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)