Heroes & Humans of Football Immaterial

The Afghan women’s national team doesn’t exist – not according to FIFA, anyway. The Taliban banned women's football when they took control of Afghanistan in 2021, forcing the team to flee the country for fear of their lives. But FIFA now refuses to recognise the team in exile, allowing the Taliban to continue their gender apartheid. Today, the team is fighting for FIFA recognition and their place in football. Living in exile and risking their lives to play football, the Afghan women's players are determined to return to the international game.
Mehreen and Simon talk to Khalida Popal, the woman who defied the country's misogynistic norms to set up the national team. She became the first female captain, coach, and executive in Afghanistan's history. This is a story of a team’s courage and comradery in the face of death threats and sexual assaults.

To support the Afghan women's team in their fight for recognition, you can sign this petition and follow Khalida Popal on LinkedIn: 
https://www.change.org/p/fifacom-standwithafghanwomen-recognise-afghanistan-women-s-national-football-team-in-exile-follow-alivekicking23
https://www.linkedin.com/in/khalida-popal-64a29176?originalSubdomain=dk

Timestamps:
00:00:02 - Introduction to the episode about Afghanistan's women's football team
00:03:47 - Khalida Popal joins to discuss founding the team
00:03:55 - Growing up in Afghanistan before the Taliban
00:05:09 - Early exposure to football in Afghanistan 
00:06:09 - Returning to Afghanistan after 2001 and facing resistance to women playing football
00:08:56 - Setting up a girls' football team at school despite challenges
00:12:51 - Men discover and threaten the girls playing football
00:14:57 - Story of a teammate forced to stop playing by her family
00:18:06 - Establishing the Afghan women's national team
00:21:07 - Negotiating with the Afghan Football Federation for recognition
00:25:16 - Difficulties of managing the national team and facing abuse
00:30:10 - Fleeing Afghanistan due to death threats
00:33:56 - Evacuating players as Taliban returned to power in 2021
00:41:29 - Current players describe obstacles they faced playing in Afghanistan
00:43:01 - Players' experiences when Taliban took over in 2021
00:45:04 - Campaign for FIFA to recognise the exiled Afghan women's team
00:48:03 - FIFA's lack of response to requests for recognition

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It's bizarre how long it took Argentinians to learn to love Leo Messi. His exile from his declining homeland always made him suspect. The comparison with Maradona hung over him from the start. And why was he hardly ever as good for Argentina as he was for Barcelona? We tell the story of the world's best player's complex relationship with his own country, and how it finally had a happy end.

Timestamps:
00:00:02 - Introduction
00:01:18 - Messi's fraught relationship with Argentina
00:06:24 - Messi as the embodiment of the Pibe archetype
00:11:36 - Messi's early international career and struggles with Argentina
00:18:52 - 2014 World Cup and Argentina's attempt at a "Messi strategy"
00:24:06 - 2014 World Cup disappointment and Messi's frustrations
00:29:19 - Psychoanalysis of Messi's perceived lack of Argentinian-ness
00:36:58 - Messi finally wins Copa America in 2021
00:39:35 - 2022 World Cup in Qatar and initial struggles
00:40:24 - Argentina's resurgence and Messi's leadership
00:42:15 - Winning the 2022 World Cup as a team
00:44:26 - Messi's place in Argentinian history compared to Maradona
00:46:10 - Speculation on Messi's life without football
00:48:02 - Would the hosts want to hang out with Messi?

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Gareth Southgate's tactical and managerial qualities still split fan opinion as he leads England in his fourth major tournament at the Euros in Germany this summer. But one thing that can't be disputed is Southgate's ability to unite his players in a team whose confidence has been battered by two decades of under-achievment. The former Aston Villa captain has been a leading voice against racism directed at young black English players and is arguably redefining the notion of Englishness in modern Britain. 
Simon and Mehreen discuss the steps and experiences that how Southgate came to manage another golden generation of English footballers, growing up in a respectable family in South London, learning from the negatives, and bouncing back from *that* penalty miss in Euro '96. But will Gareth Southgate go down in history as a unifying England manager or just another nearly-ran? 

Timecodes:
00:00:43 - Proposition: Gareth Southgate is a very laudable, commendable figure, but is he a national hero or overhyped mediocrity?
00:02:22 - Southgate's background and upbringing in Crawley
00:05:52 - Joining Crystal Palace as an apprentice and experiencing class division
00:08:31 - Southgate's playing career at Palace, Villa, and Middlesbrough
00:12:04 - First meeting with Southgate and the Euro 1996 penalty miss
00:19:25 - John Major's encouragement after the penalty miss
00:22:22 - Southgate's unfulfilled club career and disappointment
00:27:56 - Becoming England manager in 2016 after a national humiliation
00:33:06 - Resetting expectations and creating a high-performance culture
00:39:20 - 2018 World Cup and learning to love the new England team
00:43:16 - Black Lives Matter movement and Southgate's stance
00:50:00 - Euro 2020 final against Italy and the penalty misses
00:54:10 - Expectations for the 2022 World Cup and Southgate's limitations
01:00:22 - Southgate's vision of an inclusive and modern Englishness
01:04:34 - Conclusion and Southgate's potential legacy

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On the eve of Euro 2024, Henry talks about nearly 30 years of dealing with England managers and players, from Glenn Hoddle to Harry Kane - with some very kind words for Jack Grealish.
Henry Winter is one of the best known and most respected journalists in the English language. Having covered football for over 38 years, conducted over 1500 interviews, and attended thousands of matches, Henry might have a story or two to share. In this episode, we talk to Henry about football journalism, how it's changed over the decades, and the rise of modern media, as well as how he navigates the complicated relationships that journalists have with players and managers.

Timestamps:
00:13:06 Discussion about how football clubs and players are doing more community work than the government, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
00:16:22 Reflection on the changing relationship between football players and the press, from adversarial in the past to more cooperative now.
00:17:14 Discussion on the growth of fan-related content and how it reflects fans' frustration with mainstream media.
00:21:28 Admission of making a mistake by making fun of Ronaldo's weight on Twitter, learning a lesson about not personalising criticism.
00:22:39 Reflection on the moral substance of many football players, particularly in contrast to politicians.
00:27:14 Discussion about the most interesting people to meet in football, including Sir Alex Ferguson, Pele, and Jurgen Klopp.
00:29:57 Talk about who is best at discussing football itself, mentioning Glenn Hoddle and other players who didn't have much pace but became good managers.
00:30:56 Question about who one would be happy never to see again, with a reluctant mention of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
00:31:33 Suggestion: Jurgen Klopp is one of the most misunderstood people in football, with more science behind his emotional style than people realise.
00:33:34 Discussion about England's chances in Euro 2024, praising players like Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Declan Rice.
00:34:48 Talk about how social media affects players' mental health, with many going off social media due to abuse and intensity.
00:36:52 Pondering what one would be doing if not a football writer, suggesting possibly stacking shelves at Selfridges.


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Jude Bellingham could go down as the best English player to never play in the Premier League, but how did he go from a shy and polite young boy from Stourbridge, to an integral part of Real Madrid's push for the Champions League title this season?
This episode describes the careful and precise decisions of Jude Bellingham's career so far that have led him to the biggest stage of world football, despite still being 20 years old. From the thinking behind his shirt number at Birmingham, to rejecting England's biggest clubs in favour of a move to Germany. 

Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction to the podcast episode on Jude Bellingham.
00:02:07 - Discussing Bellingham being compared to the fictional character Roy of the Rovers.
00:07:00 - Bellingham's background and upbringing in Birmingham.
00:10:12 - Insights from Bellingham's youth coach Paul Robinson on coaching him at Birmingham City.
00:16:13 - Bellingham's decision to join Borussia Dortmund instead of clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea.
00:22:48 - Bellingham's time at Borussia Dortmund and his relationship with players like Erling Haaland.
00:29:27 - Bellingham's performance at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
00:32:07 - Bellingham's transfer to Real Madrid in 2023.
00:41:44 - Bellingham's incredible goalscoring form for Real Madrid in his first season.
00:49:54 - Discussion on Bellingham's potential legacy and future.
00:57:20 - The rising trend of incredibly talented young footballers emerging at a very young age.
01:05:00 - Speculating on what profession Bellingham could have pursued if not football.

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Carlo Ancelotti, son of poor Italian farmers, could be about to win a record fifth Champions League with Real Madrid. That’s pretty good for a guy whose managerial career started with him refusing to sign Roberto Baggio. This episode describes how the nicest man in football learned how to handle the egomaniacs around him, give players the power, and always made sure that everybody ate well together. The secrets of “quiet leadership” all around the world, from the coach whose own role model is Vito Corleone.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction to the episode on Carlo Ancelotti
0:29 - Ancelotti's background as a player and coach who won multiple Champions Leagues
2:21 - Ancelotti's qualities of being funny and having empathy
2:59 - Ancelotti's early life and family background in a farming village in Italy
6:22 - Ancelotti's time playing for Arrigo Sacchi's revolutionary AC Milan team
9:27 - How Ancelotti dealt with egos like Silvio Berlusconi as a player at Milan
11:51 - Ancelotti's early coaching jobs and transition to a more flexible style
14:50 - Ancelotti getting fired just before halftime at Juventus 
16:31 - Ancelotti's successful stint at AC Milan as a manager winning the Champions League
19:00 - Ancelotti's time at Chelsea and getting fired in the tunnel after winning the double
22:19 - Ancelotti building Paris Saint-Germain into a top club after their takeover
25:39 - How Ancelotti managed egos like Zlatan Ibrahimovic at PSG
28:19 - Ancelotti's first stint at Real Madrid and his relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo  
34:49 - Ancelotti's short tenures at Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton
36:57 - Ancelotti breaking his Champions League wins record in his second Real Madrid stint
39:41 - Ancelotti's empathetic man-management style with players like Vinicius Jr, Bellingham
44:13 - Ancelotti potentially becoming Brazil's next manager
46:27 - Discussion on Ancelotti's leadership style and legacy

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