Pro Revolution Soccer

Tom takes an off the cuff solo trip through the politically charged history of football in Spain.

Academic, author and great lad Mark Doidge joins Tom for a conversation that starts with climate then sprawls gloriously to cover everything from FIFA and globalisation to food banks and plastic fans.

Narcoball author David Arrowsmith joins to talk about football’s role in Colombia’s cartel wars and why Pablo Escobar wore football boots on the school run.

Tom contrasts the Balogun affair with what was effectively a sporting penalty for Iran, plus Mexico-England thoughts.

Writer and human rights campaigner Jude Wanga joins Tom to discuss being born in Congo and her experience of returning there to make a documentary, divided loyalties and footballing reparations.

Tom is joined for a profoundly silly episode by childhood friend and comedy genius Tom James. The story of the Dassler beef, Olivier Giroud’s inner loneliness, ridiculous PMC shoes, what Mark Pougatch might think of Malcolm X, and the need to embrace the glorious silliness of the beautiful game.

Tom gives you the TLDR of US football history, offers a bit of political analysis of it, then tells the to-be-continued story of football in Egypt.

Juliet and Tom discuss the history and politics of Austrian and Belgian football and react to yesterday's tense England win over DR Congo.

A solo potted history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its relationship to football.

Latin American history expert and all-round top lad Bill Booth joins again to talk about the history and politics of Germany’s World Cup conquerors Paraguay and explain the delicate political situation involving Mexico and their opponents, Ecuador.

Jeremy Corbyn joins Juliet and Tom to discuss FIFA, reclaiming Englishness, the cultural importance of football, plus 18th century French literature.

Juliet and Tom catch up to discuss their impressions of the World Cup so far: VAR, hydration breaks, the Consent Manufacturer Christina Unkel, Trump, England and more more.

Tom is joined by cohost Juliet Jacques to and friend of the show Morgan Ofori to talk about the story so far for England and Ghana and the prospects of both in the knockout stages.

Journalist, academic and former professional player Jules Boykoff joins Tom to discuss his playing career, and the climate impact of this World Cup. Via the link below can read Jules's excellent article for The Nation on the battle to determine the meaning of the World Cup in the US: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/world-cup-racism-trump/

The prodigious Coll McCail joins Tom to discuss the mood in Scotland, Scottish and British politics and the state of the Scottish left.

Tom talks Thomas Partey, FIFA’s dereliction of duty and US capriciousness re who is and isn’t allowed in, before exploring the history and politics of the Black Stars.

Drawing on David Goldblatt, and Philip Dine, Tom tells the story of colonial Algeria's resistance to French rule through the prism of football, and how it specifically impacted last night’s games involving Algeria, France, and a number of very prominent French Algerians.

Maradona was a comrade, but he was no angel. With Argentina playing this evening, Tom James joins to discuss their first iconic, short, brilliant number ten.

If you’re investigating injustice in football, under almost every rock you’ll find FIFA. Nick McGeehan from FairSquare joins to talk about their Reboot FIFA campaign.

Observer sports journalist Jessy Parker Humphreys shares her World Cup highlights, updates us on the current state of the women's game in this country, and reveals who she's hate-watching at this tournament.

Latin American history expert Bill Booth joins to talk Mexican football culture and how it intersects with the country's politics.

Tom has a great chat with David Wearing about England, Bellingham dog whistles, why we’re not ‘anyone but England’, the brilliance of Leo Messi and the complex experience of nation.

France and Mbappe have arrived so PRS's resident Francophile tell us about her love of French football, Comrade Wearing explains the remaining Gulf states, while Tom talks England and addresses the Ronaldo-shaped elephant in the room.

News on Tunisia, Cape Verde's part in the end of Portuguese imperialism, Davids Wearing and Goldblatt explain Iraq, plus Tom James joins to talk about the dastardly Carlos Bilardo’s gynaecological dark arts.

Australia got a big win over Turkey, so Tom asks Barrie Margetts of the Right To Food Commission about Australian politics, why football is such a small part of Australian culture, and the Right To Food’s roots in football. Then as Uruguay enter the tournament, we discuss Gus Poyet and the infamous poo saga with Tom James.