The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

Lee Wingate and Paul Watson
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The Sweeper is a world football podcast telling fascinating stories from the global game – from the World Cup and Champions League to the most obscure and overlooked competitions on earth. Hosted by Lee Wingate and Paul Watson, the show covers all 211 FIFA nations and beyond, touching on geopolitics, geography, politics, history, culture, travel and identity. Join us for an ample supply of chaos, cross-border clubs, underdogs, ultras, away days, players with unusual day jobs and football in places you didn’t know had teams! 🎧 Weekly episodes ⭐ 5-star rated 🌍 Listeners in 180 countries

  1. 6 HR AGO

    Football at the top of the world – Plus a family feud in El Salvador & a Dutch team banned from playing away

    Bodø/Glimt continued their sensational debut UEFA Champions League campaign by beating Italian giants Inter in the Arctic Circle – after 80 tons of snow had first been cleared from their pitch, of course. But did you know Norway is home to an even snowier pitch, 1,000km further north at the very top of the world, in a place where seeds are stored for the event of an apocalypse and people carry rifles to the supermarket to stave off polar bear attacks? So who used to play here, on this northernmost 11-a-side pitch in the world? Why did it all change after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? And why do so many Liverpool fans live in this Arctic wilderness? Next, we hop over to Central America, where a family feud is ruining birthdays and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. So what scenario is unfolding here that is happening nowhere else in the world? Finally, there’s a club in a local amateur league whose players are forced to play every match at home. Why are they banned from ever playing away? And which former professional footballer is employed to guard them? Chapters 00:00 – Intro 01:34 – Bodø/Glimt's UCL magic 04:51 – Football at the top of the world 07:59 – Four fun facts about Svalbard 12:27 – El Salvador's family feud 16:02 – Family coaching battles 20:03 – Poland's Nazi-defying club 22:51 – Hashtag United's cup clash 26:06 – Jonker Boys' unusual restriction Around The World in 80 Clubs: ⁠https://geni.us/WorldIn80Clubs

    29 min

  2. 17 FEB

    Brazil’s rainforest rivalry, Myanmar’s unbeatable powerhouse & Bougainville’s push for independence

    The most-played match in world football has been contested nearly 1,000 times – yet most fans have never heard of it. Join us on a journey to a tropical corner of the planet as we uncover a rivalry first played in 1914… and still being contested today. Who are the two teams involved? Why have they faced each other so often – an average of seven times a year for over a century? And what could finally slow this extraordinary fixture down in 2026? Next, we explore the remarkable story of a top-flight club who have not lost a league game since before the pandemic. How have they stayed unbeaten for so long – and why, despite that run, are they still not the most dominant team in world football? Finally, we turn to the international game and the national team hoping to represent what could become the world’s newest country in 2027. But if independence comes, will they be welcomed into the global football family – or left waiting on the sidelines? Chapters 00:00 – Intro 01:14 – The world’s most-played fixture 11:21 – Other contenders for the title 14:45 – The longest unbeaten run in history 22:00 – Around The World in 80 Clubs 25:30 – The world’s newest national team? Bougainville – A New Country: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/126735-000-A/arte-reportage/ Around The World in 80 Clubs: https://geni.us/WorldIn80Clubs

    34 min

  3. 10 FEB

    Viktor Orban’s football powerplay, Copa Libertadores expansion & Chinese Super League sanctions

    A sleepy town of 22,000 people in southern Slovakia is home to a top-flight football club that is challenging for national titles and boasts an ultra-modern, sleek stadium that is entirely out of step with its surroundings – thanks to money from abroad. We paid a visit to Dunajská Streda to watch local team DAC 1904 play domestic giants Slovan Bratislava in a top-of-the table clash in Slovakia. But this was no ordinary game. It was the most politically charged football match we’ve ever seen. The reason for that lies far beyond the football pitch. Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is funding clubs in neighbouring countries as part of a broader political strategy – one that may help him win re-election in April and shape the balance of power in the EU. Elsewhere, the Copa Libertadores is reportedly preparing to invite guest clubs from Mexico and the US to participate in the competition starting in 2027, while Chinese football has hit a new low after nine of the Super League’s 16 clubs were deducted points. Chapters 00:00 - Intro 01:49 - Live game: DAC 1904 v Slovan Bratislava 14:32 - Viktor Orbán's political power play 21:18 - Copa Libertadores guest invitations 23:04 - Analysis from Jon Arnold 25:59 - China's Super League low point 27:21 - Analysis from John Duerden Sources for the lead story Atlatszo: https://english.atlatszo.hu/2018/12/11/the-orban-government-spent-billions-on-hungarian-football-clubs-in-serbia-romania-and-slovakia Balkan Insight: https://balkaninsight.com/2025/07/08/hungary-and-croatia-build-stadium-for-e7-5-million-in-village-of-500-inhabitants Denník: https://dennikn.sk/1380564/bolo-to-ako-vojna-bitka-policajtov-s-fanusikmi-dunajskej-stredy-po-ktorej-sa-zmenil-zakon/ Radio Free Europe: https://www.rferl.org/a/hungary-orban-sport-influence-romania/31977287.html Salzburger Nachrichten:https://www.sn.at/sport/fussball/international/dac-dunajska-streda-orbans-aushaengeschild-in-der-slowakei-art-371392

    30 min

  4. 3 FEB

    Qarabag’s Champions League heroics, Benfica’s goalkeeper goal & Kazakhstan’s Borat arrests

    Qarabağ have made Champions League history this season, becoming the first Azerbaijani club to ever reach the knockout stages of the competition – and setting up a play-off tie against Premier League team Newcastle United. Their run has come at a time of dramatic geopolitical change in the South Caucasus, with the club preparing to return to their hometown of Ağdam after spending more than three decades in exile in the capital Baku. Elsewhere, Bodø/Glimt stunned the continent by qualifying for the knockouts despite not playing domestic football since November, while Benfica hit the headlines with a goalkeeper goal and a viral TV interview from a local priest. Club Brugge also progressed through the league phase, but that will not be the enduring memory of their season for three fans who accompanied the team to Kazakhstan and ended up in jail in one of the strangest away-day stories of the season. Ghost Cities FC by James Montague for the BBC: www.bbc.com/audio/play/p0lxg7xy Chapters 00:00 – Intro 00:41 – Qarabağ's historic Champions League run 02:01 – A story of exile and homecoming 07:22 – Soft power and state support 10:50 – The secret to their sporting success 14:37 – The challenges ahead: Newcastle and Sabah 17:02 – Patreon preview: Chapecoense and South America 18:33 – Another milestone for Bodø/Glimt 21:45 – Benfica's keeper goal and priest interview 26:07 – Brugge's congratulations and Borat arrests

    30 min

  5. 27 JAN

    The Finnish Cup: Round 0, incredible club names & an unusual trophy twin

    Christmas has come and gone, but for Santa Claus – the football club that is, not the man with the beard – the other big moment of the year is fast approaching. This amateur team of tourism and post office workers are about to enter the Finnish Cup – their one big moment each year to show they are more than just a novelty name. But beyond Lapland, what else is so unique about the competition? We speak to Tomi Leivo-Jokimäki, the chief organiser at the Finnish Football Association, about its soaring popularity, English influence and the trophy's wacky back story. Finally, we take a look at other unique cup competitions across the European continent – from France’s all-inclusive cup to Bosnia’s strange final. Chapters 00:00 – Intro 00:32 – Santa Claus' other big moment 03:38 – The uniqueness of the Finnish Cup 05:42 – A typical run in the competition 07:40 – Favourite Finnish club names 09:38 – Interview with Tomi Leivo-Jokimäki 23:20 – Patreon episode sneak peak 24:29 – Cup craziness across Europe

    31 min

  6. 20 JAN

    Luxembourg’s stadium-building president, double Dutch cup trophies & Olympic Charleroi’s total chaos

    In just three seasons, a small-town club from central Luxembourg have gone from third-tier obscurity to challenging for the top-flight title.   At the heart of their rise is president Carlos Teixeira, a construction entrepreneur who literally built the club’s stadium himself before reluctantly taking over the reins.   On this episode, we tell Atert Bissen's story – before heading to the Netherlands, where an amateur club in the KNVB Beker are guaranteed to lift a trophy whether they win the competition or not.   To complete the Benelux trio we finish off in Belgium, where an angry father, a potential Iraqi investor and a revolving door of coaches have allegedly turned Olympic Charleroi into a hot mess.   Chapters 00:00 – Intro 00:45 – Atert Bissen’s remarkable rise 06:35 – Rapid risers across the globe 08:40 – De Treffers & the Blue Pine Cone 14:40 – Amateur rewards worldwide 18:00 – Chaos at Olympic Charleroi 22:20 – Special Sweeper announcement

    25 min

  7. 6 JAN

    Oceania’s first pro competition, the ex-Bundesliga burger flipper & Mali’s AFCON fetish priest

    In Part 1, Lee & Paul preview the inaugural OFC Pro League – the first fully professional football competition in Oceania’s history – which kicks off in New Zealand on Saturday 17 January. What matches will take place in the first circuit series in Auckland – and where can you watch them? Which team will have to travel the furthest and cross the International Date Line for their fixtures? Who are the standout players to watch out for? And what does the new tournament mean for the future of the OFC Champions League?In Part 2, there are stories from Europe, Africa and Asia. In Germany, a former Bundesliga coach is managing two McDonald’s restaurants – but what other unusual careers have footballers had after hanging up their boots? At AFCON, Mali have turned to a fetish priest to tip fate in their favour for their game against Tunisia. What on earth is one of those, we hear you ask?! And finally, Japan prepares for its transition to an autumn-spring league. But which J-League club have been royally screwed over by the switch? Chapters 00:00 – Intro 04:11 – OFC Pro League: Format & fixtures 08:58 – OFC Pro League: Distances & date lines 13:24 – OFC Pro League: Intriguing individuals 23:23 – OFC Pro League: Concurrent competitions 27:54 – The German ex-coach working at McDonald's 31:32 – Strangest former footballer careers 38:53 – Mali's fetish priest & Gabon's letter 46:03 – Japan's schedule switch & Fukushima United

    55 min

  8. 23/12/2025

    India’s Super League crisis, the utterly mental Polish Ekstraklasa & Christmas Island’s red crabs

    In Part 1, Lee and Paul are joined by Asia correspondent John Duerden to cast a look at some huge stories across the continent – in India, Malaysia and South Korea. What on earth happened on Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour of Kolkata? And why is the world’s largest country still without a top-flight league months after the season should have gotten under way? What has the fallout been from Malaysia’s attempt to illegally naturalise seven players? And why did Gus Poyet resign in protest after winning the double with Jeonbuk in South Korea? In Part 2, Africa correspondent Ali Howorth drops in before flying to Morocco to give us the lowdown on AFCON 2025 and help us decide which team to support at the tournament. Then it’s over to Europe to put the Ekstraklasa under the microscope. But what unique situation that we have never seen before has occurred in Poland’s top flight? And finally, to mark the festive season, there is a mention for Christmas Island – an Australian overseas territory that is known for its red crabs and its football rivalry with the nearby Cocos Islands. World Soccer magazine special offer: shop.kelsey.co.uk/sweeperxmas25 John Duerden’s Substack newsletter: https://howfootballexplainsasia.substack.com Ali Howarth’s AFCON flow chart: https://x.com/ahoworth97/status/2001293214012014953 Chapters 00:00 – Intro 00:35 – India’s Super League crisis 08:56 – Other leagues in limbo worldwide 11:29 – Malaysia’s naturalisation scandal 21:47 – Gus Poyet’s Jeonbuk departure 27:17 – AFCON 2025 in Morocco 39:55 – The crazy Polish Ekstraklasa 44:25 – Mayhem & chaos across UEFA 48:00 – Christmas Island and red crabs 53:45 – On The Spot - The Apertura crown

    56 min
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5
out of 5
160 Ratings

About

The Sweeper is a world football podcast telling fascinating stories from the global game – from the World Cup and Champions League to the most obscure and overlooked competitions on earth. Hosted by Lee Wingate and Paul Watson, the show covers all 211 FIFA nations and beyond, touching on geopolitics, geography, politics, history, culture, travel and identity. Join us for an ample supply of chaos, cross-border clubs, underdogs, ultras, away days, players with unusual day jobs and football in places you didn’t know had teams! 🎧 Weekly episodes ⭐ 5-star rated 🌍 Listeners in 180 countries

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