Football Today

Back in March, the Confederation of African Football had just elected a new president, Patrice Motsepe.

Given Motsepe was Gianni Infantino’s candidate, it was inevitable that the President of FIFA would be there to celebrate his candidate’s win.

Sure enough, a photo appeared on Twitter of Infantino with the CEO of Tanzanian club Simba SC, Barbara Gonzalez.

But it was the words of the tweet that caused the stir:

It was great catching up with FIFA President, Gianni Infantino on the sidelines of the CAF Elections 2021. The rollout of the African Super League with 20 permanent member clubs is underway.

In this episode, we ask: is an African Super League realistic? And how would it impact African football?

Guests:

Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) is an African football expert who appears on Joy 99.7 FM and whose work can be found on the BBC, Al Jazeera, the Guardian, CNN, the Blizzard, the New York Times and elsewhere.

Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) is a football news reporter at The Athletic.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

Individual Tracks:

Bask VX - Limoncello
Undying - Banana Cream
Steely - Moon Juice
Relay 7 - Marble Run
Stucco Blue - Orange Cat
Nine Count - Reflections
Teshi Line - Kokura Station
Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio

Saturday was a rough day for Crystal Palace. After a 4-1 loss to Chelsea, Crystal Palace is tied for 12th in the league and comfortably above the relegation zone. It’s a familiar position for Palace, not quite good enough for Europe and too good to be a yo-yo club.

However, with manager Roy Hodgson’s contract finishing in the summer along with a number of key players, Palace have big questions to answer. Should they rebuild and start afresh with a new squad or run it back with the same cast of characters?

Today we ask; what should Crystal Palace do this summer?

Guest:

Matt Woosnam (@MattWoosie) covers Crystal Palace for The Athletic.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Ultima Thule’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Li Fonte’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Soothe’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Plasticity’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘JoDon’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

Clips Used: Sky Sports

On Saturday Lille beat PSG 1-0 to take a 3 point lead atop the Ligue 1 table. If they pull it off, it would their first Ligue 1 title since 2011. But their journey has been far from straightforward. Since 2013 they've had 9 different managers and 3 different owners. Furthermore, before the club was sold in December of 2020 it was at risk of insolvency.

Today we ask: is this the end of PSG's dominance?

Guest:

David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

In November of 2017 at the FIFA Executive Football Summit in Istanbul, President Gianni Infantino declared his intention to reform the practices of football agents.

Now almost 4 years later and there is a proposed regulation to do just that. But high-profile agents won’t go down without a fight and recently they’ve been speaking out. It appears agents and FIFA are on a collision course destined to end up in court.

Today we analyze the conflict and ask, why are football agents at war with FIFA?

Guest:

Daniel Geey (@FootballLaw) is a leading sports lawyer for Sheridan and the author of Done Deal: An Insider's Guide to Football Contracts, Multi-Million Pound Transfers and Premier League Big Business.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Haena’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Slow Dial’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Vik Fence Haflak’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Gaddy’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Lupi’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

Clips Used: Goal, ITV

In March, we marked the anniversary of the first coronavirus lockdown.

This was a step into the unknown for everyone. And that everyone included football clubs.

With competitive football cancelled and large gatherings banned altogether, things had never looked more precarious for the beautiful game.

Fast forward a year and things are starting to look a little more positive. This week, organised games were allowed for the first time in 2021. 

But is football ever going to be quite the same again? Will the game continue to command the same sorts of fees? The same audience share? The same financial pull?

In this episode, we ask: what has the cost of coronavirus been for football?

Guest:

Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) is a lecturer at the University of Liverpool and one of the hosts of the Price of Football Podcast (@POF_POD).

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

Individual Tracks:

Plasticity - RadioPink

Our Lament - Moon Juice

Illa Villardo - Cold Case

Flatlands 3rd - Flatlands

Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio

Do you ever get the feeling of déjà vu? Like you’re witnessing the same thing over and over again. Well, if you’re an African football fan, you might’ve had that feeling recently…   About four years ago Ahmad Ahmad promised change following his CAF presidential election. Four years later and African football is still mired in corruption and dysfunction.    On March 12th South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe was elected unopposed as CAF’s new president. Like Ahmad Ahmad before him, Motsepe has promised a transformation and a brighter future.    Today we ask, what does the election of Patrice Motsepe mean for the future of African football?   Guest:   Samindra Kunti (@samindrakunti) is a football journalist for Inside World Football.   Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Verdigris’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Partly Sage’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Jog to the Water’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘The Face of Thrush’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘White Limit’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

Clips Used: France 24

On March 16th Belgium’s 25 biggest clubs voted unanimously to continue to explore a potential merger with the Dutch Eredivisie. It could lead to clubs doubling their revenue and become the 6th biggest league in Europe. Yet, it could also be the first of multiple cross-border leagues around the world such as a European Super League. Today we ask, what would the BeNeLiga mean for world football?

Guest:

David Gass (@empiregass) is a freelance broadcaster who is a regular contributor to Extra Time Radio and A Football Podcast. He also regularly commentates on MLS, college soccer, and elsewhere.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Great Great Lengths’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

 

 

On Boxing Day, when Leicester City prepared to play Manchester United, the Foxes sat in 8th place. Over the next 3 months, their talisman, Jamie Vardy would only score 1 league goal. Normally, this would signal the end of Leicester’s Champions League aspirations. But this has not been a normal season.   Leicester is in 3rd place in the league and after their win against Manchester United on Sunday they're in the FA Cup semifinals.    One major reason they've been so successful recently is the form of striker Kelechi Iheanacho. Since the beginning of February, Iheanacho has led the league with 6 goals and has scored 9 goals in his last 9 games in all competitions. But with the international break coming, key players will be returning from injury.    Today we ask, what should Leicester do with Kelechi Iheanacho?   Guests:

Rob Tanner (@RobTannerLCFC) covers Leicester City for The Athletic.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Highride’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Lick Stick’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Palms Down’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Hard Boil’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

Clips Used: Skysports

Under normal circumstances, a 0-0 draw played out at Tannadice Park, the home of Dundee United, would barely register on any football fan's radar.

But this time around, things were different.

At the start of this season, Celtic were on course to achieve a long-coveted goal: ten in a row. A decade of consecutive Premiership titles.

At the end of the season, however, they find themselves without the record, without a manager and without the goodwill of the fan base, who have been sorely tested in recent months.

In this episode, we ask: what has gone wrong with Celtic Football Club?

Guest:

Christian Wulff (@TheCynicWolf) talks and writes for The Cynic (@90MinuteCynic), a Celtic fan media outlet.

Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

Individual Tracks:

Arbic Tallow - Lillehammer

Cicle Ariel - Cicle Kadde

Um Pepino - Orange Cat

Our Lament - Moon Juice

Babble Babble Brook - High Horse

Mood Unit - Kittyhawk

Peacetime - TinyTiny Trio

On the surface Football Index looked like a breakthrough in football betting.    It was strewn across football shirts in the Championship and featured on the biggest radio stations and podcasts in the UK. But now, after 6 years, Football Index is going into administration.    Was it a Ponzi Scheme? How could something like this happen? and what does it mean for the thousands of users who have been left high and dry? We explore those questions and more on Football Today.   Guests:   Dave (@index_dave), Football Index user.   Support Us:

https://www.patreon.com/FootballToday

Follow Us:

@FT_Podcast_

www.FootballTodayPodcast.com

Music:

The music for this episode was provided under the Creative Commons license by Blue Dot Sessions.

‘Watercool Quiet’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘More Weather’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Jumbel’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Crumbtown’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Dowdy’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Friction Model’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Our Lament’ by Blue Dot Sessions

‘Peacetime’ by Blue Dot Sessions

Clips Used: Football Index, Football Index Guide podcast, Totally Football Show