus website: icarusfc.comRead the Thimphu City-Icarus competition details: icarusfc.com/pages/thimphu-city-sweepstakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fresh from his trip to San Marino, Paul reflects on the attempt by FIFA’s lowest ranked country to break a 20-year winless streak against Saint Kitts & Nevis, before Lee rounds up the other international news - from the Basque Country's draw with Uruguay to the 'End of the Alphabet Derby - and Producer Tom chips in with a live report as Austria break an all-time record.After the break, we hop on over to the USA to hear about New York City vs. Toronto at Yankee Stadium - there are few fixtures that could have been more Sweeper than two clubs from different countries meeting in a league match at a baseball stadium - and dissect some of the madness of the US Open Cup, including burrito-based heroics and a rare case of lacrosse stopping play.To hear the bonus segment of this podcast with the ex-Shanghai Shenhua president banging in goals in the Chinese cup aged 58, arguably the most disastrous debut in football history and the Channel Island of Alderney trying to break their 104-year losing run, join us over at patreon.com/sweeperpod.RUNNING ORDER00:00 - Intro01:05 - San Marino's double-header with St. Kitts15:17 - International round-up16:39 - The fastest-ever international goal21:39 - New York City FC vs. Toronto FC29:47 - US Open Cup madness33:20 - Patreon episode teaserEllis Platten's Away Days video in San Marino: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56buY8H9Bd0&t=445s&ab_channel=AwayDays Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of The Sweeper begins by looking at the Virgin Derby between the British Virgin Islands and U.S. Virgin Islands in 2026 World Cup qualification. Meanwhile, a non-FIFA team, the Basque Country face Uruguay and may harbour UEFA aspirations. The Danish Superligaen strikes a huge blow to the European Super League, which might now be forced to rebrand, a Romanian coach returns to the same club for a 10th spell int the dugout and we play a Sweeper version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?RUNNING ORDER00:00 - Intro01:15 - The Virgin Derby10:36 - Basque Country v Uruguay17:17 - Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?28:30 - Danish Superliga strikes a blow33:57 - Coach in Romania returns for 10th time40:04 - Preview of upcoming Sweeper trips Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest episode of The Sweeper kicks off with a tour of Oceania and the incredible story of two French journalists with an American (Samoan) Dream, before moving on to Pacific neighbours Micronesia & Nauru and their new coaches. David Johnson & Charlie Pomroy, who both partly credit the pod for their appointments, have sent us voice notes from their respective islands.Sticking with the island theme but moving back over to Europe, Part 2 starts in the Scilly Isles: the British archipelago is famed for having the smallest league in the world, but rarely is the title race as close as it is this season. In Sweden, meanwhile, a group of Ultras have managed to smuggle a kayak into a cup tie - but it's by no means the strangest item ever to end up in the stands at a football match…To hear the bonus segment of this podcast about Africa’s hottest derbies, chaos in Cambodian football and a player on the run from his club in the Dominican Republic, join us at patreon.com/sweeperpod. Sign up before Wednesday 20 March to enter our competition for the Pago Pago Youth shirt courtesy of Stingz ProWear!RUNNING ORDER:00:00 - Intro00:56 - The American (Samoan) Dream10:12 - Pago Youth shirt giveaway12:50 - Micronesia's new coach David Johnson18:40 - Nauru's new boss Charlie Pomroy25:25 - The Scilly Isles showdown31:22 - Smuggled kayaks in Sweden37:10 - Old Boys vs. Young Boys38:52 - Bonus segment teaserVideosSwedish kayak video: https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1b65lc2/daniel_kristoffersson_aik_supporters_somehow_got/Italian moped video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_Nu6HKVSmk&ab_channel=RuthlessReviews Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of The Sweeper, we discuss our trip to Prague along with Patreon competition winner Joe McTaggart to watch the derby between Slavia and Sparta in the Czech Cup and enjoy a 24-hour whirlwind of Ultra-brewed beer, pyro and tifos. VAR controversies have rocked Croatia, where the head of referees Bruno Maric has resigned, derbies both real and mock have excited Argentina and there’s a strange case in Mongolia of a club who changed identity halfway through the season.To hear the bonus segment of this podcast about a derby in Lithuania dubbed ‘El Logistico’ and take a trip around the world to find clubs who have either been living up to or failing to live up to their names, join us at patreon.com/sweeperpod.RUNNING ORDER00:00 - Intro00:52 - The Prague Derby17:25 - A word from our competition winner21:35 - Match-worn Slavia shirt giveaway23:04 - Argentina's mock derby in the park29:08 - A VAR scandal in Croatia33:52 - A mid-season takeover in MongoliaApologies for the expletives in this episode: we chose to include them as they were actual restaurant and football club names! We have marked the episode as 'Explicit content' accordingly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Premier League and the rest of Europe’s top five divisions totally dominate the football headlines, but have you ever wondered what other interesting news and stories the rest of European football and world football have to offer? If so, The Sweeper is the football podcast for you!On this episode, Turkish footballer Emirhan Delibaş is sacked by his club Beşiktaş for his profile on the dating app Bumble and Irishman Dylan Connolly receives a Facebook invitation to play in the OFC Champions League preliminary round in Tonga, where he meets the Queen at church.Elsewhere, the draw for this summer’s CONIFA World Football Cup in Kurdistan – a tournament for unrecognised nations, states and peoples – has thrown up some interesting groups and the Seychelles have mysteriously been ruled out of AFCON 2025 ahead of the start of qualifying in March.To hear the bonus segment of this podcast all about our live experience at the 342nd Vienna Derby, the octogenarian Italian superfan who went viral and the Uzbek club that could soon be put out of business by former player Rivaldo, join us at patreon.com/sweeperpod.RUNNING ORDER:00:00 - Intro01:24 - Beşiktaş dismiss Emirhan Delibaş for Bumble profile04:55 - Funny footballer sackings08:15 - Dylan Connolly invited to play in OFC Champions League via Facebook13:10 - Round-up of the preliminary round action in Tonga16:35 - The draw for the CONIFA World Football Cup in Kurdistan24:22 - Eritrea & Seychelles already out of AFCON 202527:28 - Paul accused of butchering the Icelandic language28:50 - Football groundhop recommendations across Europe32:24 - Bonus pod teaser Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

San Marino's goalkeeper crisis, upcoming matches, and unique records. New FIFA Series tournaments with diverse matchups. Football Manager addict managing Icelandic club. Debate on video game skills versus real-life coaching. Omija Ardija's struggle and potential Red Bull tie-up. Pros and cons of multi-club ownership in football.

Part 1 of this Sweeper podcast kicks off with an alternative look at the transfer window and Arturo Vidal’s dramatic helicopter & horseback unveiling at Colo Colo, before moving onto some of the best, worst & oddest transfer announcements in history. Continuing the transfer theme, we hear about a strange signing by Vilaverdense in Portugal's second tier and then go to Italy for the bizarre story of a young player who stole a team-mate’s car and got caught up in a high-speed police chase! We then finish off with some memorable soundbites and antics from players past & present – including, of course, Mario Balotelli.In Part 2, we're off to some British overseas territories. We first speak to Louis Jones of mystery football shirt company Surprise Shirts about his involvement with Anguillan outfit Uprising FC and hear about his recent trip to the Caribbean island, where he even made an appearance for the team. We then move on to Gibraltar and club team Hound Dogs’ unique status in UEFA's smallest member state, before taking a look at the English influences that have shaped the histories of clubs on the Rock.The final segment starts with an update on Mongolian footballer Ochiroo Batbold, who is cycling from his home in Ulaanbaatar to Old Trafford and has now reached Austria. We then talk about Schalke, a once great side in Germany now teetering dangerously on the brink of disaster in the second tier and get insight from German YouTuber Fiago on where things have gone wrong. There are details of a very special prize on offer to one lucky Sweeper patron, before we round off the episode with a typically eclectic selection of listener emails.RUNNING ORDER:Part 1: Unique transfer announcements, celebrity signings and high-speed car chases (00:44)Part 2: An amazing Anguillan adventure and Gibraltar's last remaining amateur club (16:43)Part 3: Ochiroo's odyssey, a German giant in decline and a cool Czech competition (33:44)Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The opening segment of this Sweeper episode is all about our first trip of 2024 - to the Portuguese island of Madeira, where we took in the derby between local teams Marítimo and Nacional. We also delve a little bit deeper into the unique football culture on the island with the help of some supporters and try to answer the big question that has been on our minds since the end of last season in Portugal's Primeira Liga: why are there no island clubs in the top flight for the first time since 1984/85?Part 2 is all about the wonderful world of AFCON. First up, Cape Verde’s miraculous start to the tournament comes under the microscope and we speak to defender Roberto Lopes, who was recruited to play for the nation via LinkedIn. There are other unlikely recruits at AFCON for Tanzania, who have five non-league UK players whose stories we explore. We also chat about Tanzania’s mid-tournament coach sacking and the near-disaster that took place on the Gambia's flight to the host nation.Finally, in Part 3, the conversation turns to Ivan Perisic’s €1-a-month contract at his boyhood club Hajduk Split and other bizarre football contract clauses. We then look at the trials and tribulations of Charlie Pomroy, the British coach of Cambodian crisis club Angkor City FC who had a weekend to forget. The pod is then rounded off with a look at the world’s most southerly game of football between HMS Protector and research staff at Rothera in Antarctica.RUNNING ORDER:Part 1: The Funchal derby, the absence of island clubs from Portugal's top flight & Madeiran football culture (00:43)Part 2: Stories from AFCON: Cape Verde's LinkedIn recruit, Tanzanian turbulence & Gambia's near disaster (16:49)Part 3: Ivan Perisic's €1 wages, the Cambodian club in crisis and the world's southernmost football match (36:51) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.