Football Today

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Tony Bloom: The Betting Guru Running Brighton Mar 30, 2020

Show notes

In 2010, Brighton and Hove Albion were a small club playing homes games for under 10,000 fans in England's third division. Now the club are playing their third consecutive season in the Premier League, hosting crowds of more than 30,000.

Behind the transformation is owner Tony Bloom. On today's episode, we chart Bloom's rise from professional gambler to Brighton's savior.

Guest:

Andy Naylor (@AndyNaylorBHAFC) covers Brighton and Hove Albion for The Athletic

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Why are the US Women's National Team Suing Their Federation? Mar 27, 2020

Show notes

The US Women’s National Team is one of the most successful football teams in history.

They are also in the unique situation of being one of the few sports franchises in which the women’s team is more successful than the men’s.

Unfortunately, though, this hasn’t been enough to convince the United States Soccer Federation that equality in payment should be guaranteed across both teams.

For over a year now, players on the US Women’s National team have been battling their federation in the law courts in a bid to reach parity with the men.

In this episode, we explore the ins and outs of the US Women’s National Team’s lawsuit against the USSF and ask: how will US soccer come back from this?

Guest:

Kelsey Trainor (@ktrain_11) is an entertainment lawyer and sports writer

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The Weird and Wonderful World of Wikipedia, Part II Mar 25, 2020

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This is part II of a two-episode series on the people who make football Wikipedia. Part I featured Jonny Sharples on how he uses Wikipedia as a tool for humor. In this episode, we speak to Gabriele Anello (@nellosplendor) who tells us why he edits Japanese Wikipedia pages, the process of making the edits, and why his photographs are used for several national team players.

Guest:

Gabriel Anello writes about Japanese football on his blog, J-League Regista, and regularly contributes to Wikipedia.

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The Weird and Wonderful World of Wikipedia, Part I Mar 23, 2020

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The biggest online resource for football fans is Wikipedia, yet the contributors to the platform are largely anonymous. We speak to humorist Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) who is a longtime Wikipedia contributor and prankster. If you have ever been down a Wikipedia 'rabbit hole' this episode is for you.

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Coronavirus and the Business of Football Mar 20, 2020

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In recent months, the Coronavirus has ripped through the world, causing havoc in its wake

Despite its usual immunity to these things, the world of football has proved to be just as susceptible to the virus.

With almost no professional football being played for the foreseeable future, new questions are being raised about the state of the game.

In this episode, we ask: what impact has coronavirus had upon the business of football? And can things ever be the same again?

Guest:

Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) is Area Manager of the USA for TransferMarkt and covers the Bundesliga for Forbes.

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From Hooligan to National Hero: The Serhii Filimonov Story Mar 18, 2020

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Welcome to a special edition of Football Today. We hope everyone listening is safe and taking the necessary precautions against the coronavirus pandemic.

Today, we're joined by author James Montague (@JamesPiotr), who takes us through a chapter from his new book, 1312: Among the Ultras, A Journey With the World's Most Extreme Fans.

In this episode, he tells us the story of Sergei Filimonov a Ukrainian ultra, who went from hooligan to national hero.

Why is Ronaldinho in Prison? Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

A little more than one week ago Brazilian legend Ronaldinho was arrested for entering Paraguay with a fake passport. Now he sits in a Paraguayan prison with his brother to await the outcome of the investigation.

Today we break down the case and look at what Ronaldinho has been up to since he retired.

Guest:

Roberto Rojas (@RobertoRojas97) covers South American football and is a co-host of the Low Limit Futbol podcast.

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Can Data Save Manchester United? Mar 13, 2020

Show notes

If you were to go by last weekend’s result, Manchester United seem to be doing just fine.

However, doing the double over their cross-city rivals is not enough to mask United’s long-term problems since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013.

In a bid to offset the gap that exists between the club and the challengers at the top of the Premier League table, they announced the imminent creation of a data analytics department.

In this episode, we look at the impact that an analytics department could have on Manchester United and assess the broader context of analysis as it exists in the Premier League already.

Guest:

Tom Worville (@Worville) is Football Analytics writer for The Athletic.

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Gio Reyna: The Best 17-Year-Old in the World? Mar 11, 2020

Show notes

Almost everyone in world football knows Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, but the youngest face to grace the European stage for Dortmund this season is Giovanni Reyna. Tonight the trio take on heavyweights PSG for a spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Today, we profile one of the best 17-year-olds in the world, Gio Reyna.

Guest:

Rodrigo Marion is a U-17 coach for New York City FC and former academy director of NYCFC.

Stefan Buczko (@stefanbuczko) is the host of the Yellow Wall podcast.

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How Serie A got Coronvirus So Wrong Mar 09, 2020

Show notes

Italy has been one of the countries most affected by coronavirus. Consequently, football in the country has come under a microscope. Paolo Dal Pino, Lega Serie A president, has flip-flopped on how to respond to the outbreak.

Today, we look back at how Serie A reacted to the outbreak and ask, what can other leagues learn from Serie's management of the virus?

Guest:

Nima Tavallaey covers Italian football for SempreInter.com and the Serie A Show podcast. Follow us:

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