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 - Intro

01:20 - The Juan Fernández Islands in the Copa Chile

09:00 - The non-existent Copa Ecuador

12:36 - Horrendous pitches & player names in Peru

20:04 - Al-Hilal of Sudan to play in Tanzania

23:43 - Clubs playing in leagues of other countries

33:19 - Update on the Bhutan competition by Icarus

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.