The Sound of Football

The news of Roman Abramovich being sanctioned by the UK government has rocked the football world. With the cash flow stopped, sponsors pulling out and an uncertain future, Chelsea's very survival has been put into jeopardy. The unprecedented events of the past week has again got people talking about club ownership and the misuse of football as a tool to repair deservedly damaged reputations. Could we soon see an end to sportswashing? For more information on the podcast and links related to the subjects discussed, check out the Show Notes on our blog. pods.sofpodcast.com/sofpodcast_490.mp3 What's in the Weekend Boxset?It's the FA Cup quarter finals, and as long as they can scrape together the bus fare, Chelsea are off to Boro. There's also the spectacle of El Clasico. Get our FREE weekly newsletter in your email by signing up to the Weekend Boxset today.

Football's reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has largely been one of condemnation, even if the governing bodies were initially slow to react. How will football cope without sportswashing oligarchs? Roman Abramovich has already put Chelsea up for sale but who is out there to buy them? And will they run it as a business rather than somewhere to launder their sportswashing cash. Away from war in Ukraine, we also take time to discuss Marcelo Bielsa leaving Leeds United, and the League Cup final. For more information on the podcast and links related to the subjects discussed, check out the Show Notes on our blog. pods.sofpodcast.com/sofpodcast_489.mp3 What's in the Weekend Boxset?If you needed any more sportswashing narrative, Newcastle come to Stamford Bridge on Sunday. There's also Manchester United v Spurs and the quarter finals of the Scottish Cup. Get our FREE weekly newsletter in your email by signing up to the Weekend Boxset today.

Having started life in the late 1950s as an opportunity for clubs to take advantage of their new-fangled floodlights, the League Cup, in its many sponsored guises, has, since its inception, been an easily dismissed competition. Unless, of course, your team wins it. In the build-up to this weekend's final, we take a walk down Amnesnia Lane to see if we can recollect anything from the most recent finals, which have been dominated by Manchester City. Of course the winners may already be decided, if the conspiracy theories regarding biased referees, held by a small but vocal corner of Liverpool fandom, are to be believed. For more information on the podcast and links related to the subjects discussed, check out the Show Notes on our blog. pods.sofpodcast.com/sofpodcast_488.mp3 What's in the Weekend Boxset?Of course we lead with the League Cup final at Wembley between Chelsea and Liverpool - a repeat of the classic final of 2005. Get our FREE weekly newsletter in your email by signing up to the Weekend Boxset today.

Chelsea are champions of the world after winning the FIFA Club World Cup. The final went to extra time thanks to a VAR awarded handball penalty for Palmeiras, and was won by a VAR awarded handball penalty for Chelsea. Football is a game of fine margins, and with technology's imposed audit trail penalties are become easier to award at the top levels. With penalties offering a better than 70% chance of getting a goal even though you could be 25 yards away from goal to win one, does the punishment still fit the crime? With a wealth of analytics and statistics available to give an accurate assessment of the impact of an infringement, is it time to rethink the penalty for the modern game? pods.sofpodcast.com/sofpodcast_487.mp3 For more information on the podcast and links related to the subjects discussed, check out the Show Notes on our blog. What's in the Weekend Boxset?Spurs will be trying desperatley to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat when they go the Etihad, while Newcastle go for a fourth win in a row away to West Ham. The Lionesses are in action as well in a warm up tournament before this summer's Euros. Get our FREE weekly newsletter in your email by signing up to the Weekend Boxset today.

This week, a proposed bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup from the five nations of Britain and Ireland was dropped in favour of what seems to be a much more likely propostition of hosting the 2028 Euros. As 2028 is also the proposed date of the first biennial World Cup, is this bid more about snubbing the global governing body FIFA? With UEFA building an ever closer relationship with the South American confederation CONMEBOL, are FIFA finding themselves more and more side-lined as they try to force through changes to the World Cup? Are there other options available for a fairer, more equitable World Cup that satisfies the needs of all stakeholders? check out the Show Notes on our blog. --pods.sofpodcast.com/sofpodcast_486.mp3 What's in the Weekend Boxset?The UK's Saturday 3 embargo will be broken for the second week running with the final of the FIFA Club World Cup (which may include Chelsea) being shown on Channel 4. We've got six other games across the weekend covered too. Get our FREE weekly newsletter in your email by signing up to the Weekend Boxset today.

It's transfer deadline day but it's managerial moves making the headlines, with Everton welcoming Frank Lampard into their hotseat, while Sunderland show "Streaky" Lee Johnson their revolving door. What are the reasonable expectations facing Lampard, as he looks to repair his reputation from his time in charge of Chelsea? Where should Sunderland be shopping for their next victim? For more information on the podcast and links related to the subjects discussed, check out the Show Notes on our blog. What's in the Weekend Boxset?Other European leagues are returning to action but in England it's FA Cup fourth round weekend. A bumper weekend of action is rounded off with the Africa Cup of Nations Final. Get our FREE weekly newsletter in your email by signing up to the Weekend Boxset today.pods.sofpodcast.com/sofpodcast_485.mp3

For once there was a full list of fixtures that went ahead in the Premier League but with it came a number of unsettling incidents. One was worring, but thankfully, ultimately benign, when a drone buzzed the action at the Brentford Community Stadium - though it was enough to see the players leave the pitch for 20 minutes. The other incidents were much more concerning. Villa's Matty Cash and Lucas Digne and Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger were all hit with objects thrown by opposition fans incapable of controlling their frustrations. In the aftermath of the widespread anti-social behaviour at last summer's Euros final at Wembley, what can football do to insulate itself from the worst excesses of an unhealthy culture amongst (predominantly) young men? pods.sofpodcast.com/sofpodcast_484.mp3 One thing you can rely on is Watford sacking a manager not doing very well, so it was somehow comforting that the Hornets decided to dispense with Claudio Ranieri's services just before we pressed record. For more information on the podcast and links related to the subjects discussed, check out the Show Notes on our blog.

What next for Everton, now that the uneasy and unpopular Rafa experiment has come to an end? While fans might be happy that the former Liverpool manager has left their club, does the uninspiring list of replacements speak of a lack of direction at the club, despite a huge amount of cash thrown at the squad. With less than two weeks left before the end of the month, will the new manager coming in have any time left in the transfer window to throw good money after bad to help the club avoid a relegation scrap? For more information on the podcast and links related to the subjects discussed, check out the Show Notes on our blog. pods.sofpodcast.com/sofpodcast_483.mp3 What's in the Weekend Boxset?Hopefully this Sunday's main event Chelsea v Spurs will go ahead. We also have a chance to look at Wayne Rooney's credentials as a future Everton manager as his in-form Derby side visit a resurgent Nottingham Forest. Get our FREE weekly newsletter in your email by signing up to the Weekend Boxset today.

With most Premier League clubs having in excess of 50 eligible U21 players to supplement their squads of 25, is their any excuse for them to cancel games because a few players are missing, for one reason or another? All 32 of this weekend's FA Cup ties went ahead, even with Covid infections at their highest and some squads weakened by losing players to the Africa Cup of Nations. Are the fans being cheated in other competitions, or does filling out the team with youth players diminish the product too far? Also, this week, we take time to remember the life and work of investigative journalist Andrew Jennings, who died at the weekend at the age of 78, after a short illness. For more information on the podcast and links related to the subjects discussed, check out the Show Notes on our blog. pods.sofpodcast.com/sofpodcast_482.mp3 What's in the Weekend Boxset?Many Premier League players are unavailable because they're in Cameroon for the Africa Cup of Nations. We'll preview a couple of groups games along with City v Chelsea and Spurs v Arsenal. Get our FREE weekly newsletter in your email by signing up to the Weekend Boxset today.

It's a special 10th anniversary edition of our Advent Calendar. Friends old and new join us to help us celebrate the festive season and look forward to 2022. From semi-automated offside to fan tokens, from the fan-led review to Qatar 2022, we give you the low-down on 24 of the biggest talking points for the next 12 months. For details of all our special guests, links to their websites, podcasts, books and social media, and a full list of all the subjects behind the doors opened on this advent calendar, check out the Show Notes on our blog. pods.sofpodcast.com/sofpodcast_481.mp3 What's in the Weekend Boxset?Our review of the seven great games from across the globe to take you from Friday to Sunday. Get our FREE weekly newsletter in your email by signing up to the Weekend Boxset today.