The Sweeper

• Latvia: The Baltic League grand plan, vanishing champions & a final between friends

  In Part 1, Lee sits down with Virslīga President Maksims Krivunecs in Riga for an inside look at the Latvian football landscape. What is Latvia’s unique claim to fame within the 55 UEFA countries? Why have five of the country’s nine different champions since independence gone out of business? What does the average Virslīga footballer earn per month? And why is he in favour of setting up a Baltic League along with Lithuania and Estonia?In Part 2, Lee returns to the virtual studio to dissect Maksim’s grand plan for a Baltic League and tell Paul all about the live experience at the Latvian Cup final. What format for the Baltic League take and how would the three stages of the competition work? What is the likelihood of it ever happening? Why was the Skonto Stadium in Riga only 14% full for the big match? And what exactly is the strange relationship between Riga FC and Auda FK?*There is NO official proof on paper of an official relationship between Riga FC and Auda FK. Our source regarding their curious connection is Baltic Football News: balticfootballnews.comChapters00:00 – Intro01:10 – The good and bad of Latvian football04:23 – The vanishing champion problem12:11 – Memorable European nights20:05 – The Baltic League grand plan28:08 – Format, strengths & weaknesses37:37 – The 2025 Latvian Cup final47:20 – On The Spot

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• Sweden’s Mjällby miracle, Lithuania’s warm welcome & Ireland’s marathon helicopter

  In Part 1, Lee and Paul reflect on ultimate underdogs Mjällby becoming Swedish champions and the key figures behind their unlikely Allsvenskan triumph. How have sporting director Hasse Larsson and coach Anders Torstensson shown courage in the face of adversity? Why are Mjällby the best-ever team in Swedish history? And why is the village of Hällevik looking for a new postman? And from one first-time champion to another, Titas Teiten of Baltic Football News has the lowdown on new Lithuanian title-winners Kauno Žalgiris. Part 2 continues in Lithuania, where Lee has paid a visit to second-tier champions TransINVEST and their stunning newstadium to ask some key questions. How does a new club based in a village outside Vilnius and owned by a logistics company build a fanbase from scratch? What has the reaction been in the rest of Lithuania? And why is football firmlyin the shadow of basketball in this beautiful Baltic country? To finish off, there are tales of helicopters, heartbreak and heroism in Ireland, Iceland and Kazakhstan respectively. More from Baltic Football NewsRead the Baltic Football News WebsiteListen to the Baltic Football Podcast Chapters00:00 – Intro00:45 – The Mjällby miracle09:37 – Kauno Žalgiris with Baltic Football News 14:08 – A trip to TransINVEST 29:45 – Ireland’s marathon helicopter31:51 – Relegation for cup winners Vestri32:50 – Final-day drama in Kazakhstan34:23 – On The Spot

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• Cape Verde: World Cup qualification, the LinkedIn footballer & donkey deliveries

  In Part 1 of this special episode, Paul is joined by African football expert Ali Howorth live from the Cape Verdean capital of Praia to talk about the country’s historic World Cup qualification. What force of nature helped the islanders get the job done against Eswatini? What were the highlights of the after-party? What role has the Dutch city of Rotterdam played in Cape Verde’s success? And why might the Blue Sharks have more fans than expected at the World Cup? In Part 2, Lee and Paul hear from Cape Verde central defender Roberto Lopes, who explains the story of his international recruitment via LinkedIn, and discuss everything from diaspora to donkeys. Why are there as many Cape Verdeans living overseas as on the islands themselves? Which geographical and demographical records have they broken by qualifying? And how has the Portuguese colonial rule shaped the domestic game today? More from Ali HoworthOn The Whistle Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@otw_podcastSubstack Newsletter: https://alasdairhoworth.substack.com/ Chapters00:00 – Intro01:52 – Ali Howorth live from Praia18:47 – Cape Verde shirt giveaway20:00 – Diaspora and DMs24:07 – Roberto Lopes voice note26:37 – Best international recruitments28:58 – World Cup’s smallest nations35:14 – Domestic football and donkeys

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• OUR GREENLAND ASSIST, San Marino's "pizza bakers" & Paks' power-plant ultras

  In Part 1, Lee tells Paul about his travels to watch pod favourites Greenland and San Marino live during their respective trips to Austria over the international window. How did he impact the course of the Arctic island's match against Slovenia from the sidelines? What insights did he glean from inside the Greenland camp? Why is the legendary Austrian striker Toni Polster so bitter towards San Marino? And what question did Lee ask SM coach Roberto Cevoli at the press conference following his side's double-digit defeat? There's more groundhopping tales to tell in Part 2 – but this time from the club game, because Lee has also been to watch Paks against Ferencváros in a Hungarian top-of-the-table clash in Budapest. What resemblance do Hungary's surprise league leaders bear to Athletic Bilbao of Spain? Why is their ultra group named 'Atomic Strike'? Why did thousands of Ferencváros fans change places in the stands five minutes into the match? And why might we not recommend live football in Hungary to groundhoppers? Support The Sweeper• Join The Sweeper on Patreon• Support The Sweeper on Buy Me A Coffee LinksWatch Greenland's Football Heroes (in German) hereChapters00:00 – Intro00:30 – Greenland: Assists & red cards07:01 – Greenland: Insights from the camp14:27 – San Marino: Double-digit demolition20:23 – San Marino: The press conference25:39 – Paks: The Athletic Bilbao of Hungary29:12 – Football Manager save ideas31:37 – Paks: Robbie Keane's many meltdowns35:00 – Paks: The power plant ultra group

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• Slovakia’s belated EURO triumph, Montserrat’s challenge to India & Crotone’s mafia infiltration

  In Part 1, Lee and Paul investigate why Slovakia have finally been recognised as EURO 1976 winners 49 years later – with the help of a UEFA insider, a Slovak football podcaster and people on the ground in the capital, Bratislava. How is the successor country of a no-longer existing nation like Czechoslovakia determined? What brought about the update on UEFA’s website on 12 September? And what do Slovaks make of the bizarre timing of this decision?In Part 2, the focus switches to the Italian lower leagues. There’s a mafia infiltration at Crotone at Foggia, as various criminal gangs target teams based in the south of Italy. Further north, Ternana appoint the 23-year-old daughter of a billionaire as their new club president. And Italy-based FC Südtirol face WSG Tirol of Austria, the club with only one away fan (sort of), in an intriguing match-up of two teams based in regions that used to be in the same country.#slovakia #euro1976 #uefa #worldfootball #footballpodcast #crotone #ternana #seriec #serieb #italianfootballSign up to FIFA+ for free• This episode is brought to you in association with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: ⁠www.tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper• Send us an email to [email protected] with some information about yourself and your preferences if you want us to handpick you a new FIFA+ football team to support.#MakeItHappen – Montserrat v India friendly• X: https://x.com/SweeperPod/status/1970926209614979083• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DO_v2AMDeq8/Support The Sweeper• Join The Sweeper on Patreon• Support The Sweeper on Buy Me A CoffeeFollow The Sweeper• Twitter: x.com/SweeperPod• Instagram: instagram.com/sweeperpod • Facebook: facebook.com/SweeperPodThe Sweeper team• Hosts: Lee Wingate and Paul Watson• Editor: Ralph FosterChapters00:00 – Intro00:51 – Czechoslovakia's EURO 1976 win05:27 – Football successor nations09:28 – UEFA's recognition for Slovakia14:21 – Reaction from Bratislava25:47 – Montserrat's challenge to India30:04 – Crotona's mafia infiltration35:00 – Atalanta U23s in Serie C south37:47 – Ternana's 23-year-old club president42:17 – Serie C on FIFA+44:04 – Battle of the Italian & Austrian Tyrols46:10 – WSG Tirol's one away supporter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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