Pro Revolution Soccer

Coll McCail joins to talk Scotland’s relationship with its national team, Morgan Ofori tells us why Morocco is the teacher’s pet of African football, and Tom continues to tell the story of Brazilian football. We also have reaction to USA-Paraguay, Qatar-Switzerland and, in real time because this episode was recorded in the early hours of Sunday morning, Brazil-Morocco.

Tom talks about Paraguay, football in the USA, and the father of Brazilian football. He's then joined by Juliet to discuss Switzerland and Morocco, while world-leading expert in Anglo-Gulf relations David Wearing talks Qatar.

Tom's Zapatista sympathies are challenged by Mexico's (mostly) joyful opening night win over South Africa, while Juliet joins to talk about the football culture of Bosnia and how it sits within the nation's chaotic polity and society. There's also a look at Canada, it's national team's reflection of a previously under-represented group, and it's low-key evil prime minister Mark Carney.

Tom is joined by News 24’s chief football writer Njabulo Ngidi to discuss the state of the game in South Africa and its political context. We also look at why Mexico is hosting its third World Cup and, and how it demonstrates that dodgy deals with dodgy regimes is business as usual for FIFA.

Tom zooms out on the political backdrop to the World Cup, its three host nations, and why FIFA have got into bed with Trump, while Juliet joins to talk Mexican football, World Cup ennui, and why she won’t be visiting The Great Satan.

Juliet and Tom discuss the end of the domestic and European seasons, including Arsenal's triumph and near misses, the women's FA Cup final and the relative lack of entertainment provided by the men's Premier League. They also discuss the forthcoming World Cup, and whether it's acceptable for leftists to support England.

Off the back of the most exciting domestic season in years, Scotland are heading to the World Cup for the first time since 1998, ending the hurt of six unsuccessful qualifying campaigns. Activist and writer Coll McCail joins to discuss Scottish football culture and explain how capitalism, imperialism and sectarianism inform the game's complicated history north of the border.

The final standings in Premier League have been settled, but an alternative league table brings shame upon all twenty clubs. Neil Sammonds of War On Want joins to discuss injustice at the very top of English football. You can find War On Want's 'Red Card' report at: https://waronwant.org/resources/red-card

Southampton- apparently English football’s first and only cheats- have been thrown out of the play-offs and hit with a four point deduction for next season. Juliet lists some comparable cases and details some of the game’s biggest ever cheating scandals, while Tom talks about the cultural- and human- side of the story , which mainstream football media has largely ignored.

To alleviate the dolour following one of the least inspiring FA Cup finals ever, Tom takes a deep dive into football as a cultural form via the work of icon of cultural studies, Raymond Williams (and also confronts the elephant in the room that is the 'Spygate' story, which involves skullduggery on the part of his beloved Southampton).

With exquisite timing, Juliet and Kat return to join Tom for a forensic takedown of the attack on joy that is the Video Assistant Referee. Kat reviews the book I Can't Stop Thinking About VAR by Daisy Christodoulou- appositely a West Ham fan- while Juliet talks about the relaunch of her Suite 212 podcast and Tom 'cuts a promo' on the PGMOL.

Tom takes a solo dive into one of football’s hottest topics- Manchester City, their evil owners, the 115 (or 130) charges, whether Financial Fair Play is actually fair, and his complicated feelings about Pep Guardiola.

Tom explains how capitalism organises football, and how football resists.

In possibly the greatest episode of any podcast ever, Tom and Swansea City fan Tomos James look back through a cultural studies lens at the extraordinary tale of Swansea mascot Cyril the Swan Cyril was a god-like lunatic who fouled children, assaulted coaching staff and referees, 'pecked' opposition fans and was hauled before the Football Association of Wales in one of the most bizarre incidents i...

This week, author, academic and Ipswich Town season ticket holder Jack Saunders joins us to discuss the tawdry affair of Nigel Farage’s photoshoot at Portman Road, Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton’s sorry attempts to manage the fallout, and how Ipswich fans have worked to counter emboldened far-right elements of the fanbase and assert that the club belongs to them. Reaching across the East Anglian rivalry,...

No Premier League this weekend so to liven up your Sunday, here’s Tom interviewing Juliet about the conclusion of her quest to visit all 92 league grounds. Football, psychogeography, some cultural studies vibes and of course the usual bonhomie.

In a short solo episode, Tom talks about the prospects for protest at the World Cup, FIFA’s cosy relationship with Trump, boycotts, and fan activism.

In a unique conversation, two world leading experts discuss the Trump administration's belligerence, how it relates to football, and what fans should do about it.

Full audio version of our interview with PRS og, Radical Abundance co-author and management consultant for the revolution "Daddy" Keir Milburn. Artificial scarcity in football, bullshit abundance in football, and of course Dominic Calvert-Lewin's eyelashes and other Leeds United chat.

Morgan Ofori on the cultural significance of Ian Wright and whether Britain is ready for a Black superstar

We got Morgan Ofori on again to talk about what it was like on the ground at AFCON, how African counties might fair in the World Cup, how football is experienced by members of the Black diaspora. A really deep dive with one of our favourite guests.

In this belated bonus episode, Tom and Juliet talk to Joe Kennedy and Robert Vaughan (aka Trevor Bastard) about the ghosts of football past, present and future. They discuss the famous Great War I truce (and the less famous response from the British authorities), the chaotic Boxing Day 1963 results and their equally weird reversal a few days later, and their own favourite experiences of Christmas...

This week, Tom and Juliet talk to Momentum co-founder and Progressive International comms director James Schneider about his relationship with football, and especially with Arsenal – showcasing his true ambition to become a Gunners tactics YouTuber. They also discussed potential socialist and social democratic reforms to English football, including TV revenue taxes for grassroots sport, and increa...

Podcast version of our interview with Franck Magennis and Tasnima Uddin from ELSC on the silencing of advocates for Palestine, Gary Lineker, and Zionism's weaponising of the beautiful game.

Podcast version of the full interview with Ian Byrne on the Public Office Accountability Bill, aka the Hillsborough Law, plus Juliet snd Tom catching up at the end.