The Assistant Professor of Football: Soccer, Culture, History‪.‬ Philipp Gollner

The excesses of global soccer capitalism are well documented on this podcast. Perhaps no footballing country is more affected than England, the birthplace of the modern game and home to arguably the wealthiest clubs and league. To take it up one notch, six of its big clubs attempted to join the breakaway Super League while, around the same time, historic club Bury FC collapse and fell under administration. The fan protests surrounding both, the striking inequality growing in English football, and the fast growth of ever more dubious club owners spurred a “fan-led review” commissioned by the British government and, now, a proposal. In March of this year, the “Independent Football Regulator” was proposed. 
From future attempts to join a “super league” to tests of financial stability to a protection for crest and jersey colors, a wide range of developments in modern football would fall under the purview of the regulator if passed. And its introduction could spur similar developments in other countries. What exactly does the “regulator” look like, what could they do? What is the impact on fans as well as the future of bigger and smaller English clubs, at home and on the global stage?
The Football Supporters Organization, the FSA, England’s largest and most influential fan lobbying organization, has been involved in the process from the beginning - as a contributor but also as a critic. Michael Brunskill from the FSA helps me explain the history, the potential and the shortcomings of the football regulator. And what sounds like a technical and political discussion will impact fans of the game around the globe.


HELPFUL LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:

FSA response: Independent Football Regulator

UK government Fact Sheet about the regulator

Channel 4 News on the regulator and its history


Please leave a quick voicemail with any feedback, corrections, suggestions - or just greetings - HERE. Or comment via Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook.

f you enjoy this podcast and think that what I do fills a gap in soccer coverage that others would be interested in as well, please
Recommend The Assistant Professor of Football. Spreading the word, through word of mouth, truly does help. Leave some rating stars at the podcast platform of your choice. There are so many sports podcasts out there, and only ratings make this project visible; only then can people who look for a different kind of take on European soccer actually find me.
Artwork for The Assistant Professor of Football is by Saige Lind

Instrumental music for this podcast, including the introduction track, is by the artist Ketsa and used under a Creative Commons license through Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/

Kay Bernstein was elected the president of Hertha BSC, then in the 1st Bundesliga, in June 2022. He died at his home near Berlin on January 16th of this year, with Hertha being in the 2nd Bundesliga. What sounds like a short and - on the pitch - unsuccessful presidency is in fact the most significant shift and opening up of possibilities in club leadership in German and, possibly, European club leadership over the last years.

In his memory, are dedicating an hour today to his club, to his life and to his impact. Bernstein grew up in Eastern Germany and Berlin, and was a founding leader of the oldest ultra group of Hertha, the Harlekins. When he became president, he was an event manager with networks in various fancultures, and a visionary for his club who placed an emphasis not just in success on the pitch, but in a football club as a community of belonging, togetherness, listening, patience, modesty as well as excitement and fanaticism.
The Visiting Professor of Football is Misha Joel, from Hertha podcast Herthabase and an active fan in Hertha's curve.

HELPFUL LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Deutsche Welle English, "Hertha Berlin President Kay Bernstein dies aged 43"

Deutsche Welle English, "Hertha Berlin Chooses former Ultra as Head"

General Assembly at Hertha where Kay Bernstein is elected president (Hertha TV)

March in Mourning after Kay Bernstein's death

RTL Sport, Rest in Peace Kay Bernstein (Youtube)

bundesliga.com, Minute of Silence for Kay Bernstein at Hertha BSC vs. Kaiserslautern



Please leave a quick voicemail with any feedback, corrections, suggestions - or just greetings - HERE. Or comment via Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook.

f you enjoy this podcast and think that what I do fills a gap in soccer coverage that others would be interested in as well, please
Recommend The Assistant Professor of Football. Spreading the word, through word of mouth, truly does help. Leave some rating stars at the podcast platform of your choice. There are so many sports podcasts out there, and only ratings make this project visible; only then can people who look for a different kind of take on European soccer actually find me.
Artwork for The Assistant Professor of Football is by Saige Lind

Instrumental music for this podcast, including the introduction track, is by the artist Ketsa and used under a Creative Commons license through Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/

"The era is brought to life by the accounts of Albanians who lived through it, which capture the importance of football to a populace starved of any other source of communal enjoyment. The otherworldliness and innate cruelty of the Stalinist regime provide a terrifying backdrop to their tales," reads the blurb for Phil Harrison's book The Hermit Kingdom: Football Stories from Stalinist Albania.  Albania, on the far eastern edge of Europe, followed a rather unique path through the Cold War - and has a unique soccer culture to match that period. Caught between Russia, China and neighboring Yugoslavia, in a country that outlawed religion for all intents and purposes, the stories from Albania between 1946 and 1991 offers the use of pigeons by fan groups, evil Yugoslavian radios, an almost World Cup qualifier, and an erratic dictatorial regime that proudly practiced Stalinism long after Stalin was dead.
More than nostalgia or chronology, Harrison's book takes us into the stadiums and the city squared of a remote country in a remote time.

This episode also features a brief audio reportage from listeners Dan and Archie, who attended the Europa Conference League game Slovan Bratislava vs Sturm Graz - and 3 Albanian contributions to the Eurovision Song Contest.

HELPFUL LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Inside the Hermit Kingdom: Football Stories from Stalinist Albania (Pitch Publishing, 2024)

Phil Harrison on twitter/X

Partizani vs Tirana, Albanian Championship 1971 (Youtube video)

Vlaznia vs. Besa, 1972 Albanian Cup Final, 2nd Leg (2-2 on aggregate); Vllaznia win 5-3 on penalties. Ramazan Rragami becomes a world record holder, scoring 7 penalties in a Cup Final (Youtube video)

Hamdi Salihi, in Albania vs Montenegro, 2011 (Youtube video)

Jonida Maliqi - Ktheju Tokës (Albania at Eurovision, 2019)
Albina & Familja Kelmendi - Duje (Albania at Eurovision, 2023)
Anxhela Peristeri - Karma (Albania at Eurovision, 2021)


Please leave a quick voicemail with any feedback, corrections, suggestions - or just greetings - HERE. Or comment via Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook.

f you enjoy this podcast and think that what I do fills a gap in soccer coverage that others would be interested in as well, please
Recommend The Assistant Professor of Football. Spreading the word, through word of mouth, truly does help. Leave some rating stars at the podcast platform of your choice. There are so many sports podcasts out there, and only ratings make this project visible; only then can people who look for a different kind of take on European soccer actually find me.
Artwork for The Assistant Professor of Football is by Saige Lind

Instrumental music for this podcast, including the introduction track, is by the artist Ketsa and used under a Creative Commons license through Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/

... of all people! Raphael is a German political scientist, whose book "Peace to the Terraces, War to the Federations and Leagues" is a pathbreaking materialist critique of "modern soccer" - the game as purely an entertainment market commodity. The book is only published in German so far, and we were in the process of rolling out his thoughts with the ongoing conflict between German fans and the German Bundesliga as a case in point (you know, the one with tennis balls and remote-controlled cars thrown on the pitch in recent weeks...). About halfway through, the bomb dropped: sooner than any of us expected, the Bundesliga collapsed and nixed the negotiation with the private equity firm that was interested. We let out a "holy shit!" and analyzed what this might mean, and what concrete solutions Raphael's thoughts provide for the future.

This episode was to air on March 4th - given what happened today while we talked, I rushed it live. This may mean no TAoF episode on March 4th then, check social media for updates. For now, you wont regret this window into a very german conflict with a lot of promise for soccer fans around the world - the fans to whom this beautiful game truly belongs!

HELPFUL LINKS :

Raphael's book, in German

Raphael Molter on X/Twitter

Protests in Rostock - remote controlled cars with flares on them

Protests in Dortmund - chocolate coins and tennis balls

Matt Ford, Bundesliga scraps major investment deal amid fan revolt (dw.com)

Gabriel Kuhn, Soccer vs. The State (an interview with him on TAoF from last year)



Please leave a quick voicemail with any feedback, corrections, suggestions - or just greetings - HERE. Or comment via Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook.

f you enjoy this podcast and think that what I do fills a gap in soccer coverage that others would be interested in as well, please
Recommend The Assistant Professor of Football. Spreading the word, through word of mouth, truly does help. Leave some rating stars at the podcast platform of your choice. There are so many sports podcasts out there, and only ratings make this project visible; only then can people who look for a different kind of take on European soccer actually find me.
Artwork for The Assistant Professor of Football is by Saige Lind

Instrumental music for this podcast, including the introduction track, is by the artist Ketsa and used under a Creative Commons license through Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/

Indie, Hip Hop, Punk, Reggae, Ska and Choruses- from Leeds to Istanbul, from Vienna to Mexico City, from Darmstadt to Buenos Aires. Your second soccer playlist is here - with some background info, and plenty of quirky football lyrics.

PLAYLIST FOR THIS EPISODE - links to videos:

Puma Hardchorus - England, France, Germany and Italy

Alberto Colucci - Die Sonne Scheint (SV Darmstadt 98)

Manu Chao (with Diego Maradona) - La Vida Tombola

Sultans of Ping - I'm in Love with a Football Hooligan

Luke Haines - Leeds United

Mono & Kreiml - Verteilerkreisflavour

Athena - Hooligans

Biberstand Boys - Unioner im Haus

Ky-Mani Marley's live rendition of Bob Marley - Three Little Birds

Maldita Vecintad - Fut Callejero Pura Diversión


Please leave a quick voicemail with any feedback, corrections, suggestions - or just greetings - HERE. Or comment via Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook.

f you enjoy this podcast and think that what I do fills a gap in soccer coverage that others would be interested in as well, please
Recommend The Assistant Professor of Football. Spreading the word, through word of mouth, truly does help. Leave some rating stars at the podcast platform of your choice. There are so many sports podcasts out there, and only ratings make this project visible; only then can people who look for a different kind of take on European soccer actually find me.
Artwork for The Assistant Professor of Football is by Saige Lind

Instrumental music for this podcast, including the introduction track, is by the artist Ketsa and used under a Creative Commons license through Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/

If you are thinking of dreaming of going to England, seeing a Premier League game, dive into the atmosphere that you see on TV, or even have concrete travel plans already to finally see one game of the club you otherwise follow on TV, then this episode is for you. If you are listening from England, and have followed your club for years and decades, it's for you as well.
Felipe Tobar, originally from Brazil, is a scholar at Clemson University in South Carolina and has written about soccer tourism to England, Premier League related club museums, stadium tours etc. - all the stuff tourists do - as well as overtourism, its effect on local fans, and the danger it could be to the very product that the Premier League is trying to sell. 
We begin by mapping what this tourism is, and how the combination of neoliberal capitalism, international TV and individual club’s initiatives have shaped a billion dollar business around the beautiful game in the Premier League. Then we talk about the negative effects. And then, we tried to give a little bit of advice: how can you go, and be a good tourist while there - what should you know before you go and what should you do and not do when there. The intent is not to bash tourists (almost all of us are, in some way, as we’ll make clear) but chart a more sustainable path forward for the game we all love, and international as well as local fans.

HELPFUL LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE:

Felipe Tobar, website with links to publications (Twitter/X, "Football Studies" on Youtube")

"VisitBritain Discusses the Impact of Soccer on UK Tourism" - interview with a British tourism executive (December 2023)

The Enemy, "We'll Live and Die in These Towns" (music video)


Please leave a quick voicemail with any feedback, corrections, suggestions - or just greetings - HERE. Or comment via Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook.

f you enjoy this podcast and think that what I do fills a gap in soccer coverage that others would be interested in as well, please
Recommend The Assistant Professor of Football. Spreading the word, through word of mouth, truly does help. Leave some rating stars at the podcast platform of your choice. There are so many sports podcasts out there, and only ratings make this project visible; only then can people who look for a different kind of take on European soccer actually find me.
Artwork for The Assistant Professor of Football is by Saige Lind

Instrumental music for this podcast, including the introduction track, is by the artist Ketsa and used under a Creative Commons license through Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/