The Sweeper - A World Football Podcast

Football fans have produced some remarkable tifos over the years – but surely none can rival Osnabrück’s moving rollercoaster for their DFB-Pokal tie with Bayern Munich?!

The second-tier German club’s ultras came up with the viral sensation to illustrate what a rollercoaster ride it has recently been to support the club, which has endured three promotions and two relegations since 2019.

But how did they actually put such an elaborate choreography together? Did it make a difference in their cup clash against Germany’s record champions? And where does it sit among the pantheon of the greatest football tifos?

Plus, Turkish team Mersin İdman Yurdu’s 14-year nightmare is over and Lee visits an Austrian stadium built on the rooftop of a furniture store. A goalkeeper finds the net not just once but twice in the Netherlands. And Kyrgyzstan’s spectacular yurt-themed stadium has opened in style with the World Nomad Games, a goat carcass, and an unlikely singing guest.

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for Monday’s bumper bonus podcast featuring tales such as the Kenyan dispute that has delayed the start to the season and the renegade Italian club wearing an illegal kit that the authorities have not yet spotted.

Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
01:00 – Osnabrück’s rollercoaster tifo
05:28 – Mersin İdman Yurdu’s 14-year transfer ban
10:55 – Goalkeeper bags a brace in the Netherlands
13:40 – Blau-Weiß Linz’s furniture store stadium
16:58 – Kyrgyzstan’s yurt stadium opening

There are plenty of tough places to go for a CAF Champions League away game this season. But few can rival the harsh climes of the desert, where Algerian club JS Saoura are from.

The Eagles, who are based in Béchar – a city often referred to as “the gateway to the Sahara”, finished as runners-up in the Ligue Professionelle 1 last season and sealed their spot in the qualifying rounds of the CAF Champions League.

So how did a club from this Saharan outpost ascend to Algeria’s top table in record time? Just how difficult is it for their domestic rivals who travel 3,000 kilometres to the desert? And what are their chances against Horoya of Guinea in the first round?

Plus, Mauritian upstarts La Cure Waves prepare for their first game on the African mainland, Lesotho’s Lijabatho FC come up with a curious funeral scheme for their fans and Burkinabe club Rahimo FC’s bus company business model proves a hit.

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for Monday’s bumper bonus podcast featuring tales such as the Kenyan dispute that has delayed the start to the season and the renegade Italian club wearing an illegal kit that the authorities have not yet spotted.

Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
01:17 – JS Saoura: The gateway to the desert
04:31 – La Cure Waves: The holiday island upstarts
09:40 – The countries not in the Champions League
13:35 – Patreon plug for Monday’s episode
14:58 – Lijabatho FC: The funeral schemers
18:35 – Rahimo FC: The wholesome bus boys

There are some simply sensational stories to be told about the 108 league phase participants in the three UEFA club competitions this season.

For example, it’s not every day that a ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ contestant uses their winnings to become a football manager in England, starts out in the ninth tier and eventually guides a nine-year-old Azerbaijani club into the UEFA Champions League!

So how much did Lithuanian tactician Valdas Dambrauskas win to kickstart his managerial career? How has he taken Sabah to a first league title and the pinnacle of European club football in just one year? And why do the club from Maksimir play in pink?

Plus, second-tier Portuguese side Torreense prepare for a Europa League campaign in cyclone-hit Leiria, Inter Club d’Escaldes achieve an historic milestone for Andorra and Greek islanders OFI Crete complete a remarkable rebound from administration.

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for Thursday’s round-up of all the best domestic cup stories across Europe – including the Slovak tie between two clubs with the same president – plus a preview of the returning Palestinian league.

Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
01:10 – Sabah: The quiz show contestant
12:23 – Inter d’Escaldes: The micro-state trailblazers
21:43 – Torreense: The second-tier cup winners
26:40 – Jagiellonia Białystok: The winning Wi-Fi password
29:39 – OFI Crete: The revived islanders
33:45 – Yaya Touré, Viking, Hearts: The best of the rest

There’s totally dominating a league – and then there’s Johor Darul Ta’zim! The Malaysians have won the last 12 Super Leagues, the joint-longest active title-winning run in world football.

But JDT are currently in the limelight for a different reason: they have set a new record for the longest league unbeaten streak in football history at 109 games, surpassing the run of Ivorian club ASEC Mimosas between 1989 and 1994.

So how did they become such an all-conquering force? Why have they drawn scrutiny and criticism for their methods? And are they the world's most dominant team at national level?

Plus, Krieschow (with 560 inhabitants) becomes the smallest village to ever host a match in Germany’s DFB-Pokal, and UEFA reportedly talk to CONCACAF about joining forces on a new Nations League as the backlash against FIFA continues.

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for a Korean student’s real-life game of Football Manager in Malawi, a former tennis star playing in Austria’s lower leagues and an Albanian club owner literally throwing the cash around.

Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:50 – JDT’s 109 games unbeaten
04:40 – Royal rescue and scrutiny
09:43 – Domestic records worldwide
13:12 – Performance at AFC level
18:22 – The DFB-Pokal’s smallest village
26:10 – The UECACAF Nations League

Mexico broke ranks with the rest of CONCACAF over Gianni Infantino’s botched plans to sell off stakes in the World Cup. Now there are reports the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has hatched a secret deal with the FIFA President to help them join CONMEBOL.

The FMF has a long history in South American football. El Tri have played in the Copa America as guests 11 times, while its clubs have featured in the Copa Libertadores – even reaching the final three times. But a confederation switch would be another matter entirely.

So why would the FMF want to join South America’s governing body? What would be the pros and cons of leaving CONCACAF and moving down south? And which countries have set a precedent by trading one confederation for another in the past?

Plus, Malawi’s women make history by reaching the AFCON final – despite being the lowest-ranked country in the entire competition. And Ireland prepares for the launch of its brand-new third division: the FAI National League.

Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod for a full report from the Super Cup final between PSG and Aston Villa in Salzburg, where Somali referee Omar Artan became the first non-European to take charge of a major UEFA final.

Ali Howorth's excellent article about Malawi's women's team: 'Two clubs, two sisters and a condom company: how Malawi emerged from obscurity to the verge of the World Cup' is on his Substack here.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro
00:50 – Mexico’s CONMEBOL switch rumours
03:37 – Past involvement in South America
05:30 – Pros & cons of confederation move
13:25 – Precedents for a continental switch
17:04 – Countries in a different geographic confederation
22:21 – Outsider Malawi’s historic WAFCON run
27:09 – Ireland’s brand-new third division