The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

By Sweeper Productions Ltd

Tired of the Premier League and big-league European football? Want to discover the hidden stories of the global game?

The Sweeper Podcast is your passport to the most extraordinary stories from acro... more

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The podcast currently has 141 episodes available.

Best of The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: From the 9th tier and ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ to the UCL | Valdas Dambrauskas
There are some simply sensational stories to be told about the 108 league phase participants in the three UEFA club competitions this season. For example, it’s not every day that a ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ contestant uses their winnings to become a football manager in England, starts out in the ninth tier and eventually guides a nine-year-old Azerbaijani club into the UEFA Champions League! So how much did Lithuanian tactician Valdas Dambrauskas win to kickstart his managerial career? How has he taken Sabah to a first league title and the pinnacle of European club football in just one year? And why do the club from Maksimir play in pink? Plus, second-tier Portuguese side Torreense prepare for a Europa League campaign in cyclone-hit Leiria, Inter Club d’Escaldes achieve an historic milestone for Andorra and Greek islanders OFI Crete complete a remarkable rebound from administration. Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for Thursday’s round-up of all the best domestic cup stories across Europe – including the Slovak tie between two clubs with the same president – plus a preview of the returning Palestinian league. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:10 – Sabah: The quiz show contestant 12:23 – Inter d’Escaldes: The micro-state trailblazers 21:43 – Torreense: The second-tier cup winners 26:40 – Jagiellonia Białystok: The winning Wi-Fi password 29:39 – OFI Crete: The revived islanders 33:45 – Yaya Touré, Viking, Hearts: The best of the rest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
September 01, 202639min
Number 2: What if the English FA Cup included British Overseas Territories?
The English FA Cup is the oldest and most storied domestic football competition in the world. But it is not the most inclusive. The Coupe de France comfortably takes that title. The tournament not only has 7,000+ participants, but also invites teams from French overseas territories, creating special experiences and mammoth away days for those involved. We have often wondered what the FA Cup would look like if England followed France’s lead. So on this episode, we’re simulating that very scenario: Which British Overseas Territories have enough people and footballers to take part? Which teams would be invited to play? Where would the ties be held? And how would the guests fare against mainland opposition? Join us on Patreon for this Monday’s bonus podcast featuring the underdogs and outsiders in this season’s CAF Confederation Cup, the African equivalent of the Europa League. If you enjoyed the recent episode on the CAF Champions League, this one is for you. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:02 – Disclaimers and caveats 01:35 – Overview of British Overseas Territories 03:11 – The ineligible territories 08:12 – The eligible territories & their teams 11:22 – The big theoretical questions 19:45 – Forecasts and predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
September 15, 202627min
Number 3: How does Portugal’s geography & history explain the big three | Benfica, Sporting & Porto
There have been 92 editions of the Portuguese Primeira Liga to date. Only two of them have been won by clubs other than Benfica, Sporting and Porto. A whopping 95% of football fans in Portugal support the big three – a share that even dwarves the share of national support for the big three in Türkiye and the Netherlands. So how have the trio established such a fierce grip on the domestic game and its fans? What role have the country’s history and geography had to play? And what chance, if any, does a club outside the big three have of breaking its stranglehold? Plus, countrymen Torreense claim the first European league phase win for a lower-league team in a decade and our partner Golaço Kits holds a Portuguese club shirt giveaway! You can already listen to Monday’s bumper bonus podcast on Patreon. In it, we take a virtual journey across Central and Eastern Europe to profile four unique clubs, including the village team who lured Real Madrid’s 12th man to Moldova! Links Lee’s ESPN article Paulo Sarreira’s hotel The Golaço Kits website (promo code: SWEEPER10) Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 00:52 – Triumph for Torreense 02:40 – Big three dominance 07:43 – 95% national support 10:58 – Lusophone influence 14:10 – Potential challengers 18:10 - Golaço Kits giveaway Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
September 22, 202624min
Number 4: Osnabrück’s moving rollercoaster: How fans built football’s best-ever tifo
Football fans have produced some remarkable tifos over the years – but surely none can rival Osnabrück’s moving rollercoaster for their DFB-Pokal tie with Bayern Munich?! The second-tier German club’s ultras came up with the viral sensation to illustrate what a rollercoaster ride it has recently been to support the club, which has endured three promotions and two relegations since 2019. But how did they actually put such an elaborate choreography together? Did it make a difference in their cup clash against Germany’s record champions? And where does it sit among the pantheon of the greatest football tifos? Plus, Turkish team Mersin İdman Yurdu’s 14-year nightmare is over and Lee visits an Austrian stadium built on the rooftop of a furniture store. A goalkeeper finds the net not just once but twice in the Netherlands. And Kyrgyzstan’s spectacular yurt-themed stadium has opened in style with the World Nomad Games, a goat carcass, and an unlikely singing guest. Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for Monday’s bumper bonus podcast featuring tales such as the Kenyan dispute that has delayed the start to the season and the renegade Italian club wearing an illegal kit that the authorities have not yet spotted. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:00 – Osnabrück’s rollercoaster tifo 05:28 – Mersin İdman Yurdu’s 14-year transfer ban 10:55 – Goalkeeper bags a brace in the Netherlands 13:40 – Blau-Weiß Linz’s furniture store stadium 16:58 – Kyrgyzstan’s yurt stadium opening Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
September 10, 202623min
Number 5: The African club bringing the Champions League to the Sahara Desert | JS Saoura
There are plenty of tough places to go for a CAF Champions League away game this season. But few can rival the harsh climes of the desert, where Algerian club JS Saoura are from. The Eagles, who are based in Béchar – a city often referred to as “the gateway to the Sahara”, finished as runners-up in the Ligue Professionelle 1 last season and sealed their spot in the qualifying rounds of the CAF Champions League. So how did a club from this Saharan outpost ascend to Algeria’s top table in record time? Just how difficult is it for their domestic rivals who travel 3,000 kilometres to the desert? And what are their chances against Horoya of Guinea in the first round? Plus, Mauritian upstarts La Cure Waves prepare for their first game on the African mainland, Lesotho’s Lijabatho FC come up with a curious funeral scheme for their fans and Burkinabe club Rahimo FC’s bus company business model proves a hit. Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for Monday’s bumper bonus podcast featuring tales such as the Kenyan dispute that has delayed the start to the season and the renegade Italian club wearing an illegal kit that the authorities have not yet spotted. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 01:17 – JS Saoura: The gateway to the desert 04:31 – La Cure Waves: The holiday island upstarts 09:40 – The countries not in the Champions League 13:35 – Patreon plug for Monday’s episode 14:58 – Lijabatho FC: The funeral schemers 18:35 – Rahimo FC: The wholesome bus boys Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
September 08, 202625min