The Sporting Almanac Podcast

World Cup Series Ep. 3 - FIFA's Corruption

World Cup Series Ep. 3 - FIFA's Corruption FIFA would claim that it is individuals that are corrupt, not the organisation itself. Well, our counter to that would be that an organisation that sets itself up with such a concentration of power amid a sea of wealth, with little oversight and so much money to be made cannot deflect blame when corruption becomes endemic. When Russia and Qatar were awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in late 2010, a domino was pushed over. Rumours of corruption made it to the FBI, and a group of agents - some soccer mad, some veterans of mob takedowns - began to investigate. Today, we discuss how those dominos fell, from Chuck Blazer to Jack Warner to Sepp Blatter himself, and how the house of cards came tumbling down - only to go on under Gianni Infantino with a few cosmetic changes and a promise of more oversight. Criminal organisations always find a way of going on with a new generation, after all.

World Cup Series Ep. 2 - Origin Story

World Cup Series Ep. 2 - Origin Story With the World Cup a little over 24 hours away, we talk about the tournament, its truly terrible format, and about exactly why it is coming home. We also delve into the World Cup and FIFA's origin stories, about Uruguay 1930 and how the tournaments finances have evolved to today - setting us up nicely for the next episode... -------------------------------- Credit: This episode contains music from Fesliyan Studios. Find their huge collection at https://www.fesliyanstudios.com/

World Cup Series Ep. 1 - The England Squad

World Cup Series Ep. 1 - The England Squad With the club season for English teams now done and dusted, we turn our attention for the next two months to the biggest stage of all - the FIFA World Cup. In the first part of our multi-part series, we discuss who we'd have picked for the England squad, our reaction to the selections made and our feelings about where England's strengths and weaknesses lie. In future episodes we'll be covering World Cup history, controversies, shocks and tragedies, as well as - of course - discussing FIFA's sordid recent past and its impact on the game and the tournament as a whole.

The UEFA European Finals

The UEFA European Finals With one extraordinarily happy host in Ben, who has worn nothing but Arsenal shirts since the final whistle blew in Bournemouth last week, we preview the three European finals (even the one that already happened) as he hopes to go from obnoxiously delighted to utterly unbearable with a Gunners win in Budapest. But it's not just about Arsenal, far from it. We talk Europa and Conference League's too, about whether the former has been watered down by the ever growing number of Champions League qualifiers, and whether the latter is a tin pot or a magnificent opportunity for fans of traditionally smaller teams to experience a European run (ok, definitely option 2 on that one). Finally, we go back to our favourite topic - has the Champions League become a closed shop for the giants of the European game, can a Crystal Palace or even arguably an Aston Villa really hope to be able to compete for it year after year, or does state investment, financial "fair play" regulations and unbalanced leagues outside of England make this an unachievable goal, even with sustained success?

The EFL Playoffs

The EFL Playoffs The playoffs. The best, and the worst way to get promoted. A season coming down to one winner takes all match-up. The Championship final, the richest game in football, this year between Southampton and Hull City. Or so we all thought... The unexpected development of a football governing body growing a spine means that it will, pending appeal, be Middlesbrough playing Hull at Wembley. Couple this drama with the 40th anniversary of the playoffs, and these being the final edition played under current format... we picked a pretty good year to talk about this. Alongside this year's drama we talk playoffs of yesteryear, including the best final, the greatest comeback and Troy Deeney's unbeatable moment in 2013. The playoffs deliver drama like no other, though to be fair, it usually just on the pitch.