The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast cover image

The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

Latest episodes

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Feb 16, 2023 • 45min

Kazu Miura playing in Portugal aged 55, prisoners attend game in Romania & a furniture supplier intervenes in Belgium

More of the European football stories you won't hear elsewhere from the first half of February - but this time there's a twist: The Sweeper goes global for the first time.Hosts Lee and Paul Watson discuss their most memorable football experiences in Enfield and Győr respectively, before switching the focus to the tragic earthquake in Türkiye and its impact on the Süper Lig.Japan legend Kazu Miura rocks up at second-tier Oliveirense in Portugal aged 55 - but is he the oldest professional player currently active in Europe? Meanwhile, prisoners are allowed out to catch a Romanian top-flight match and a sponsor steps in in Belgium to prevent a controversial coaching appointment.Domestic cups are reaching crunch time across Europe - and there are updates from Northern Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands and England, including another story involving fish football mascots!Last but not least, there is a first-ever venture to other continents with the net cast as far as Argentina in the south-west to Hong Kong in the north-east, with stops off in Liberia and the British Virgin Islands on the way.RUNNING ORDER:PART 1 - Memorable live football experiences (01:35); the impact of the earthquake in Türkiye on the Süper Lig (08:52)PART 2 - Weird and wacky stories from across Europe (15:09)PART 3 - Cup chaos across the continent (24:04)PART 4 - The Sweeper goes global (35:09) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Feb 1, 2023 • 41min

Maccabi Netanya end Israeli trophy drought, a Maltese club president wants to play & the meteoric rise of Cosmos in San Marino

After 18 months in the podcast wilderness, The Sweeper is back - with the new-look team of Lee Wingate and Paul Watson getting their teeth stuck straight into the quirkiest stories European football has to offer.The first Solomon Islander to ever sign a professional contract in Europe pens a deal in Bosnia, while a club president in Malta contemplates resignation in order to register himself as a player.Cosmos go from bottom last season to top of the pile this term in San Marino - but what's been their secret? Meanwhile, Swift Hesperange of Luxembourg are Europe's only unbeaten side, and there is news from the lower reaches of the French and Italian top flights too.Across the domestic cups, Israel's Maccabi Netanya remarkably win a trophy without scoring a goal, second-tier Pas de la Casa make waves in the Andorran Cup and Barcelona's Copa del Rey opponents Ceuta get a new mascot: 'Caballati' the mackerel.RUNNING ORDER:PART 1 - Introduction to the new hosts and our first stories (00:50)PART 2 - The leagues making headlines across UEFA (14:38)PART 3 - Cup runs, triumphs & geopolitics (29:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Oct 14, 2021 • 32min

The Sweeper: Matt Walker's Europe United - October 2021

Lee talks to Matt Walker about five more of the countries on his spectacular continental football journey. This time Lithuania, Latvia, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan are up for discussion; including stories of a taxi ride with a former international, some Kim Jong-Un masks on show in Ireland, and a serious chat about whether the Baltic leagues might fold. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Jul 23, 2021 • 1h 19min

The Sweeper - July 2021

The Sweeper is back after a short EURO break! Lee & Tom talk about the tournament just gone, before pushing the boundaries of UEFA's leagues with a virtual visit to Greenland where we spoke to FA boss Finn Meinel, as well as prominent coach Tekle Ghebrelul. We then called in Richard D Pike (@RichDPike89) to discuss the brand new UEFA Europa Conference League, how it all works, and how it could affect European football going forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Jun 24, 2021 • 33min

The Sweeper Bonus Episode - Matt Walker's Europe United - June 2021

The next monthly dose of our series with Matt Walker, who talks to Lee Wingate about his mission to watch a football match in all 55 UEFA countries within one season.On the agenda this time are countries 6-10: Finland, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Russia & Belarus.For more on Matt’s travels, check out his book “EUROPE UNITED”, which is OUT NOW! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Jun 3, 2021 • 1h 8min

The Sweeper - June 2021

The Sweeper podcast returns with another monthly dose of drama from Europe's 55 most lovable leagues! This month we have an abundance of late season stories with heroes and villains, surprise squad inclusions, and of course our main features; the astounding EURO triumphs of Denmark & Greece, and the Bulgarian champions who just keep on winning! Hosted by Lee Wingate & Tom Middler, featuring interviews with George Tsitsonis, Sebastian Stanbury and Metodi Shumanov. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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May 19, 2021 • 29min

The Sweeper Bonus Episode - Matt Walker's Europe United - May 2021

Tales from Georgia, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden and Iceland...Matt Walker, the man who saw a game in every one of Europe's 55 top leagues in one single season, speaks to The Sweeper with some extraordinary stories from 5 of those 55 nations. For more, read his book "EUROPE UNITED" which is OUT NOW! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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May 4, 2021 • 1h 7min

The Sweeper - May 2021

In the first episode of The Sweeper, Tom and Lee round up alternative stories from across the continent, starting with a look at how seven years of conflict have shaped the football landscape in Ukraine. They also call in the local experts to explore some regional Super League projects that might be more appealing to fans than the European Super League ever was, and chat about everything that caught the eye in the last month of European football.(Recorded May 1st) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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