Football Today

Four months ago, it looked like Amanda Staveley, the Reuben Brothers and the Saudi Public Investment Fund would be the next owners of Newcastle United. Then, last Thursday, the deal collapsed.

Today we explain why and what it means for the future of the club.

Guests

Liam Kennedy (@LiamJKennedy23) is a Newcastle United writer for JPI Media and co-host of the Mouth of the Tyne podcast

Alex Hurst (@tfalex1892) is the Chairman of the Newcastle United Supporters Trust and Editor & host of the True Faith Newcastle United Fanzine and podcast

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Music:

Our Fingers Cold by Blue Dot Sessions

Partly Sage by Blue Dot Sessions

Highway 430 by Blue Dot Sessions

San Diego Sunday by Blue Dot Sessions

Rambling by Blue Dot Sessions

Vernouillet by Blue Dot Sessions

Cylinder Six by Chris Zabriskie

Three weeks ago, when CAS made their verdict in the Manchester City FFP case, there was a lot of uncertainty in how it reached its verdict. Then, last Tuesday, CAS released a 93-page document explaining their decision.

Today, we examine the CAS verdict and tell you why UEFA may have dropped the ball.

Guest:

Rob Harris (@RobHarris) is Global Sports Correspondent for the Associated Press.

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Music:

Curio by Blue Dot Sessions

Lakeside Path by Blue Dot Sessions

Darkened Treeline by Blue Dot Sessions

Jog to the Water by Blue Dot Sessions

Softly Villainous by Blue Dot Sessions

Since 1959, only two teams outside of Turkey's big three (Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray) have won the league title. Last week İstanbul Başakşehir became the third team to do so.

Today, we explain how they did it and what it means for Turkish football.

Guest:

John McManus (@JohnMcManus06) is an anthropologist and author of 'Welcome to Hell? In Search of the Real Turkish Football'

Suggested Reading:

'New Money'

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For the first time in football history, dozens of games are being played in empty stadiums. This has given us unprecedented insight into how fans impact on-pitch performance.

Today we ask: what happens to home-field advantage when there are no fans?

Guests:

John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) is a senior data visualisation journalist at the Financial Times.

Stuart Carrington (@StuCarrington07) is a Lecturer in Sports Coaching Science at St Mary's University, London and the author of Blowing the Whistle: The Psychology of Football Refereeing

Suggested reading

Does home advantage exist without football’s partisan fans?

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When Albert Celades was sacked at the end of June, everyone thought it was just another chapter in the story of Peter Lim’s ownership of Valencia.

However, over in Singapore, Lim’s daughter, Kim, fired up her Instagram and began typing.

"Some Valencia fans are scolding and cursing at my family and I. Don't they get it? The club is ours and we can do anything we want with it. Deal with it."

Since Peter Lim took over the club, the ups and downs have been vertiginous. But things seem to have reached a new low at the Mestalla.

With rumours that a large number of the squad could be sold off in a summer fire sale, we ask: Is Valencia a club in crisis?

Guest:

Pål Ødegård (@paalpot75) is a Norwegian journalist whose work on football politics can be found in Josimar.

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Earlier this month, after years of hard work and preparation the academies of Burnley, Leeds and Crystal Palace were upgraded to Category One status. It is evidence of a larger trend of clubs investing more heavily in their academies and renovating their training grounds.

Today, we explain why Premier League clubs are increasing their spending on their academies and what it might mean for the future of British football. 

Guests:

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

Simon Austin (@sport_simon) is the Founder and Director of the website, Training Ground Guru. He also co-hosts the Training Ground Guru podcast with Josh Schneider-Weiler.

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What is football? Who is it for?

Big questions to be asking on a nondescript day in July, perhaps. But questions that are being subtly answered all the time whether we recognise it or not.

On Monday, we were given a clearer indication of what football is in the present day. That day, Manchester City saw their UEFA Champions League ban overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, raising questions about the usefulness of Financial Fair Play.

Does this ruling suggest that the rules just do not apply for the very richest clubs? Is football now just a business with sport attached?

In this episode, we ask: why was Manchester City’s UEFA ban overturned? And what does it mean for football?

Guests:

Rob Harris (@RobHarris) is Global Sports Correspondent for the Associated Press.

David Mooney (@DavidMooney) is a Manchester City fan, creator of the Blue Moon Podcast and host of the Athletic’s Why Always Us? Podcast

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In 24 hours everything changed for Wigan fans. The Latics went from celebrating a 3-0 win over Stoke to a club entering into administration. In this episode, we spoke two Wigan fans who are fighting to keep the club alive.

Guests:

Adam Conroy is a Wigan fan and secretary of the Wigan Supporters Club (@WiganAthSC).

Jay Whittle (@JayWhittle6) is a Wigan fan and freelance contributor to the Wigan Evening Post and Observer.

Donate to the Official Wigan Athletic Football Club Fundraiser Here. 

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Every season, it’s the same. Four teams, four spots.

But this season, there’s a twist.

With Manchester City the potential recipients of a Champions League ban, we could see a surprise addition to the competition’s English quota.

The race for the Champions League will see some clubs’ fortunes made and some clubs’ fortunes dented.

In this episode, we ask: what does this year’s race for the Champions League look like? And who is set to lose the most by missing out?

Guest:

Seb Stafford-Bloor (@SebSB) is Tifo's Content and Scripts Editor whose work can also be found at FourFourTwo and Football365.

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This weekend as COVID-19 cases in the UK fell, people returned en masse to pubs and restaurants. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Brazilian cities are reopening despite surging cases and deaths of COVID-19.

While many experts believe the worst is yet to come, football has returned to Rio de Janeiro causing discord between locals clubs and government officials.

Today we look at Brazil's handling of the coronavirus and ask, is football coming back too soon in Brazil?

Guest:

Tim Vickery (@Tim_Vickery) is a South American football expert and broadcaster. He regularly writes for ESPN.com and The Sun and is a co-host of The Brazilian Shirt Name podcast. 

100th Episode Gift Card Draw

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