This is the opening segment of our latest bonus podcast, which we make for our Patreon community in the weeks without regular episodes & are now giving you the chance to listen to for a limited time only. If you want to hear the rest of the episode, become a patron at patreon.com/sweeperpod. Enjoy the show! Episode description The latest Sweeper bonus podcast begins with AFCON and a look at Ivory Coast’s remarkable renaissance thanks to a penalty shootout victory over Senegal. Speaking of spot-kicks, we also round up Egypt’s exit at the hands of DR Congo on penalties and hear about the (failed) unusual ritual the Egyptian Football Association attempted in a bid to secure their progress. Then we’re onto the Asian Cup to talk about Tajikistan and their heroic Croatian coach Petar Šegrt, who is affectionately nicknamed ‘Einstein’. Next up we chat about one of the most controversial ties and the story of how Iraq’s tournament was derailed by a bizarre celebration in their defeat to Jordan. Finally in Part 1, there's a mention for Indonesia, who exited at the hands of Australia in their first-ever last 16 match in the Asian Cup. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1 - Ivory Coast's managerial vacancy, Egypt's exit, the Guinea 'derby', Tajikistan's qualification & Iraq's controversial goal celebration (01:07)

The opening segment of this Sweeper episode is all about our first trip of 2024 - to the Portuguese island of Madeira, where we took in the derby between local teams Marítimo and Nacional. We also delve a little bit deeper into the unique football culture on the island with the help of some supporters and try to answer the big question that has been on our minds since the end of last season in Portugal's Primeira Liga: why are there no island clubs in the top flight for the first time since 1984/85? Part 2 is all about the wonderful world of AFCON. First up, Cape Verde’s miraculous start to the tournament comes under the microscope and we speak to defender Roberto Lopes, who was recruited to play for the nation via LinkedIn. There are other unlikely recruits at AFCON for Tanzania, who have five non-league UK players whose stories we explore. We also chat about Tanzania’s mid-tournament coach sacking and the near-disaster that took place on the Gambia's flight to the host nation. Finally, in Part 3, the conversation turns to Ivan Perisic’s €1-a-month contract at his boyhood club Hajduk Split and other bizarre football contract clauses. We then look at the trials and tribulations of Charlie Pomroy, the British coach of Cambodian crisis club Angkor City FC who had a weekend to forget. The pod is then rounded off with a look at the world’s most southerly game of football between HMS Protector and research staff at Rothera in Antarctica. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1: The Funchal derby, the absence of island clubs from Portugal's top flight & Madeiran football culture (00:43) Part 2: Stories from AFCON: Cape Verde's LinkedIn recruit, Tanzanian turbulence & Gambia's near disaster (16:49) Part 3: Ivan Perisic's €1 wages, the Cambodian club in crisis and the world's southernmost football match (36:51)

The first Sweeper episode of 2024 kicks off with some Azerbaijan anecdotes in Part 1. We discuss Adrian Mutu’s harsh sacking and some tasty treats from Turan Tovuz. From Mutu we switch to another ex-Premier League player in Pascal Chimbonda and his antics in charge of ninth-tier English side Skelmersdale. Finally, we talk about the Vatican City where registration is open for the league season in the world’s smallest country - but not just anyone can take part. In Part 2 we go remote and delve into the story of Nauru’s newly launched Football Association trying to bring the beautiful game to one of the last countries on Earth without a football team. Relative neighbours, Federated States of Micronesia are trying to fund a match in 2024 by selling football shirts and we explain how you can get hold of one and how some lucky Sweeper patrons can win one. We then stay remote as we look at Anders Hofman, the star of Project Iceman who completed an Ironman-style triathlon in Antarctica, and his next crazy quest to try and play for Denmark at the 2026 World Cup. Part 3 is all about cup competitions. We investigate the new Livonian League - a pre-season winter tournament for teams from Latvia and Estonia. Then we look at how underdogs have fared in the Copa del Rey, Coupe de France and FA Cup, plus we hear the greatest herring-related football story of all time. You can download the Momento app for free on iOS or Android via the link below and follow us @SweeperPod: ⁠acmomento.onelink.me/ckkf/SweeperPod RUNNING ORDER: Part 1: Cakes and coach sackings in Azerbaijan, the English club both top and bottom & the Vatican's player requirements (00:43) Part 2: Football's final frontier in Nauru and Micronesia & the Iceman of Antarctica targeting World Cup 2026 (18:28) Part 3: The Livonian League, Arandina's shirt request, herring-based goal bonuses in France & our trip to Madeira (36:21)

The final Sweeper episode of 2023 starts off with a look at continental competitions across the world in Part 1. We talk about the CONCACAF Champions Cup with its incredible away trips and interesting array of clubs – from Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami to Robinhood of Suriname, who have won a Caribbean double this year – and the AFC Champions League, where Ventforet Kofu of Japan have sensationally become the first second-division club to ever reach the knockout stages. Part 2 kicks off with a chat about Welsh club Pontypridd United’s unprecedented 141-point deduction and the heaviest punishments in football history, before taking a look at Ajax’s historic elimination from the KNVB Cup at the hands of fourth-tier amateurs Hercules. Finally, we finish off the segment by talking about the biggest cupsets we have seen personally – Bristol City for Paul & FC Vaduz for Lee – and our brilliant sponsor Momento. You can download the Momento app for free via the link below and follow us @SweeperPod. It’s all about winter weather in Part 3. The first item on the agenda is Greenland’s traditional New Year’s Eve football match, which is played in temperatures of -15 degrees, followed by the unique story of FC Santa Claus, the Christmas-themed club based in Lapland whose motto is ‘Don’t stop believing’. Finally, there’s yet another mention for Sicilians Trapani and a thank-you message from the team to all the lovely listeners and patrons who have joined the Sweeper party since we relaunched the podcast in early 2023. Download Momento for free on iOS and Android: ⁠acmomento.onelink.me/ckkf/SweeperPod RUNNING ORDER: Part 1: The CONCACAF Champions Cup, Robinhood’s Caribbean double & Ventforet Kofu’s run to the knockouts (00:40) Part 2: Pontypridd United’s 141-point deduction, a Herculean effort against Ajax & our biggest cupsets (17:29) Part 3: Greenland’s New Year’s Eve football match, the Christmas-themed club in Lapland & some windy weather in Sicily (36:07)

Download Momento: acmomento.onelink.me/ckkf/SweeperPod Once we found out that the draw for the Belgian Cup quarter-finals was conducted using a former footballer and an arcade claw machine, there was nowhere else we were going to start this episode. But domestic cup competitions across Europe have produced plenty of other notable stories over the past fortnight too, including another Bundesliga scalp for third-tier Saarbrücken in the DFB-Pokal, Copa del Rey elimination at the hands of fourth-division sides for Almería and Cadíz, and some unlikely Coupe de France victories for Caribbean clubs. And there’s also some love for our brand-new sponsor Momento to round off Part 1. Part 2 begins in Costa Rica, where the women’s team claimed an unlikely 19-0 victory over St. Kitts & Nevis to beat Haiti to qualification for the Gold Cup, before moving onto Monday night’s controversial incident in Türkiye, where a brutal assault on referee Halil Umut Meler by the Ankaragücü president Faruk Koca has led to all football in the country being suspended indefinitely. We then turn our attentions to Saudi Arabia, where an unfortunate defender gave away one of the weirdest penalties you will ever see when he tried to high-five his goalkeeper but ended up touching the ball instead. Finally, in Part 3, we discuss a team in Turkmenistan that won the league but probably shouldn’t have and a Brazilian club that probably should have won the championship but did not. That’s right: it’s the stories of Arkadag, the team newly founded by former dictator Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov that have won the title without dropping a point in their debut season, and Botafogo, who have completed one of the most spectacular bottle jobs in football history to throw away what would have been their first Serie A title since 1995. There’s also a mention for Pele, our Patreon and some of the stupidest Guinness world records in existence.   RUNNING ORDER: Part 1: The Croky Cup arcade claw draw, Rod Stewart’s legendary Scottish Cup cameo and Caribbean success stories in the Coupe de France (00:48) Part 2: Goals galore for the Costa Rican women, a Turkish football meltdown in the Süper Lig and the weirdest penalty of all time in Saudi Arabia (17:18) Part 3: The brand-new club from a brand-new city, Turkmenistan’s bizarre world records and Botafogo’s spectacular bottle job (35:18) The Croky Cup arcade claw draw: www.youtube.com/live/KAbc8zn_BqI?si=gDtsalyNRrnpSkUR John Oliver on Turkmenistan: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9QYu8LtH2E&t=1088s

With overseas territories from all over the world taking part, the Coupe de France is one of the world’s most intriguing domestic football competitions. But who funds it? How do they decide who plays home and away? And could an overseas side play in a UEFA competition if they won the tournament. In Part 1, co-hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson answer all the key questions about the French Cup and reflect on their recent journey to the sleepy rural town of Saint-Mesmin to watch sixth-tier Saint-Méziéry play host to Tahitian cup winners AS Pirae in the seventh round of the tournament. Next up in Part 2: the world’s most isolated clubs! There’s a mention for Rapa Nui FC of Easter Island, who hosted the mighty Colo Colo in a 2009 Chilean Cup clash, Khabarovsk, who travel around 100,000km per season to fulfil their away fixtures in the Russian second tier, and Perth Glory, who cut an isolated figure in the Australian A-League. That’s followed by the remarkable story of Papua New Guinea’s exit from the Pacific Games and a look back at some other harsh tournament eliminations, including the coin toss at EURO 1968 and the madness of the 1994 Caribbean Cup, where goals briefly counted double! In the third and final segment, it’s time for a round-up of the remaining stories. Erling Haaland paid for 200 fans of his first club, Bryne, to travel to Kristiansand for a play-off match, only for the Start groundsman to fail to turn on the undersoil heating and the game to be cancelled. There’s cucumber throwing and so much more besides at the Mascot Olympics in Spain, which was won by Valencia’s representative Amunt the Bat. And finally, two Tiktokers have bought and relocated Latvian second-division club Leevon Saldus with the aim of getting them promoted to the Virslīga. We hope you enjoy the show! *Correction: AS Pirae qualified for the 2023/24 Coupe de France by winning the Coupe de Polynésie. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1: The magic & madness of the Coupe de France and our trip to watch Saint Méziéry vs. AS Pirae of Tahiti in the seventh round (00:47) Part 2: The world's most isolated clubs and Papua New Guinea's incredibly harsh elimination from the Pacific Games (22:27) Part 3: The undersoil heating fiasco in Norway, the Mascot Olympics in Spain & the Latvian club bought by Tiktokers (44:12)

The Nordic nations served up tension, drama and excitement in abundance at the weekend as several titles were decided by the narrowest of margins. The Swedish men’s and women’s titles came down to goal difference, as did a bonkers goal-laden battle for promotion in the Norwegian third tier. That got co-hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson racking their brains about the closest title races in history in Part 1, with England, Azerbaijan and Austria all getting a mention. As do Sexy Pants, who have unfortunately been relegated in Finland! There is a venture outside of Europe in Part 2 as Paul talks in-depth about the Te Runga Games, a quadrennial sports competition held in Kiribati – one of the most remote places in the world. There’s also a word for Afghanistan, whose new coach Ashley Westwood faces a full-scale rebellion before the World Cup qualifier against Qatar, and Eritrea, who have pulled out of the tournament entirely because the country’s authoritarian regime deems the players to be a flight risk. And finally there’s a listener email from Ian, who was treated like a royal on a football trip to Tajikistan. It is back to Europe in Part 3 as Lee pays a visit to Austrian club Blau-Weiss Linz, whose former player Raphael Dwamena sadly passed away after collapsing during a match in Albania on Saturday. That story is followed by the news of the penalty shootout that took place in North Ireland between Coleraine and Ballymena, and is the third-longest in football history. To finish off, we talk about our upcoming trip to Paris to watch Tahitian champions AS Pirae take on sixth-tier Saint Meziery in the Coupe de France at the weekend. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1: Frantic finales in the Nordic nations, the closest title races of all time & a roundup of the remaining Scandinavian football headlines (00:44) Part 2: The Te Runga Games in Kiribati, Eritrea’s withdrawal from World Cup qualification and Ashley Westwood’s mutiny in Afghanistan (17:48) Part 3: Completing the Austrian Bundesliga’s 12 stadia, the third-longest penalty shootout ever & a preview of our Coupe de France trip (35:36)

KÍ Klaksvík have been the European football story of the season since they became the first club from the Faroe Islands to reach the group stages of a UEFA competition. But they didn’t stop there and have since followed up a draw at home to 2021 Ligue 1 winners Lille with a famous victory over Olimpija Ljubljana. Daniel Storey, the chief football writer at the i and a regular panelist on The Totally Football Show, was in the Faroes to witness the historic moment and joins us in Part 1 to tell us about his trip and reflect on the KÍ Klaksvík miracle. Part 2 kicks off with a chat about domestic cups across the continent: Balzers have an all-Vaduz cup run in Liechtenstein, Jeanfield Swifts record the biggest Scottish Cup win for a non-league team since 1896, Trencin are knocked out of the Slovak Cup by a fifth-division team and seventh-tier Deportivo Murcia are preparing for their Copa del Rey tie with La Liga side Alaves. The segment concludes with Lee telling Paul all about his trip to Czechia at the weekend to watch the team that recently lost 9-5 and re-living the awful birthday he spent at a concrete factory in Ostrava. The third and final segment of the podcast is dedicated to some stories beyond Europe’s borders: a Tongan team has completed a perfect season with two 62-year-olds in their ranks, a 27-year-old former bricklayer has led an Ecuadorian team from the third division to the top flight and two fans of Thai second-division side Suphanburi FC recently made the 850km journey to Krabi to watch their team play. Last but not least, we read out some e-mails from listeners who have tuned into the pod from multiple different countries around the world. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1 - The KÍ Klaksvík miracle & the rise of Faroese football with Daniel Storey (00:39) Part 2 - Quirks and cupsets, a trip to Czechia to see the team that lost 9-5 & a terrible birthday surprise (24:39) Part 3 - A perfect season in Tonga, two away fans in Thailand & a 27-year-old coach in Ecuador (42:04)

With another week packed full of international action in Europe, Asia and beyond, plus a selection of splendid club football stories and some superb listener emails, co-hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson once again had plenty of niche football talking points to dig their teeth into on the latest episode of the Sweeper Podcast. And that was before San Marino sent Football Twitter into meltdown by scoring their first competitive goal in more than two years against 18th-ranked Denmark, forcing the pod team to do an emergency 'The world's worst team just scored a goal!' segment to insert at the start of the show. The early Asian World Cup qualifying action is the starting point in Part 2. Paul tells us all about Guam, the first country to be eliminated from 2026 World Cup qualifying, Curtis Davies’ unlikely debut for Sierra Leone at the ripe old age of 38 and Otis Khan’s struggles to prove his Pakistani heritage to the powers-that-be. Lee then chips in with some headlines from the European continent, including the Polish squad getting stuck in the Faroe Islands, some bizarre records set by Georgia and Croatia, and Thailand’s improbable stop at McDonald's on their journey to Estonia. It's all about club football in Part 3 and there was only one place to start: Norway, where YMCA club and waffle impostors KFUM are on the cusp of an historic promotion to the Eliteserien, the country’s top flight. That’s followed by a chat about Deportivo Murcia, the first seventh-tier club to win a Copa del Rey tie in the competition’s 120-year history and also a contender for the unwanted prize of the worst badge in football. Plus, we read out some lovely listener emails sent from far-flung countries and territories across the globe, such as Hong Kong, Gibraltar and Myanmar. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1 - Emergency 'San Marino scored a goal' section (00:48) Part 2 - Full international round-up: First World Cup eliminations, Afghanistan's coaching chaos & Thailand's trip to McDonald's (10:14) Part 3 - Club stories & emails: The Norwegian YMCA fairytale, Deportivo Murcia's Copa del Rey magic & messages from far-flung lands (33:47)

The Sweeper crew have been going viral on social media recently. Paul Watson proposed a World Cup for the 32 worst-ranked countries in the world on Twitter – and it turns out a lot of people want to see it! Paul explains in Part 1 how it might work and who might win it, before the discussion turns to Pakistan and which countries might be the first to be eliminated from 2026 World Cup qualifying. In Part 2, fellow host Lee Wingate talks about his recent travels across Austria – first as the pitchside English-language stadium announcer mere metres away from Jürgen Klopp at the LASK-Liverpool Europa League match and then at the hotly anticipated cup clash between Red Bull Salzburg and Austria Salzburg, the team they bought in a controversial takeover 18 years ago. Finally, in Part 3, the team round up the remaining stories from across Europe. There’s an intriguing derby in Spanish North Africa as the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla go head-to-head, while a 45-year-old Slovakian keeper faces his son in the final match of his career. There’s also a word for second-tier Lithuanian cup winners Transinvest and a brilliant micro-nation-related email from a listener. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1 - The 'Worst World Cup', San Marino's chances, Zealand's simulations & a word on Pakistan (00:38) Part 2 - Travels in Austria: Life as a Europa League stadium announcer and the crunch cup tie in Salzburg (22:18) Part 3 - The enclave derby in Spanish North Africa & the Slovakian father and son in opposite goals (37:16)

Sweeper co-hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson have (quite literally) gone to the ends of the earth for this episode, Part 1 of which kicks off with a trip to Antarctica - where a Belgian-backed micronation has launched its own football team to mark its 15th anniversary - and continues with a look at the representative from St. Pierre & Miquelon that travelled 4,000km to the French mainland to play a cup tie. The unique away day theme continues in Part 2 as we look at quirky geographical features that some fans have to navigate to get to away games: there's an undersea roundabout in the Faroe Islands, a bridge that bypasses Bosnia on the Adriatic Coast and a Swiss stadium that requires two cable cars to reach. We then talk about the La Liga squad that missed their flight and read some more of your e-mails about former footballers who have gone into politics. It's all about stupid stories in Part 3. The annual Costa Rican mascot race ends in victory for Lula the cow - or is it Gary? - and a wealthy businessman pays £17,500 for his 22-year-old son to get 10 minutes of game time in the Czech third tier. Finally, Paul recaps a memorable bonus podcast and we look ahead to some exciting stories from Wales and the USA for next time. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1 - The Antarctic micronation with a football team & island time in the Coupe de France (00:50) Part 2 - Unusual European away days, missed flights in La Liga & former footballers who have gone into politics (17:03) Part 3 - The epic Costa Rican mascot race & the Czech father who paid big money for his son to play (31:52) The Costa Rican mascot race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-uUWC-_RVI

It's time for another episode of The Sweeper with co-hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson, who has penned the first chapter of his sequel to the hit book 'Up Pohnpei' - all about his adventures in Micronesian football. We talk all about it in Part 1 of this episode, before discussing the Indonesian team travelling in a tank and the Slovenian club president scoring goals in a desperate situation. Part 2 starts off with a couple of stories from Sweden: lower-league Torns IF have discovered a loophole in the offside rule, while AIK supporters are telling police where to hit them with batons. Ladders (but no snakes) are being thrown around in France, while an Austrian club president is making headlines for handing out cash to quench fans' thirst - at a game Lee attended live. Finally, in Part 3, we expand our focus to cover the whole continent: there's a preview of the European group stages and the biggest away days faced by the 96 teams in question, plus a look ahead to the international break and the chances Kazakhstan, Luxembourg and Moldova have of making it to EURO 2024. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1: The sequel to 'Up Pohnpei', the Indonesian team travelling in a tank & the Slovenian club president scoring goals (00:46) Part 2: Offside rule loopholes and baton-wielding police in Sweden, snakes and ladders in France & drinks for the fans in Austria (17:01) Part 3: The biggest away days in the European group phase & a look ahead to the international fixtures (32:18) VIDEO: The loophole to the offside rule discovered by Torns IF: https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2023/aug/30/swedish-third-tier-team-torns-if-find-offside-rule-loophole-video

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)

Who needs the European group stages? It's clearly all about the qualifying rounds - and with a major milestone for the Faroe Islands, notable results for Andorra and Malta, and a number of other captivating storylines across the continent, there's plenty for co-hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson to get stuck into on this episode of The Sweeper. In Part 1, Lee & Paul start off by talking (once again) about team of the moment KÍ Klaksvík and another headline from the Nordic nations: the Icelandic youngster whose hat-trick knocked his father out of the Champions League. Then there's a crazy game in Kosovo with 23 minutes of added time, a landmark for Santa Coloma of Andorra & a look at the eight countries that have never had a group-stage representative. Then, in Part 2, we turn our attentions to the state of limbo facing the Afghanistan women's team, the curious case of a raccoon that fell through a US press box ceiling, the Greenlandic team missing the Championship to go on a reindeer hunt and an Austrian derby that has been 18 years in the making as Austria Salzburg are drawn against Red Bull Salzburg - the club that bought them out back in 2005. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1 - The European qualifying rounds: Faroese magic, father-son battles & stoppage time madness (00:44) Part 2 - The Afghan women's team, Greenlandic reindeer hunts, raccoons in the US press box and a spicy Salzburg derby (18:40)

The Sweeper crew have been to Liechtenstein and San Marino in recent months – but the 26,000km round-trip to Micronesia was by far our biggest off-the-beaten-track football adventure. Having now overcome the jetlag, Paul has the full story on the Pacific nation’s first-ever futsal tournament and its newly assembled Football Association. Part 1 sees us reflect on Paul’s past in Micronesia as the world's youngest international football coach, the Twitter DM from Kenny that changed everything, the tournament format, the lost suitcase of futsal shoes, Kosrae’s controversial path to the final, Yap’s victory, the trophy flown in from Guam, an emergency wood carving and much more besides. Then, in Part 2, we talk about the establishment of an FA, the constitution that Paul wrote on the plane, the importance of futsal to Micronesia’s football strategy and whether the AFC or the OFC offers the likeliest route to membership in a FIFA Confederation. Lastly, we chat about the upcoming sequel to Paul’s popular book “Up Pohnpei” and where you can read it. Finally, in Part 3, it’s time for our usual European football round-up. Faroese side KÍ Klaksvík pull off a huge shock in the Champions League qualifiers, Glentoran and Gżira United play out the highest-scoring penalty shootout in UEFA history, there’s a night to remember for Andorra and two Crimean clubs are incorporated into the Russian football pyramid. RUNNING ORDER: Part 1 – The first-ever Micronesian futsal tournament: the Twitter DM that changed everything, Kosrae’s controversial path to the final & Yap’s victory (00:45) Part 2 – The first-ever Micronesian futsal tournament: the establishment of an FA, routes to membership in a FIFA Confederation & the sequel to “Up Pohnpei” (20:23) Part 3 – The European football round-up: KÍ Klaksvík’s UCL upset, the highest-scoring shootout in UEFA history & the contested fate of two Crimean clubs (33:48)

You might think there's not much going on in the football world at the height of summer - but there are in fact plenty of talking points to be explored by Sweeper co-hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson, who is recording the pod ahead of his mammoth 60-hour, 13,229km journey from London to Micronesia to watch the nation's first-ever futsal tournament. Part 1 is dedicated to our very favourite part of the European football calendar: the qualifying rounds for the UEFA club competitions. We discuss the biggest away days, the first-time participants, the clubs from outside the top flight involved and a chance encounter with the Borac Banja Luka director at a Balkan wedding. The next segment looks ahead to the latest edition of the biennial Island Games, which will see islands ranging from Greenland (the largest in the world) to St. Helena (one of the most remote on the planet & the place Napoleon was exiled to) compete in a football tournament held on the Channel Island of Guernsey this July. Last up, we show some love for the summer leagues: the only two top-flight clubs in Europe based in the Arctic Circle are dominating Norway's Eliteserien, KÍ Klaksvík are chasing the almost-impossible feat of a perfect season and there's an update on the punishments handed out to the Belarusian trio that were involved in match-fixing. RUNNING ORDER: PART 1 - The European club competition qualifying rounds: debutants, lower-league clubs, banned teams, away days & a Balkan wedding (00:44) PART 2 - The Island Games in Guernsey: the history, the participants, the frontrunners, the sponsor and the future of the tournament (16:19) PART 3 - Summer leagues: Arctic Circle superiority in Norway, a potential perfect season in the Faroes & the aftermath of the Belarusian betting scandal (28:53)

The club season might be over in 42 UEFA countries, but co-hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson have plenty of stand-out international headlines to work their way through on the latest episode of The Sweeper, which was edited by Tom Middler. The first segment of the pod is dedicated to Lee's trip to see San Marino, who extended their unwanted world-record winless run to 130 games against Kazakhstan in Parma - despite giving a pretty impressive account of themselves in the first half. The next segment covers the other major talking points from the international period, including Moldova's stunning comeback win against Poland, Luxembourg's first back-to-back EURO qualifying victories since 1995 & a series of stunning records set by Andorran legend Ildefons Lima. Next up is our main story for this episode, the treble achieved by OPBG in the Vatican, before we turn our attentions to the man on Interpol's wanted list who submitted takeover bids in Belgium and St. Kitts & Nevis' qualification for the Gold Cup. There's also an honourable mention for Father Ted, Craig Bellamy and the Eurovision Song Contest. RUNNING ORDER PART 1 - Lee's visit to Parma to see San Marino & the Kazakh fan that travelled 5,000km only to be denied entry (00:44) PART 2 - The big headlines from the international period: Moldova's success, Luxembourg's upturn & Ildefons Lima's records (17:46) PART 3 - A Vatican treble for the Children's Hospice, a suspicious takeover attempt or four in Belgium & St. Kitts & Nevis at the Gold Cup (32:37)

Lee Wingate and Paul Watson return with some more tales of football off the beaten track, including some live experiences on opposite sides of the globe, a quirky football geography segment and some of their favourite other stories from across the European continent. Lee kicks off the first segment with the remarkable story of Austrian club GAK, whose meteoric rise from the eighth to the first tier in the space of a decade was ruined in the last second by Mario Balotelli's haircut twin, before Paul previews his trip to Micronesia to watch the nation's first futsal tournament and discusses his feelings about spending 60 hours on a plane. Next up is the geography section: the extraordinary tale of a Mongolian footballer & Man Utd fan who is cycling from his yurt in Ulaanbaatar to Old Trafford, the new contenders for the biggest away days in top-flight European football and the closest stadiums to an international land border across the continent's top 20 leagues. The two co-hosts then take on another challenge from Surprise Shirts to see if they can identify a mystery football jersey. In the final section, Paul & Lee discuss an Ajaccio player’s embarrassing end to an away trip to Lens, Polish side Ruch Chorzow’s unique rollercoaster ride since 2017 and an exciting new (and young) addition to the 15-team league in San Marino. RUNNING ORDER: PART 1 - Lee's visit to Dornbirn for the promotion party that went wrong & Paul's preview of Micronesia's first-ever futsal tournament (00:40) PART 2 - Football geography: intercontinental bike rides, the biggest top-flight away days next season & border football stadiums (15:36); the Surprise Shirts mystery jersey guessing game (29:37) PART 3 - The best of the rest: Ajaccio in France, Ruch Chorzów in Poland & San Marino Academy in...San Marino (34:16)

Pod duo Lee Wingate and Paul Watson are back with another carefully curated batch of weird and wonderful stories from across the football world, with Tom Middler returning to the virtual studio to produce the episode. Lee reflects on his trip to Liechtenstein’s Cup Final - where FC Vaduz unsurprisingly win a world-record 49th domestic cup - and his subsequent 50km hike through the hills to see all seven football stadiums in the micro-state in the space of 24 hours. Promotions and relegations are on the agenda next: there is a premature pitch invasion or two in Germany, a mistimed open-top bus parade in Luxembourg, a calamitous stadium inauguration in Romania and a European berth for Arsenal – the one in Montenegro, of course! That is followed by a look at Europe’s biggest top-flight away day in Kazakhstan, a disastrous own goal in Lithuania and an amusing misspelling in the British Virgin Islands. The team then conclude by revealing more details about their upcoming Patreon launch. RUNNING ORDER: PART 1 – Lee’s lookback at the Liechtenstein Cup Final & his misjudged micro-state stadium hike (00:47) PART 2 – Bizarre tales of promotions & relegations: Germany, Luxembourg, Romania & Montenegro (14:28) PART 3 – Away days, own goals & misspellings: Kazakhstan, Lithuania & the British Virgin Islands (36:33)

Co-hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson return to the virtual studio on their opposite sides of the Channel for another audio journey around the world of football in the space of 45 minutes, with extended Sweeper family member Tom Middler returning as producer. The football season may be winding down but that means it’s cup final time across the continent. Lee is preparing to travel to see the showpiece event in Liechtenstein between Balzers & Vaduz and hike to every stadium in the country the following day. The domestic cup round-up does not stop there, as the team talk about the second-tier outfit in the Luxembourg cup final, the first seventh-tier side to qualify for the Copa del Rey in 120 years & the pitch-invading toddler in Finland – the land of epic club names. Paul tells the story of North Macedonia’s record champions resorting to Crowdfunder, in a segment that also covers the three Belarusian sides involved in a match-fixing scandal and the club in San Marino holding try-outs for players. And finally, there are some feel-good stories: a 49-year-old goalkeeping coach keeps a clean sheet in the Faroes, Kecskemét are Europe’s best promoted club, an Italian coach calls his mum in a pitchside interview and Belenenses equal a world promotion record. RUNNING ORDER: PART 1 – Lee’s trip to Liechtenstein to attend the cup final (00:43); lower-league cup stories in Luxembourg, Spain and Finland (10:07) PART 2 – Clubs in a spot of bother: North Macedonia, Belarus and San Marino (17:44) PART 3 – Feel-good stories: the Faroe Islands, Hungary, Italy and Portugal (32:46)

With the majority of the European seasons nearing a conclusion and the 12 summer leagues now up and running, there is plenty for hosts Lee Wingate & Paul Watson to sink their teeth into on the latest edition of The Sweeper. Having revealed his tentative plans to become a sporting director at a sixth-division Italian club, Paul is reminded of his claim that he could beat Man Utd defender Axel Tuanzebe's Guinness World Record for clearing a Hungry Hippos board in 17.36 seconds & is challenged by Lee to a quiz about unlikely world records held by football players. The remainder of the opening segment is dedicated to the Iberian peninsula, with a chat about the former pub team that won Gibraltar's Rock Cup followed by a look at the Spanish side that have lost every game for 11 years and conceded over 4,000 goals in the process. Part two delves deeper into off-the-pitch matters such as Viktor Orbán's financial backing for football clubs outside of Hungary, Fortuna Düsseldorf's free ticket pilot project and the Brazilian club that have named themselves after now-disbanded Ukrainian outfit Mariupol. Last but not least, the team metaphorically sprint around the continent rounding up all the premature title-winners, champions-elect, unlikely promotion contenders and surprise relegations, before revealing their plans for the show over the summer. RUNNING ORDER: PART 1 - Paul's plans to become an Italian club's sporting director & the Guinness World Record quiz (00:42); stories from the Iberian peninsula (06:39); Surprise Shirts read-out (13:30) PART 2 - Off the pitch stories: soft power in Hungary, free tickets in Germany, an away crowd of one in South Korea & a renamed club in Brazil (15:58) PART 3 - A round-up of all the champions, promotion battles and relegation dogfights across Europe (30:48)

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)

The Sweeper crew return to review and reflect upon the standout stories from across the 55 UEFA countries & beyond in late March and early April. Paul looks back on his memorable trips to Alderney and San Marino, who are on some of the longest winless streaks in world football, while Lee waxes lyrical about Kazakhstan and shares two notable stories from Gibraltar. There's an excellent April Fool's Day joke by the Norwegian FA, a look at the wacky world of Welsh football, some contenders for the worst club of the season in Italy and St. Kitts & Nevis, and a duo of Dutch pitch invaders. Last but not least, we introduce our new sponsor Surprise Shirts and review some of the stand-out promotion contenders across Europe - including Russian exclave club Baltika Kaliningrad, recently turned pros Queen's Park of Scotland and Northern Irish village team Loughgall. RUNNING ORDER: PART 1 - International round-up: Alderney, San Marino, Sint Maarten, Kazakhstan & Gibraltar (00:53) PART 2 - April Fool's jokes, savage scorelines & Dutch pitch invaders (18:54) PART 3 - An introduction to Surprise Shirts (30:35); standout promotion contenders across Europe (33:53)

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)

Hosts Lee Wingate and Paul Watson round up all the quirky, random and bizarre news and stories from across the 55 UEFA countries and beyond in the second half of February. Unperturbed by the foiled coup in their country, Sheriff Tiraspol become the first Moldovan club to reach the last 16 of a European competition, while Lech Poznań end a 32-year wait for Poland, Belgian clubs enjoy some penalty shootout success and there is a truly horrendous own goal in Denmark. Sion are in the spotlight after their 56th manager of the century is placed on gardening leave, Zdeněk Zeman returns to the coaching fold at Pescara and Luxembourg's league leaders are locked in a fierce dispute with the FA & UEFA over a potential BeNeLux league. Then there's a scandal in Somalia, an amazing achievement for Haiti's women, all the latest from the domestic cups in Sweden & Argentina, and a round-up of the Oceania Champions League preliminaries. RUNNING ORDER:  PART 1 - Europa League & Europa Conference League chat (01:14) PART 2 - Coaching chaos across the continent (10:56) PART 3 - Global round-up: Africa, Central & South America in focus (26:19)

More of the European football stories you won't hear elsewhere from the first half of February - but this time there's a twist: The Sweeper goes global for the first time. Hosts Lee and Paul Watson discuss their most memorable football experiences in Enfield and Győr respectively, before switching the focus to the tragic earthquake in Türkiye and its impact on the Süper Lig. Japan legend Kazu Miura rocks up at second-tier Oliveirense in Portugal aged 55 - but is he the oldest professional player currently active in Europe? Meanwhile, prisoners are allowed out to catch a Romanian top-flight match and a sponsor steps in in Belgium to prevent a controversial coaching appointment. Domestic cups are reaching crunch time across Europe - and there are updates from Northern Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands and England, including another story involving fish football mascots! Last but not least, there is a first-ever venture to other continents with the net cast as far as Argentina in the south-west to Hong Kong in the north-east, with stops off in Liberia and the British Virgin Islands on the way. RUNNING ORDER: PART 1 - Memorable live football experiences (01:35); the impact of the earthquake in Türkiye on the Süper Lig (08:52) PART 2 - Weird and wacky stories from across Europe (15:09) PART 3 - Cup chaos across the continent (24:04) PART 4 - The Sweeper goes global (35:09)

After 18 months in the podcast wilderness, The Sweeper is back - with the new-look team of Lee Wingate and Paul Watson getting their teeth stuck straight into the quirkiest stories European football has to offer. The first Solomon Islander to ever sign a professional contract in Europe pens a deal in Bosnia, while a club president in Malta contemplates resignation in order to register himself as a player. Cosmos go from bottom last season to top of the pile this term in San Marino - but what's been their secret? Meanwhile, Swift Hesperange of Luxembourg are Europe's only unbeaten side, and there is news from the lower reaches of the French and Italian top flights too. Across the domestic cups, Israel's Maccabi Netanya remarkably win a trophy without scoring a goal, second-tier Pas de la Casa make waves in the Andorran Cup and Barcelona's Copa del Rey opponents Ceuta get a new mascot: 'Caballati' the mackerel. RUNNING ORDER: PART 1 - Introduction to the new hosts and our first stories (00:50) PART 2 - The leagues making headlines across UEFA (14:38) PART 3 - Cup runs, triumphs & geopolitics (29:30)

Lee talks to Matt Walker about five more of the countries on his spectacular continental football journey. This time Lithuania, Latvia, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan are up for discussion; including stories of a taxi ride with a former international, some Kim Jong-Un masks on show in Ireland, and a serious chat about whether the Baltic leagues might fold.

The Sweeper is back after a short EURO break!  Lee & Tom talk about the tournament just gone, before pushing the boundaries of UEFA's leagues with a virtual visit to Greenland where we spoke to FA boss Finn Meinel, as well as prominent coach Tekle Ghebrelul.  We then called in Richard D Pike (@RichDPike89) to discuss the brand new UEFA Europa Conference League, how it all works, and how it could affect European football going forward.

The next monthly dose of our series with Matt Walker, who talks to Lee Wingate about his mission to watch a football match in all 55 UEFA countries within one season. On the agenda this time are countries 6-10: Finland, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Russia & Belarus. For more on Matt’s travels, check out his book “EUROPE UNITED”, which is OUT NOW!

The Sweeper podcast returns with another monthly dose of drama from Europe's 55 most lovable leagues! This month we have an abundance of late season stories with heroes and villains, surprise squad inclusions, and of course our main features; the astounding EURO triumphs of Denmark & Greece, and the Bulgarian champions who just keep on winning! Hosted by Lee Wingate & Tom Middler, featuring interviews with George Tsitsonis, Sebastian Stanbury and Metodi Shumanov.

Tales from Georgia, the Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden and Iceland... Matt Walker, the man who saw a game in every one of Europe's 55 top leagues in one single season, speaks to The Sweeper with some extraordinary stories from 5 of those 55 nations. For more, read his book "EUROPE UNITED" which is OUT NOW!