The FootPol Podcast

Most people associate India with cricket. And yet the country has a long and rich history with football, based mainly in India's periphery rather than its Hindu heartland. Guy and Francesco talk to journalists and podcasters Siddhanth Aney and Siju Mathew about the origins of the game from the end of the nineteenth century and  India's relative regional success in the 1950s and 1960s. Despite the game's subsequent decline, football  gained a new lease of life from the 1990s and especially since the establishment of the Indian Super League since 2014 - although Siddhanth and Siju express mixed feelings about its structure and the lack of consultation with India's legacy clubs and organisations. They also discuss India's international prospects and the state of the women's game.

Siddhanth Aney is the co-host of 420 Grams and Siju Mathew runs the Totally Indian Football Show where you can learn more about football in this fascinating country.

Co-host Francesco is joined by a guest co-host Eugenio Giovagnoli to talk to Canadian sports journalist and activist, Shireen Ahmed. Shireen has been at the forefront of the battle towards inclusivity in football, particularly in the media. She reflects on the current challenges, the achievements so far made and those that remain, along with a look at the state of the women's game across different countries and with a particular focus on Canada. As well as examining the state of Canadian women's football, Shireen emphasises the importance of bringing new voices to the conversation, and the struggles to eliminate gender-, race- and religious-based discrimination from the game. 

Football is a powerful tool in fragmented societies, none more so than Colombia. In this episode, Pete Watson of Leeds University explains to co-hosts Guy and Francesco what role has football played in the formation of a national identity and as a tool of reconciliation in both Colombia and in neighbouring countries. In Colombia the beautiful game has been used by a wide range of actors, from politicians to FARC rebels.  Pete also discusses the darker side of Colombian football, its historical connection with the drug cartels. Pete examines the current relative success of the Colombian women's team compared to the men and the difficulties they still face, as well as the continuing racism within football and society. Finally, he offers his thoughts on Colombia's prospects at the upcoming Copa America alongside those of the other front runners!

It is often said that football reflects the societies where we live. So what does football tell us about race and education? In this episode co-hosts Guy and Francesco learn the difficulties that young black footballers faced in their education as they tried to make it in the game from Leicester University's Paul Campbell. Paul also provides insight into the different media representations of black footballers, including in video games, as well as the particular challenges that black footballers face when they try to transition away from the game at the end of their careers. Throughout Paul highlights ways that clubs and the state can and should respond. 

Please note that in explaining how black and white footballers are represented, Paul points to some of the offensive ways this has been done regarding black footballers.

Football is by far the most popular sport in the world, making it "the world's game". And yet there some countries in the world that don't have a national team or are unrecognised by major organisations like FIFA. In this episode, co-hosts Francesco and Guy talk to Paul Watson about who does and who doesn't get to participate in "official" international football and why football representation is important. Paul offers deep insight as the ex-manager of the Micronesian island team Pohnpei and organiser of the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup for states, minorities, stateless peoples and regions unaffiliated with FIFA. Paul, who is a co-host of the Sweeper Podcast, also shares his experience of owning and managing a football club in Mongolia and how football was used as a social tool there.

Have you ever thought of Leo Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo as workers? Probably not! And yet for global stars as for lower level professional footballers and others in less glamorous leagues, football is a job with 'trade relations'.  In this episode co-hosts Guy and Francesco speak to labour rights advocates, Alex Culvin and Alexander Bielefeld from FIFPRO, the World Players Union organisation which brings together national trade unions of footballers from around the globe. Alex and Alexander set out the main issues facing male and female professional footballers. Alexander also highlights the emerging challenge of big data and Artificial Intelligence in the elite-level game while Alex shares her thoughts on who should be the next Liverpool manager!

The idea of a European Super League that would see top European clubs regularly compete against each other has bee in the news again in recent months, following a recent ruling at the European Court of Justice and its backers' latest proposals. But what would the Super League mean for European football, and will this project ever become reality? In this episode, Francesco and Guy talk to Anthony Macedo, a Portuguese academic based at the Lisbon School of Economics and Management and the University of Minho to put the court ruling in context, past efforts at putting a European Super League into action, who the main players and what it might look like.  Anthony also explains what has stopped the a European Super League from happening in the past and why we may well see some incarnation of it at some point in the future.

Do religions and particularly Islam have a view on football? In this episode co-hosts Guy and Francesco talk to Valentina Fedele, Associate Professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communicational Processes at Link Campus University in Rome. Valentina explains how most religions have beliefs and norms that apply to sport generally and football in particular, noting that Islam is not especially unique in this regard.  Looking at several Muslim majority countries  like Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Valentina discusses how the issue of the relation between football and Islam is multi-layered, with states, religious authorities and personal beliefs all playing a role. Valentina also points to new work she's doing on unaccompanied minors in Italy, some of them from Muslim countries, and how they relate to football.

Football fans are often at the centre of media and public opinion attention: condemned as violent and anti-social or applauded for their contribution to the atmosphere in stadiums around the world. But are football fans 'political actors'? If so, what is their politics? In this episode, co-hosts Guy and Francesco speak to journalist James Montague, author of several books on football fans including the widely acclaimed 1312: Among the Ultras. James explains how, while the roots of modern Ultras culture can be traced in Italy,  the phenomenon is truly a global one. James also explains how the culture, values and structure of organised supporters often makes them important political actors in their own rights, and how their interest in politics takes different forms around the world. 

Football has been used by both politicians as well as fans to advance their own interests. How have fascist and right-wing political leaders and regimes exploited football to promote themselves? And how have fans tried to fight right wing authoritarianism through football?  In this episode co-hosts Francesco and Guy talk to Chris Lee, author of The Defiant: A History of Football Against Fascism and host of website and podcast Outside Write. Chris discusses the relationship between the beautiful game and political ideologies before, during and after the Second World War while also looking at the space football has provided to express opposition towards right-wing regimes across Europe and South America.