The BOLA BOLA Show

The first time ever we have a professional footballer on our show! This week we are joined by Julia Simic who currently plays for AC Milan and has also been capped twice by Germany.  Julia talks to us about her football journey from childhood to playing career in Germany, England & Italy and her international career. We also look into what are the main challenges that still exist and far...

On Wednesday the 25th of November, Diego Armando Maradona passed away at the age of 60. On this episode, we decided to pay our tribute to (or one of) the Greatest Ever Footballer to play the game. To us, Diego was everything we could ask for from football. So this was a great opportunity for us to say thank you to the man who means so much to us.  We are also joined by, Argentine resident her...

Anyone who grew up watching Malaysian football in the 90s will never forget the name, Abbas Saad. On this episode, we look back at his career from obscurity in down under Australia to superstardom with Johor and Singapore Lions. Before Phua Chu Kang, it was Abbas who lived and breath the tag "best in Singapore and JB" when he inspired both Johor and Singapore to Malaysia League and Cup double in 1...

Over the last 30 years, women's football has been growing from strength to strength. However, there is still a lot of ongoing issues especially when it comes to recognition and respect that is on par with the men's game. Also, there is a lack of development on the women's game in the South East Asia region.  But this isn't just about women playing the game, their role has expanded beyond the...

When you think of Bayer Leverkusen, you automatically think of “Neverkusen”! An important piece of that amazing side from 2001/02 that came so close to achieving an unprecedented treble in Germany is none other than Leverkusen captain himself, Jens Nowotny. In this episode, we look back at his playing career, life after retirement and much more. As always, we are so grateful to be presented with t...

With Luqman Hakim now on a verge of a breakthrough European career , it was high time that we spoke to the man was responsible for discovering Malaysian football's wonderboy. In 2013, Lim Teong Kim returned to Malaysia after being involved with Bayern Munich's youth set up for fifteen years to take care charge of the National Football Development Programme (NFDP) as the Project Director.  We...

We got down to talk with former Spurs and Swiss international, Ramon Vega about his playing career and life after football; which includes setting a very successful business endeavour and also one time aiming for the biggest post in football, the FIFA President!   To listen, subscribe and follow us, just click on the following link to our Anchor, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcast and Google Pod...

If you grew up with Malaysian football in the 1990s, we don’t have to tell you just how big Selangor was back then. Historically, Selangor was always a successful side but in the nineties, they began to flex their muscle, unlike anything that was seen up to that point. Joining us as the special guests, we manage to romp in two legendary figures who played a pivotal role in making Selangor what it...

When one mentions the word "Venezuela" , the first thing that comes to people's mind is perhaps baseball,  beauty pageant or maybe telenovela.  However, in recent times, the game of football is also the rise and to tell this story,  we got Jordan Florit the author of Red Wine & Arepas: How Football is Becoming Venezuela's Religion to give us an insight on his book.  On this...

Our focus this week is all about Malaysian based abroad. As we know, Malaysian wonderboy Luqman Hakim has already signed with Belgian side K.V. Kortrijk. While Dion Cools, who is half Belgian/Malaysian is now playing for r FC Midtjylland in the Danish Superliga. This week we heard the possibility of current Malaysian superstar, Safawi Rasid heading to Portugal to play for Portimonense S.C. To disc...

If anyone told us that when we started this podcast that one day we will be talking to a World Cup winner, we would not have believed it! Even when the legendary Thomas Berthold himself agreed to do the podcast with us, we were still in cloud nine.  It was such a surreal feeling to have another first time on The BOLA BOLA Show, having a conversation with someone who has achieved something tha...

Back in 2013 at the age of 27, Johnathan McKinstry became the youngest international head coach in the world when he took over the Sierra Leone national team. Since then he has gone to manage the Rwanda national team and also clubs in Lithuania and Bangladesh. He is now in charge of the Uganda national team. We talk to McKinstry on his fascinating journey to becoming an international coach and the...

After a 30 years long wait, Liverpool has finally won a top-flight league (and their first Premier League) title. Playing a huge part in this success (apart from everything about Jürgen Klopp) is Thomas Gronnemark, a throw-in specialist coach from Denmark.  We are extremely proud to have Mr Gronnemark who is the latest guest in our podcast to share with us his knowledge on what could arguably...

Stephen Constantine has been a globetrotting gaffer ever since he embarked on taking his first assignment with the Nepal National Team in 1999. Since then he has gone on to coach at clubs and countries in Europe, Africa and Asia over the past 20 years. Of course, he is notably known for his two stints as the Indian national team head coach. He guided the Blue Tigers to their best run, breaking int...

It's our first book review podcast! Ever since buying over SV Austria Salzburg, Red Bull GmBH have been making strong inroads in the wonderful world of football. From Salzburg to New York to Leipzig,  Red Bull has been going from strength to strength.  On this episode, the author of Wings of Change: How the World's Biggest Energy Drink Manufacturer Made a Mark in Football , Karan Tejwani...

Ever wonder what is the Malaysian football DNA? What is the right way to play football? Is it all about tactical ability? Or is it also got to do mental strength? What needs to be done to improve the standard of coaching in Malaysia? We got to chat with the Peter De Roo who is the Technical Director, Football Association of Malaysia. Throughout our conversation, we learnt a great deal on what is h...

We got all the way from Liverpool, Steve Darby ! Mr. Darby is a well-travelled coach who has worked in many countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and India. On this episode, we got to hear many of his interesting stories during the course of his career both as a coach and also TV pundit. We have to admit we had one of the most colourful conversations during the course of recording this e...

June 12th, 1991; Malaysia hosted a Class A friendly international match against the Three Lions England led by Gary Linekar, David Platt & Stuart Pearce under the manager Graham Taylor.  With a star-studded lineup, Malaysia gave the visiting side a good run for their money despite losing the game 4-2. With that said, we are extremely proud to have the man who scored Malaysia's two goals i...

On this episode, we dive into the development of grassroots in Malaysia with renowned coach Shazwan Wong. What are the challenges faced by local academies?  The important role played by parents?  Coping in the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown? Plus is there things called the "New Normal" in football? To listen, subscribe and follow us, just click on the following link to our Anchor, YouTube, Spotify, Ap...

Sawaddi Kab! On this episode, we got our friend from Bangkok Gian Chansrichawla to take us into the beautiful world of Thai football. Our discussion ranges from the current state of the Elephant Warriors to the potential decline of Muangthong United following the recent player sales, plus many more other interesting topics. We hope you enjoy this episode! To listen, subscribe and follow us, just c...

Our featured interview with Kerteh FC’s newly appointed Technical Advisor all the way from Catalunya, Oscar Riera. Have a blessed Aidilfitri, stay safe and enjoy listening while munching that delicious ketupat and rendang. To listen, subscribe and follow us, just click on the following link to our Anchor, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcast and Google Podcast account: - ⚓: https://anchor.fm/thebolabo...

We’ve invited our friend, Victor Emuan to join us to talk about the young Super Eagles historic gold medal win at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. To listen, subscribe and follow us, just click on the following link to our Anchor, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcast and Google Podcast account: - ⚓: https://anchor.fm/thebolabolashow 📺: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD5aR53xFRFGrXZZre843oQ 🎧: https...

Come May 15th, will be the 27th anniversary of the first J-League match between Verdy Kawasaki & Yokohama F. Marinos. We’ve got Japanese Football experts Dan Orlowitz of The Japan Times to talk a bit on Japanese football history, how the J-League got its start, fan culture plus many more. To listen, subscribe and follow us, just click on the following link to our Anchor, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Po...

This episode is all about Juventus, we’ve got En. Zaki who is the Il Presidente of Juventus Official Fan Club Malaysia as our special guest. On this episode, we focus on: - (8:00) - The 90s Golden Era to 2000s Turmoil (23:50) - Return of the King Lippi (31:53) - Calciopoli & Years Later (44:30) - The Rise of Juve, 2010s (1:01:42) - Battle of Signings, Fun & Others To listen, subscribe and follow u...

This week is all about the Nerazzurri, we’ve got two guests (Rasvinder Bhullar from Singapore & Andre Sooklal, all the way from Trinidad & Tobago) to give us views on their beloved club. In this part, we focus on: - (1:20) - Rivalry with AC Milan & Juventus (9:25) - Zenga, Pagliuca & Toldo (16:10) - The Inter Dream Team (26:25) - The Suning Group, the future? To listen, subscribe and follow us, ju...