Religion and Football: Rangers and Celtic

'Govern Both Heart and Mind': Brazil and Playing Like Gringos

Michael Chandler in his epic poem to the now homeward-bound England team wrote, '... those who govern both heart and mind, leave fear and doubt far behind.' Anybody who has watched the Brazilian national team lately will plainly see the fear and doubt they have in their own capacity to win. We have the answer: it's in their religion. Jack, clearly unbiased in any way, shape or form, takes us through the growing Protestant evangelicalism that is sweeping through Brazil. Not only is this pushing many towards the political right, towards Bolsonaro, it's also pushing them further away from what's right on the pitch. There have always been outstanding individual players in Brazilian squads, but they've never seemed more fractured than now. Gone are the days of Ronaldinho and Il Fenomeno, the legendary R9. It seems clear that these Brazilians need to get back in the pub, back on the dancefloor, back to what the Institute for Hispano Studies called '[their] sacred joy'. Just like Financial Fair Play, we here at FFP have designed this podcast to be educational. Whether it works is a different matter entirely.

You're Shit (and You Know You Are): Football's Twelfth Man

In today's episode Jack and I discuss one of the most interesting and unique things to the game of football: its chants. There's a whole lot in here about the philosophy of insults - why do so many of us chant horrendous things (I've previously admitted to some anti-Huddersfield Town chants in past episodes...) to people just like us? Listen to this episode and You'll Never Walk Alone, you won't want to go home (as you'll want to drink all the beer), and you'll be on your way... on your way... From Vietnamese Hell's Angels and the Saints not being SCUM to Arthur Fery's Wimbledon heroics, we take you on a meandering path - we hope you enjoy! Just like Financial Fair Play, we here at FFP have designed this podcast to be educational. Whether it works is a different matter entirely.

White Wolves and Japanese Fairies: The Creation of the International Game

We're still struggling with World Cup fever! In this episode, Jack and I discuss creation myths. There's loads of them and some of them are absolutely bonkers. It's lovely stuff. However, the birth of the beautiful game in faraway lands is sometimes even weirder. Why did the Japanese shout "oooh!" every time they kicked a ball? Why are the mighty Saints to blame for the five World Cups won by Brazil (hint, it's got nothing to do with binoculars or trees)? And why, oh why, did the Egyptians want to beat the English so badly? Okay... you can probably guess the last one. In today's episode we take you through some of the earliest accounts of football around the world - and explain why Messi should be able to beat up Ronaldo. Just like Financial Fair Play, we here at FFP have designed this podcast to be educational. Whether it works is a different matter entirely.

The Haunting of Hill...Dickinson? Derrida and the Spectre of Football's Past

In this week's (late, I know - we're sorry) episode, Jack and I discuss the enigmatic philosopher Jacques Derrida as we hastily retreat back from any possibly pending FIFA lawsuits. Derrida, or as we like to now call him, Toto, pulls back the curtain of time to discuss how the past constantly haunts us. Football might just be the most haunted sport of all: think about Best and Beckham's number 7 (forever haunting Beckham now considering his daughter's name); think about England's singular star on their white shirt; reflect on that absolute sitter your team's star striker spooned into the corner flag... The past never really leaves us, it's always right there along with the present. Football's hard enough to predict with the past forever obscuring our vision of the present, let alone when we add in Derrida's understanding of ' the event', a totally unpredictable thing that defers its meaning (we'll only really know players by the legacy they leave behind), disturbs binaries (transcends the game - I'm looking at you Bobby Zamora), and reshapes the match (look no further than Wazza's bicycle shinner vs City). Overall, Derrida's philosophy shows us the sheer chaos of our wonderful game - which has never been more on show than it is in the States right now. The greatest show on earth! Just like Financial Fair Play, we here at FFP have designed this podcast to be educational. Whether it works is a different matter entirely.

Does Absolute Power Corrupt Absolutely? America and FIFA

In this episode Jack and I discuss corruption, plain and simple.Is a cryo chamber elite recovery or just posh cheating? This week, we tackle the murky line between gamesmanship and outright rule-breaking, from the days when lifting weights was “ungentlemanly” to the small matter of FIFA, World Cups, and suitcases full of suspicious cash. We sprint through Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Montesquieu to ask: who decides what counts as cheating, and why does it always seem to involve billion-dollar tournaments in America? Expect corruption, classic philosophy, and a few absurd detours as we try (and probably fail) to play fair. Next week: Derrida - bring a dictionary! Just like Financial Fair Play, we here at FFP have designed this podcast to be educational. Whether it works is a different matter entirely.