The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

Part 1 is devoted to the UEFA club competition qualifying rounds. There’s penalty pandemonium in Poland and theNetherlands, an amazing achievement for Armenians Noah and a trio of clubs on the verge of becoming the first representatives from Andorra, Northern Ireland & Wales to reach a continental group. There’s also a word for the biggest and shortest European away days of the summer, football’s huge carbon footprint and two clubs with close links to the political leaders of their countries: Puskás Akadémia of Hungary & Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih of Ukraine.In Part 2, we turn our attentions to continental competitions in Africa, Asia & the Caribbean. We hear about Djiboutian club Arta Solar 7 in the CAF Champions League preliminaries and their takeover by a solar power company, find out whether Paul Watson will abscond to the Maldives to take charge of AFC Challenge League participants Maziya and learn why Haitian club America des Cayes did not turn up in Curacao for the CFU Caribbean Shield. There are also shirt giveaways for Village Superstars of St. Kitts & Nevis & the Chagos Islands national team.As per usual, you can join us for our next bonus episode if you don’t want to wait until Wednesday 4 September for another pod. That episode will be out on Wednesday 28 August and will take in some stories from the Nordic nations, including a collapsed goal and a blow torch in Iceland, an island club triumphing in the Danish Cup and the Swedish club with the most youth teams in Europe. We will also be sharing our own personal football bucket lists and telling you about an upcoming Q&A session for patrons on our Discord server.RUNNING ORDER:00:00 – Intro00:51 – UEFA qualifiers: Penalty pandemonium07:32 – UEFA qualifiers: History-making hopefuls11:11 – UEFA qualifiers: Epic away days15:51 – UEFA qualifiers: Supportive statesmen21:02 – San Marino & Nauru competition winners22:38 – Africa: The space and weapons derbies30:34 – Asia: Coaching vacancy in the Maldives36:48 – Caribbean: America des Cayes' no-show39:35 – St. Kitts & Nevis and Chagos Islands giveawaysJoin Sangalo's mailing list at the bottom of the homepage to enter the Village Superstars shirt competition: www.sangalo.com.Get yourself a Surprise Shirts mystery box at www.surpriseshirts.co.uk.

In Part 1, we bring you all the top stories from around the football world: Maikeli Lomu, an American with Tongan heritage, has sold his pottery studio in Utah and relocated to his ancestral homeland in pursuit of a World Cup dream. The 2024 edition of the Greenlandic Football Championship – the shortest season in world football at one week – is taking place on Disko Island off the west coast. And the FA Cup preliminary rounds are serving up some great stories, including the earliest goals in the history of the world’s oldest club competition. Then in Part 2 we turn our attentions to the men’s and women’s football tournaments at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris: the chaos and controversy between Argentina & Morocco, Canada’s spying scandal, the 6-5 thriller between Australia & Zambia, and the Malawian footballer-sprinter racing the 100 metres. There is also a selection of great listener emails, a competition to accompany the Sweeper team to San Marino vs. Liechtenstein in the UEFA Nations League and a giveaway for a limited-edition Nauru national team shirt. If you don’t want to hang on until Wednesday 21 August for another dose of world football goodness, then sign up to our Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod to get the bonus episodes. In the episode set for release on Wednesday 14 August, we talk about Japan legend Keisuke Honda’s one-match contract with Paro FC of Bhutan, Kuwaiti club Kazma’s phantom pre-season friendly, Libertad de Pirayu of Paraguay's trophy that disappeared from an open-top bus parade and Partick Thistle’s failed substitution due to accidentally cropped team sheet. RUNNING ORDER 00:00 - Intro 00:32 - The Football Cliches Quiz 02:01 - Tongan World Cup dreams 07:18 - The FA Cup preliminary rounds 13:25 - Disko Island in Greenland 18:53 - San Marino & Nauru competitions 24:24 - Olympics: Opening game outrage 28:45 - Olympics: Drone debacles 32:06 - Olympics: Goals galore 36:28 - Olympics: Sprinting strikers 38:51 - Listener emails Editor: Ralph Foster

In Part 1, we round up all the latest highlights from the UEFA club competition qualifying rounds. We talk about two villages of under 1,000 people in the Faroes & San Marino that claimed big European wins, the Slovenian keeper that went on a René Higuita-style dribble against Connah’s Quay Nomads of Wales and FC Copenhagen’s upcoming trip to face ‘pub team’ Bruno’s Magpies at a stadium overlooking the African coastline. That is followed in Part 2 by an announcement about a change to the podcast, which will return to its previously fortnightly rhythm. We then round off the episode by talking about the ‘Pariah Derby’ between the North Korean and Russian women’s teams and turn our attentions to pre-season friendlies: the pitch invaders at Rapid Vienna vs. AC Milan, Augsburg’s immigration disaster and a playground-style switch in Heilbronn. If you don’t want to wait until Wednesday 7 August for our next podcast, then join us on Patreon for our bonus podcasts. In the episode on Wednesday 31 July, we will examine the intriguing back stories of three promoted clubs from Eastern Europe, take a look at the Coupe de France action in St. Pierre & Miquelon and discuss the upcoming Milne Cup between Orkney & the Shetland Islands in Scotland. You can sign up at patreon.com/SweeperPod. RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Victorious villages 04:52 - 27th time lucky for La Fiorita 11:38 - The NK Bravo keeper on the run 13:41 - Icelandic accumulator threats 15:19 - Pub team with a view of Africa 21:31 - Podcast frequency announcement 23:52 - North Korea's 'Pariah Derby' 29:22 - Rapid vs. Milan & pre-season friendlies Video of the NK Bravo goalkeeper on a run: x.com/FootballBurp/status/1814063958224978365 Editor: Ralph Foster

Part 1 is dedicated to the best part of the European football calendar: the UEFA club competition qualifying rounds. We chat about the Gibraltarian pub team that claimed a win in the Conference League, the victorious Polish and Romanian teams in the Europa League and the part-timers from the Faroe Islands excelling in the Champions League. In Part 2, we bring you a random mix of stories from across the football world: Paul has been offered a coaching job on a mystery island in the South Pacific, Thimphu City of Bhutan have come up with a great initiative to protect the white-bellied heron and The Sweeper has sponsored a football team for the first time at the Icarus Cup in the USA. Join us for Part 3 over on Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod to hear about the Brazilian policeman who fired a rubber bullet at a goalkeeper, an Anguillan side that allows their supporters a top-flight run-out and the Icelandic footballer presented with a bottle of champagne by a Fantasy Football Winner. RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - EURO 2024 disappointment 02:44 - Second-tier Corvinul's quirky situation 09:39 - UEFA win for pub team Bruno's Magpies 13:10 - San Marino, Wales & the Faroe Islands 19:38 - A mystery island coaching job for Paul 23:46 - Thimphu City's white-bellied heron initiative 30:50 - The first Sweeper-sponsored football team Buy your Sweeper-sponsored football shirt from the Icarus Cup: https://icarusfc.com/products/malmo?_pos=1&_psq=malmo&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Part 1 is dedicated to the overachieving underdogs at the continental competitions taking place this summer: Canada at the Copa América, Vanuatu at the OFC Nations Cup and Georgia at the EUROs. Meanwhile, in Part 2, there is a rare move to a European club for an Eritrean player and an ex-Gibraltar international is jailed for drug dealing. Join us for Part 3 at patreon.com/SweeperPod as we round up some headlines from the home nations and bring you some spectacular transfer fails too. RUNNING ORDER: Intro - 00:00 Canada at the Copa América - 00:59 Vanuatu at the OFC Nations Cup - 07:58 Georgia at the EUROs - 14:36 Listener mails - 20:30 A rare Eritrean transfer to Europe - 24:02 Ex-Gibraltar international jailed - 28:13

With the UEFA club competition qualifying rounds getting under way this week, it’s time for a full Sweeper preview of the action in Part 1 – in the form of a trivia quiz, of course! Join us and play along in our three rounds – Multiple Choice, Odd One Out & The Right Order – as we look ahead to the Champions, Europa & Conference League qualifiers: the debutants, the second-tier teams, the geographical extremes, the funny back stories and much more besides. And there’s plenty at stake, with Lee and Paul competing for a coveted prize.   We’re off to the Pacific in Part 2 to look ahead to the Marshall Islands’ long-awaited international debut at the end of July. But where will the match take place? Who will the opponents be? And why is the landmark fixture taking place on a futsal court rather than a football pitch? Finally, we discuss a match between Germans Erzgebirge Aue and Glenavon of Northern Ireland that should have taken place in 1960. So what’s the reason for the 64-year delay? Why is it taking place now? And what other unlikely fan friendships exist in the football world?   Join for our patron-only Part 3 at patreon.com/SweeperPod for a deeper dive into two little-known international football competitions that are taking place at the moment: the UEFA Regions Cup and the Europeada. There’s also an alternative look at the transfer window, including Rosario Central’s offer of an armoured car to Angel di María, a lower-league Spanish side signing Zidane and Ronaldo – but not those ones – and Kazu Miura’s loan move to Atletico Suzuka in his homeland at the age of 57. RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 - Intro 00:41 - UEFA qualifier quiz: Multiple choice 08:53 - UEFA qualifier quiz: Odd one out 17:17 - UEFA qualifier quiz: The right order 22:46 - Marshall Islands' international debut 28:36 - A delayed Cold War friendly

Part 1 kicks off with some stories from around the football world. Why were the Solomon Islands locked out of their dressing room at the OFC Nations Cup? How come New Caledonia dramatically pulled out of the tournament? What are the most remote football tournaments in the world in terms of the distance to the closest inhabited land? And which footballer has recently established himself on the over-45s tennis circuit in South America?   We’re back to Europe for Part 2. Which Spanish fallen giant recently gained a dramatic promotion and celebrated with their supporters at the terminal building of the local airport? We’re joined by Matt Harrison of the Guiricast Podcast to find out more. What are the standout ties of the Champions League first qualifying round? And how did Bodø/Glimt manage to send scouts to check out the wrong Latvian opponent?   Join us for the patron-only Part 3 at patreon.com/SweeperPod as we take our listeners behind the scenes for the first time and explain how we make the podcast. Where do we find our stories? What is the process for deciding which ones make the cut and deserve inclusion in the episode? How do we keep tabs on everything that is happening around the world? And what happens when we have a “bad pod day”? RUNNING ORDER 00:00 - Intro 00:42 - Chaos at the OFC Nations Cup 09:46 - Rescue missions on Saint Helena 16:47 - Diego Forlán's tennis transition 22:29 - Malaga's promotion madness 28:40 - European fallen giants 31:46 - The UCL first qualifying round 34:57 - Bodø/Glimt scout wrong Latvian opponent

The European Championships are in full swing not only on the pitch but off it too. In Part 1, we pick out three themes from the opening stages of the tournament in Germany that have made us laugh: food wars, culture craziness & online polls/searches. Tune in to find out which country at EURO 2024 has the best national dish, who is empirically speaking the sexiest of the 24 head coaches, why Niklas Füllkrug has the best ‘Personal life’ section on Wikipedia and why Ralf Rangnick has taken the Austria squad to a Rod Stewart concert in Berlin.   The focus is on club football in Part 2, with three amazing stories from Portugal, Japan and Iceland. Why could a Santa Clara player’s tattoo to commemorate winning the Portuguese second division prove to be premature? How has a university team managed to pull off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the Emperor’s Cup in Japan? And will lower-league Icelandic club FC Reynir, who are based at the foot of a volcano, get the home cup tie they have been dreaming of for 30 years?   For Part 3 and some international football headlines from three other continents, join us over on Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod. Why is 16-year-old Bolivian wonderkid Moisés Paniagua unable to travel to the Copa America in the United States? What emotional moment of unity took place at the world’s newest international football derby between Sudan and South Sudan? And why has Singapore’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Hassan Sunny had to beg Chinese football fans to stop sending him money?   RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 – Intro 00:40 – EURO 2024 – Christmas for adults 03:40 – EURO 2024 culture craziness 07:02 – EURO 2024 food wars 11:15 – EURO 2024 online polls & searches 15:57 – Guest podcast appearances 17:52 – A tattoo mishap in Portugal 22:01 – A university upset in Japan 27:29 – An Icelandic village dream 34:53 – Listener emails   Podcast guest appearances: Lee on The Totally Show: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6npASOQ1BZPvYYFpnb4ssE Paul on Guardian Football Weekly: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2uu1QCQC1vH2ISK8euq8kj Lee on The Window: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4tPj0TvQ5NQfN6CcQPDOCA Paul on World of CONCACAF: https://open.spotify.com/episode/24hiIr0iqUW7MSEKGnY5ol

EURO 2024 is just around the corner and we have put the tournament under the spotlight in typically Sweeper style in Part 1. How did Austria’s Maximilian Entrup go from a third-tier amateur/PE teacher to a place at EURO 2024 in the space of a year? Does Georgia’s Budu Zivzivadze harbour any regrets about choosing football over chess? Who is the only player at the tournament currently on the books of a third-tier European club? And where does Latvia’s 0-0 draw with Germany in 2004 rank among the all-time biggest EURO shocks? Part 2 is dedicated to the rest of the international football news. Was San Marino’s recent friendly against Slovakia at a stadium with a water slide behind the main stand in Austria's ugliest town our most random live game to date? Why have FIFA ruled that AFCON top scorer Emilio Nsue has actually been ineligible to play for Equatorial Guinea over the past 11 years? And why did everyone think that Syria had beaten North Korea 1-0 when it was actually the other way around? You can join us for Part 3 over on Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod as we reflect on some international news from the Caribbean and a selection of other stories. What did the Cayman Islands players fear they might lose ahead of their recent World Cup qualifying trip to Cuba? Why did Bonaire contest a recent friendly against a ninth-tier team from the Netherlands? And why has Spanish goalkeeper Miguel Guerreiro given up on his Only Fans dream and made a return to football with Velez in the fourth tier? RUNNING ORDER 00:00 – Intro 01:05 – EURO 2024 alternative career paths 09:28 – EURO 2024 players outside the top tier 14:17 – EURO 2024 underdogs & outsiders 21:20 – Mystery shirt guessing game 24:36 – San Marino’s water slide away day 33:46 – Emilio Nsue’s Equatoguinean ineligibility 39:02 – North Korea’s secret Syria score

Part 1 contains an international round-up of European minnows inside and outside of UEFA. In which version of football has Gibraltar become a European champion? Why has Corsica recently hosted their counterparts from Sardinia, Sicily & St. Martin? Will we watch San Marino vs. Slovakia from the top of a water slide? And which football stadium straddles an EU/non-EU border? Up next in Part 2 are a series of records and achievements from across the football world. What remarkable feat did Attack Energy Herat accomplish en route to winning the Afghan Super League? Why did a goalkeeper recently take three penalties in Israel? And is Turkmenistan's dictator partly responsible for the longest winning run in football history? Join us for Part 3 on Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod as we look at Pas de la Casa's run to the Andorran Cup final without winning a game, hear about the world's ugliest building in the Kosovan capital Pristina, play a UEFA Conference League-themed game of 'Pointless' and discuss the collapse of a goal frame in the USA. RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 - Intro 01:10 - Gibraltar's walking football triumph 06:20 - The return of the Corsica Cup 15:03 - San Marino vs. Slovakia & quirky football grounds 21:54 - Attack Energy Herat's perfect Afghan season 24:56 - A 22nd consecutive Bosnian title for SFK 2000 26:54 - The longest penalty shootout ever in Israel 29:06 - Ascent Soccer U21s' remarkable feat in Malawi 32:36 - 47 straight wins for Arkadag in Turkmenistan VIDEO: The annual All-Priests Over 75s Five-a-Side Football Challenge Match from Father Ted: https://bit.ly/FatherTedVideo VIDEO: The longest penalty shootout in football history in Israel: https://bit.ly/IsraelPenaltyShootoutVideo

Part 1 brings you a full round-up of all the news from the Benelux countries. What controversial actions recently earned a Dutch referee a lifelong ban from football? Why are two storied Belgian clubs facing an existential threat? And what strange series of events could lead to European football being played on a Luxembourgish campsite this summer? Next up in Part 2 is a round-up of all the action from the rest of Europe. How have Sturm Graz finally managed to dethrone Red Bull Salzburg and does it mark a turning point for Austrian football? How did a marriage proposal mentally unsettle a goalkeeper in the Albanian Cup final? And why have Finnish club SJK Seinäjoki started giving away free sausages to fans? Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod for Part 3 to find out how Baltika have managed to reach the Russian Cup final despite already being eliminated, why Poland wins our award for the most unpredictable country in Europe in the 2023/24 season and how a raccoon managed to evade capture for 161 seconds in a recent MLS fixture. RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 - Intro 00:58 - The Dutch referee who celebrated 10:00 - The two Belgian clubs on the brink 15:08 - Surprises and campsites in Luxembourg 20:40 - Party time for Sturm Graz in Austria 33:11 - Egnatia's Albanian double bid & a proposal 38:02 - Free sausages at SJK Seinäjoki in Finland

Part 1 of the latest Sweeper sees Lee & Paul profile three clubs from around the football world: Italians Como, Australia’s Central Coast Mariners & Petrocub of Moldova. Join us to find out where Italy’s richest club might be playing their Serie A home games next term, why the Central Coast Mariners have flown 100,000km in economy class this season and how a Ghanaian takeover has propelled Petrocub to Super Liga success. In Part 2, the team swap the serious journalism for a selection of silly stories. Why did a Dinamo Bucharest player refuse to show the club his driving license? What outlandish claim did the Lion City Sailors social media admin recently make on Twitter? Why has an untimely toilet break in the Swedish fifth tier prompted furious calls for a replay? And what led a club doctor in Brazil to take over the coaching reins at half-time in a recent game? The bonus segment includes Lee’s desperate attempt to zoom across Austria on Sunday morning in the hope of seeing Sturm Graz lift the Bundesliga, a story from Paul about an unusual Italian football auction & the tale of the Vatican team docked points for guarding the Pope. You can join us for that and plenty more benefits besides at patreon.com/SweeperPod. Your support is appreciated and all proceeds are reinvested into the podcast. RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 - Intro 01:05 - Como's meteoric rise 07:15 - Central Coast Mariners' Asian odyssey 13:40 - Petrocub's first-ever title 20:06 - Romania's twin identity saga 23:45 - A social media slip-up in Singapore 26:57 - Sweden's controversial 'toilet goal' 30:24 - Brazil's club doctor turned head coach 32:43 - The Thimphu City competition draw

Is this the best-ever Sweeper line-up? In Part 1, Lee & Paul discuss stories from the lower tiers in Spain, Germany & the Netherlands. How has a team from a Spanish village of 100 people gained promotion? What are the smallest European settlements with a football team? Why did a German footballer hire a plane for a derby on a neighbouring island? And how can the longest journey in Dutch football be between two towns that are 4km apart?   Part 2 contains more stories from across the European continent. What mistake did a Dutch stadium announcer recently make to cause a pitch invasion? Which second-tier club might we see in European competition next season? Why did a Polish football fan hike 100 kilometres to meet a goalkeeper who scored on April Fool’s Day? And why do Oslo-based YMCA club KFUM Kameratene have to go across a Zebra crossing to reach their pitch? If you want scintillating stories from other continents, join us on Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod as we travel to Argentina, Canada & the Philippines. Why has an Argentinian football coach spent 24 years living at club headquarters? Is Canada’s Frostbite Cup really the coldest competition in world football? And why has the Philippines allowed non-professional teams to compete with pro clubs in its top flight? RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 - Intro 01:03 - Subiza's rise to Spanish fourth tier 03:51 - Smallest football towns in Europe 06:17 - The island derby in East Frisia 09:59 - The island derby in West Frisia 14:00 - The sorry plight of Vitesse Arnhem 17:57 - The Roda JC stadium announcer 20:45 - Second-tier Wisła Kraków's cup win 24:57 - A 100km hike to meet scoring keeper 26:49 - The goal-kick that took out a seagull 28:08 - Cringe rap & Zebra crossings in Oslo

Having just visited Malta and witnessed an historic weekend of football, Lee tells Paul all about the key events in Europe’s only island micro-state in Part 1. Who came out on top in the title-decider between Ħamrun Spartans & Floriana? Why do Valletta hold a funeral parade through the streets when they win the league? How has the island reacted to the capital club’s first relegation? And what is it like to accidentally get caught up in a bus parade? Part 2 is dedicated to three big stories on three different continents: Africa, Europe & South America. Two teams think they have won the Republic Youth League in Egypt – but why? Who was allegedly behind the poisoning of Sochi’s players before their recent game against Akhmat Grozny in Russia? And what unique tribute did Brazilians Cariri pay to their owner after gaining promotion to the Campeanato Cearense Série A last week? Tune in to The Sweeper to find out the answers – and join us on Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod for a bonus segment as we answer some big questions from across Europe. Which is the only top-30 UEFA nation to have rejected VAR? What was the unlikely resting place for a shot in the third tier of French football? And did a former Port Vale player really get a pilot’s license just to mock his old club’s relegation? RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 - Intro 00:51 - Ħamrun Spartans vs. Floriana live 10:05 - Promoted Melita's bus parade 11:34 - Valletta’s first-ever relegation 15:31 - Football on Gozo & Comino 20:11 - Title confusion in Egypt’s Youth League 29:27 - An alleged poisoning in Chechnya 34:22 - A funeral home tribute in Brazil

Part 1 is all about Africa, where a kit controversy has escalated into a geopolitical dispute between Algeria & Morocco ahead of the CAF Confederations Cup semi-final between USM Alger & RS Berkane. Elsewhere on the continent, Rising FC from Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean have made the long voyage to mainland Mauritius to take part in the cup, winning their last-32 tie! It's back to Europe - or at least, UEFA - in Part 2 as Paul & Lee discuss the 'Isolation Derby' between SKA Khabarovsk & Yenisay Krasnoyarsk in the Russian second division and look at some of the lower-league clubs on track for cup success - including Transylvanian outfit Corvinul, who have made it to next month's final against Oțelul Galați with an all-Romanian squad. On the bonus segment, there's talk of Harry Redknapp & Romario returning from retirement, a look at some goal-laden games in the ninth tiers of Italian and English football & the story of a Polish goalkeeper presented with a Zimmer frame as a birthday present by his Portuguese club. To listen to that, simply join us over at patreon.com/sweeperpod. RUNNING ORDER: 00:00 - Intro 00:59 - Algerian airport anger 09:12 - Russ Cook's Africa run 10:52 - From Rodrigues Island to Mauritius 18:32 - The 'Isolation Derby' in Russia 21:12 - The Niue Island listener 23:11 - Corvinul & other second-tier cup runs 30:10 - Champions League fallen giants