The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

In the latest instalment of The Sweeper, studio sidekicks Lee Wingate and Paul Watson cast the net far and wide to round up all the niche global football action in the first half of March.

Paul reflects on his time as the world's youngest international manager (sort of) and the dormant plans to bring his remote adventure to the big screen, while Lee tries to get to grips with Europe's most bizarre league format in Moldova.

There's a comical touchline moment in Serie B, a historical hiding in Holland, an amazing accomplishment for Violette of Haiti and some superb sh*thousery in the fourth round of the Norwegian cup.

With two leagues already concluded, there's also some chat about the champions in Gibraltar and Malta, plus a review of all the clubs across Europe on course to claim their first-ever top-flight title.

RUNNING ORDER:

PART 1 - The world's youngest international manager & the Micro Cup (01:14)

PART 2 - Weird, wacky & wonderful across the world (14:56)

PART 3 - Premature champions & tantalising title races (34:24)

Fresh from his trip to San Marino, Paul reflects on the attempt by FIFA’s lowest ranked country to break a 20-year winless streak against Saint Kitts & Nevis, before Lee rounds up the other international news - from the Basque Country's draw with Uruguay to the 'End of the Alphabet Derby - and Producer Tom chips in with a live report as Austria break an all-time record.

After the break, we hop on over to the USA to hear about New York City vs. Toronto at Yankee Stadium - there are few fixtures that could have been more Sweeper than two clubs from different countries meeting in a league match at a baseball stadium - and dissect some of the madness of the US Open Cup, including burrito-based heroics and a rare case of lacrosse stopping play.

To hear the bonus segment of this podcast with the ex-Shanghai Shenhua president banging in goals in the Chinese cup aged 58, arguably the most disastrous debut in football history and the Channel Island of Alderney trying to break their 104-year losing run, join us over at patreon.com/sweeperpod.

RUNNING ORDER

00:00 - Intro

01:05 - San Marino's double-header with St. Kitts

15:17 - International round-up

16:39 - The fastest-ever international goal

21:39 - New York City FC vs. Toronto FC

29:47 - US Open Cup madness

33:20 - Patreon episode teaser

Ellis Platten's Away Days video in San Marino: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56buY8H9Bd0&t=445s&ab_channel=AwayDays

Hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson return to the virtual studio for another episode of The Sweeper - the show that goes further and wider than any other football podcast out there.

Beer is the recurring theme in the opening segment, where Paul tells the story of the Polish referees that allegedly got drunk on a flight to Greece & Lee laughs at the Croatian coach who made his players train at 1 in the morning after getting home from an away game.

We then have a brief chat with Louis Jones from our sponsor Surprise Shirts, before embarking upon a whistlestop tour of the globe that sees us cover headlines from Bhutan, Pakistan, Tunisia, Australia and China.

In the final segment, we talk about some of the very best and worst-performing teams in the entire world this season - from the Outer Hebridean side with a wonky pitch that won 16-1 at the weekend to the Greek team that kept having their points deductions overturned.

RUNNING ORDER:

PART 1 - Lee's upcoming trip to San Marino (00:52); European round-up: Netherlands, Poland, Greece, Croatia & Wales (04:10)

PART 2 - A chat with Louis Jones from Surprise Shirts (15:36); global football round-up: Bhutan, Pakistan, Tunisia, Australia, China (19:43)

PART 3 - A look at the very best & worst teams in the world this season (29:55)

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

Located at the intersection of Europe and North America, Greenland boasts the unique selling point of having the shortest season in world football - at one week long. The first part of the latest episode of 'The Sweeper' sees presenter Lee Wingate talk all about the 2023 Greenlandic Football Championship with co-host Paul Watson, who reflects on his own journey to Nuuk seven summers ago.

Part 2 kicks off with a shout-out for KÍ Klaksvík & Zrinjski Mostar, the first-ever clubs from the Faroe Islands and Bosnia & Herzegovina to reach a European group phase. We talk about the KÍ player selling frozen pizzas, the prize money that comes with qualification and also speak about Raków's insane rise from the Polish third division to the brink of the Champions League in the space of a few years.

Finally, in Part 3, it's time for some silly refereeing stories, starting in Latvia with the drunk refs whose dodgy decisions saw them breathalysed by police and finishing with the Fred Perry polo shirt-wearing fan who stepped in to run the line in Portsmouth's match against Cheltenham. There's also a look at the revolt against Samuel Eto'o in Cameroon & a plug for our brilliant bonus episodes.

RUNNING ORDER:

Part 1: The 2023 Greenlandic Football Championship & our own visit to watch the world's shortest football season (00:44)

Part 2: A first for the Faroes and Bosnia & Herzegovina, plus the remarkable rise of Raków to the brink of Europe's top table (15:25)

Part 3: Drunk Latvian refs, the stand-in linesman wearing gold boots & a revolt against Samuel Eto'o in Cameroon (30:42)