Beyond The Pitch

More than just a story about enriching the lives of women through sports participation, Carrie Serwetnyk has been at the forefront of working toward real and meaningful changes in sports governance that could have a long and lasting impact in the matter of gender equality and building leadership projects and awareness into the plight of First Nation in Canada. This is part four of our Unite series and we examine the 2015 Womens World Cup set to land in Canada in 2015 and how this event should serve as a real catalyst for change, yet seems trapped in the often insulated world of football administration where change and activism is not always welcomed and, in many cases, resisted as too risky or not within the scope of what its leaders view as a productive when not serving its own interest. Why The Womens World Cup Matters is not just about the importance of girls and women being treated fairly on a global scale or even about increasing participation in the sport worldwide, but it is more about leveraging the rising appeal and contribution of women in the sport today while developing leaders who follow those existing rates of participation. Handed the 60 year disadvantage of the first World Cup played by women, critics today would point out that there are few women in paid leadership and technical positions, a shortage of women on boards like those of the 209 national federations that FIFA currently recognizes, and even less pay for female national team players in terms of wages, sponsorships and post career opportunities, reinforcing the perception that, indeed, the sport remains in firm control by men, many of whom are international figures who are not likely to let go of their seats of power to ensure equity in football administration. Today, women pay the fees, invest in the equipment, attend the pay for play camps and are not afforded equal opportunity for self-determination and decision making while sports federations continue to cash in on their appearances for corporate sponsors and network television broadcasts to growing audiences that can rival even the men when an international event occurs. We examine these disparities, how women are treated differently in terms of wages and sponsorships, what the real world legacies should be for this next World Cup in 2015 and how football administration continues to resist through either its own actions or by simply minimizing the message of gender equality for women in the sport.

With the first third of many domestic campaigns nearing this important checkpoint, favorites and contenders have emerged with two important candidates sealing early invincible credentials in the form of Bayern Munich and PSG, stretching remarkable runs of pure excellence into long undefeated runs both domestically and within their Champions League group stages, respectively. Joining me to discuss this emerging trend and to weigh out such lofty style points is international football commentator Paul Sarahs to examine the dominance, elegance and power of these two giants, their likely competition in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, while evaluating their nearest competition as we head into that all important stretch before the winter break. Questions about Dortmund and Leverkusen in Germany, a look at Lille and Monaco in France present all kinds of logical objective for the contenders, so the question will always come back to the potential of that invincible label given recent dominance. In total, this is a whirlwind tour of Germany, France, Spain and Turkey where we examine the all important battles, take a moment to reflect on Atletico Madrid and Villarreal who round out the top four in La Liga, with a closer look at the Diego Simeone freight train and the small club that could with the Yellow Submarines rebounding after a season in the second division. Then we turn our attention to the fanatic and passionate world of Turkey where the battle has been tossed a curveball in terms of European qualification, but continues to show us some fantastic matches between the elite sides in the Turkish game.

With only 14 points from 13 Serie A games, chaos now reigns supreme inside the walls of AC Milan as ultras have now taken to the streets in protest, a club legend becomes both protagonist and mediator, and the club is left with its worst start to an Italian campaign since 1981-82 when the Rossoneri were later relegated to Serie B and were left on the edge of financial disaster. The same could almost be said again for AC Milan in 2013-14, as the club is pushed yet again to another form of relegation as the loss of Champions League football looms ever more large as immediate consideration will be taken in light of demands by its ownership that the club will be forced to stand on its own without that added UEFA TV revenue, seen as a lifeblood to the club. Joining Anto to discuss the matter of AC Milan at its most chaotic state since 1986 is Italian football commentator Owen Neilson who was on hand at San Siro on Saturday to witness the events in the Curva, the failure of the club to put away a Genoa side left at only 10 men for much of the encounter, and then the strange series of events that spilled into the streets of Milan. In part one we examine the fallout and ramifications in precise detail, break down both the failures of its manager Max Allegri and the errors of an organization that seems perched to implode with rumours of backroom turmoil and political intrigue within the Berlusconi regime. We evaluate the many facets and pieces that need urgent repair, the emerging danger of losing either Mario Balotelli or Stephan El Shaarawy as finances will dictate what to do next and breakdown what could be a managerial change in the short term. In part two, we look at Juventus who seem to have turned the corner and taken back control of Serie A, forecast a bit how the top three is not yet settled science and why Roma might just hold the edge over Napoli and Fiorentina without the extra challenge of those European nights. We close on the matter of Domenico Berardi at Sassuolo who appears to be the new emerging talking point of the season to consider whether his admirers have merit or whether he may just be another young promising talent with even more to prove and that is precisely where the curious case of Mauro Icardi offers yet one more strange tale in the always outrageous world of calcio.

A recent announcement has revealed that British Telecom (BT) has won the exclusive TV rights from UEFA to show 350 live Champions League and Europa League matches in the UK for three seasons from the 2015-16 season, and the ramifications and regulatory discussion has already begun as details have begun to emerge from what it is considered a landmark deal which has both financial and competition implications. Joining Anto to take a deeper look and begin peeling back the layers of this deal is Daniel Geey from Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP’s Competition and EU Regulatory Law Group, beginning with the base features and then digging into the many facets of what the BT/UEFA agreement could mean for the Premier League, Financial Fair Play, the many customer and technology concerns, as well as a very important competition law point that could have further considerations downstream. While BT continues to a bold UK trend of paying significant fees to acquire live broadcast football rights, and while its competitors consistently maintain that BT overpaid for these rights, we consider the nature of risk versus flexibility, exclusivity effects on the marketplace, the potential for even further technology considerations and if, indeed, the BT acquisition could ignite once again the same old risk model given that the reward of Champions League football is quite an enticing objective for those clubs currently not in the same financial castle as the other top-four Premier League participants. Of particular note is the role of technology in this discussion and how there might just be one interesting competition law issue surrounding how the European Union in concert with UEFA has viewed the rights of broadcasters which seems to have implied that multiple broadcasters would have always secured these rights.

Phil and Anto are joined by Manchester United and Ireland legend Denis Irwin as he concludes a tour of South and Central America to reflect on the massive impact of globalization for the football club, the change of manager to David Moyes in the off-season and the momentum he built up before the international break, and then we also look at the new dynamic team now handed the reigns for the Ireland national team. We also look back at his career highlights for both club and country, including the 1999 Champions League Final that capped of an historic treble for Manchester United and also rewind the clock to an historic victory for Ireland over Italy in the 1994 World Cup at Giants Stadium. Known as Mr Dependable throughout his days at Manchester United, Denis Irwin is the owner of 7 league titles, 3 FA Cups, 4 Community Shields, the Intercontinental Cup and the 1999 Champions League title, along with a league cup, the 1991 Cup Winners Cup and the 1991 European Super Cup. In 2004, he finally called it a day on his career and returned to Old Trafford, to present, analyse and discuss all things United for MUTV and remains as one of the greatest ever signings for the football club. Sir Alex Ferguson to this day says it is impossible for him to select a definitive all-time team from his 26-year reign at Old Trafford, but has repeatedly tabbed Denis Irwin as the only certain selection.

The story of Zahir Belounis is now captured world attention and in many ways he has become a powerful symbol to the enduring fight against worker and human rights abuses that receive much attention and powerful talk but next to no resolution as international agencies and football administrators cannot seem to overcome what amounts to a stage for modern-day slavery in the very country selected to host the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In recent days much has been said and alleged about how and why Zahir Belounis finds himself in the situation in which he now resides, and joining us to not only dispute these claims, but once again set the facts straight is his brother Mahdi Belounis who helps us peel away the layers and truly understand the nightmare in which his brother exists nearly two years into his fight to reclaim the wages still owed to him and his family, and how the system of employment in Qatar prevents foreign workers leaving the country until being released by those who have sponsored them, including football players. Mahdi takes on recent claims made in the press, expresses his frustrations on what has been a general lack of leadership across the board, including the processes with FIFA which has insulated the governing body from taking direct action. We also discuss the nature of his living conditions, the false hopes and false starts to leave Qatar, the emotional toll and how the greater football family continues to remain silent in large part, including the UEFA president himself, Michel Platini, who has a deep commercial relationship with the Qataris, Sepp Blatter who did not meet with Zahir after indicating that he would, and the letter addressed to Guardiola and Zidane which yet been met with a response. This is a very personal story told by Mahdi Belounis on behalf of his brother, who has lost everything in a country that has left him in a virtual state of house arrest with barely any assistance and in constant fear for the damage it has inflicted on his own family.

With the second legs about to kick off on Tuesday with final passage to Brazil at stake for the last four from Europe, Aftonbladet football writer Kristopher Karlsson joins the show to give us the view from inside Sweden as Zlatan Ibrahimovic looks to cap off his last World Cup journey with a victory that would leave Cristiano Ronaldo at the altar, along with a look at the other three return legs to consider the real favorites at this very crucial stage. We examine the qualification campaign under Erik Hamrén and where the difficulties do reside beyond his superstar striker, how the biggest decision might just be how to deploy the Zlatan and why the lesser figures like Rasmus Elm, Johan Elmander, Sebastian Larsson, Ola Toivonen and others might just have to be what deliver Sweden to the World Cup next summer. We also look into the results and prospects for another Sweden legend in former national team manager Lars Lagerbäck who continues to defy the odds with a young and inexperienced Iceland team that heads for a Zagreb cauldron where Croatia must finally turn the corner under Niko Kovac who replaced Igor Stimac after a set of disastrous results. Also on deck are the surprising Greeks who turned in a complete and thorough performance in the first leg against Romania and look to be a lock for Brazil up 3-1 and then we close on the matter of Ukraine who has France down 2-0 on the back leg with a cast of young talented players who may just need one away goal to book their flight for the World Cup Finals and send France down for disaster. Loads here on the outlook for Sweden, the remarkable job turned in by Lagerbäck after being pushed out from the Sweden bench and a look at one the top players in the world in Zlatan Ibrahimovic who faces what seems to be his final World Cup campaign.

Anto and Nico are back for another show to take a look from the midway point of the conference finals to examine who has the upper hand, the battles the lurk ahead for all of the teams in the final four of MLS Playoffs and what the unexpected early exit for Seattle and Sigi Schmid might just mean for a club thought to be championship worthy this season after having acquired Clint Dempsey during the summer window. Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake do appear to hold an advantage at first glance, but the deeper we look into the factors and match ups that matter, each series could turn on a single mistake as both Houston Dynamo and Portland Timbers do possess the kinds of characteristics which could send them to the Finals. In the case of the Dynamo this is all about mentality and experience under Dominic Kinnear who knows what it takes to win these kinds of games at the end of a season. For first year coach Caleb Porter, this is a team who can score goals in bunches and press an opponent under the pressure of its own remarkable atmosphere at Jeld-Wen Field, a very pragmatic team that has surely found creative ways to take points from losing positions most of this season. In segment two we take a look at some new TV ratings data that has surfaced with respect to Major League Soccer and the findings seem to confirm what many have expected all along - the MLS in its 18th season continues to solidify itself with its core audience, but has yet to find its niche in television and may yet need to find a way to crossover to the mainstream with superstars and event worthy matches to drive an even more compelling product for television. This goes for not only the national broadcasts where the productions are clearly as good and polished as any sport in the marketplace, but for some reason fail to drive the type of numbers in terms of ratings. Are we know at a crossroads in Major League Soccer where the salary caps and player development resources need to be explored even further and does the league need to prime the pump again for more star attraction and event worthy players? The early return is that, yes, MLS needs to take its product to another level if its goal of being a top world league by 2022 has the potential to be fulfilled. In segment three, we have a very special and personal message that hopes to drive some awareness around a condition that is barely recognized in the public domain, but its effects have hit one of our own and we felt it time to raise some awareness around Infantile Spasms (IS) and tell the story of Super Luca and what our listeners can do to help.

Heading into the last international break of 2013 Phil and Anto are joined by NBC Sports commentator Robbie Earle to take a look back at a number of key trends and developments which are sure to shape the Premier League as winter football stands ahead and contenders and pretenders will begin to define their seasons and perhaps how each will view the winter market. At the top of the agenda is some clear fallout from the Manchester United-Arsenal contest where the league leaders could not quite get into gear at Old Trafford while David Moyes may have just confirmed a turn for the better with some momentum at his back. We also examine some worrying signs for Manchester City who continue to shed valuable points against teams who clearly cannot match them in talent, but seem to lack that bit of cutting edge that is required over 38 weeks in the Premier League. While Pellegrini has clearly taken Manchester City to a new destination in the Champions League, clearly a priority in his first season, the road will now get tougher as the conditions get worse and the matches require even more intensity to reach back to the summit inside England. We also take a look at two more puzzling starts for both Tottenham and Fulham where the results have been less than expected, leaving Andre Villas-Boas and Martin Jol grappling for solutions. Then we close on the two surprises at Southampton and Everton as two emerging teams with only one loss in the table have performed well above expectation and face even bigger challenges once their surprising teams return from the break.

Phil and Anto are joined by Manchester United and Wales international legend Clayton Blackmore to take a look at both his career at a very important juncture of Manchester United history as well as take a look at some of the key shorelines surrounding the club as David Moyes begins his important season of transition at Old Trafford. Clayton was with Manchester United just as the Sir Alex Ferguson era began in English football, was part of the first team to win in Europe once English teams were allowed back into continental competition and was on hand as all the major changes came into play in British football - the very first years of the Premier League, the Champions League and he has a front row seat as this evolution began in the 1990s. We examine a number of topics such David Moyes finally putting his stamp on the football club, a look back at the key moments in his career, a look at the Wales national team and we also pay homage to not only his free kick delivery but also that 1991 European Cup Winners Cup victory over Barcelona.

While growing international attention and pressure continues to mount over Qatar 2022 and the widespread use of migrant workers which has resulted in nearly one death on the average day, the even worse news is that we could be looking at a serious problem that will only get significantly worse as the required World Cup stadia and infrastructure will require even more forced labor to complete. Nicholas McGeehan, a Gulf researcher at Human Rights Watch, joins us to talk more about these worker issues in Qatar, what was known when the bid was awarded in 2010 and what exactly we should expect from FIFA if part of its mission statement on leaving a legacy behind through the power of football indeed has merit. We also examine some of the hypocrisy and real misdirection in the media whereby Western companies directly benefit from the institution of forced labor but pay no real public relations hit for doing so, and consider how the coverage of whether the World Cup seems to eclipse the real human toll being left in the desert sun as the construction industry rambles on with little to no modification in standards. We also discuss the threats being placed on journalists, the ongoing plight for French football player Zahir Belounis and what the appointment of Sheikh Salman of Bahrain represents to the cause of reform and how he might better reflect the conflict between reformers and hardliners who not only disagree on the abolishment of a practice called kafala, but also remain at odds over actual labour reform that could ultimately save thousands of lives as another 500 thousand to a million additional workers will be needed to complete this World Cup project by 2022. Nicholas McGeehan is the Bahrain, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates researcher at Human Rights Watch. He has a PhD from the European University Institute in Florence, an LLM from the Irish Center for Human Rights in Galway, and an MEng from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Prior to working for Human Rights Watch, he founded and operated an NGO that campaigned for migrant workers rights in the Gulf. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and comment pieces.

With the return leg of the AFC Champions League Final set to kick off this weekend at Tianhe Stadium in China, the two top professional sides in Guangzhou Evergrande and FC Seoul serve as the right backdrop for a bit of history that could unfold should Italian manager Marcello Lippi deliver just one more victory for the home side. Joining to discuss this important match for the region and for Chinese football overall is Asia football correspondent John Duerden who will be on hand to take in this important event as Lippi looks to become the first manager to win a Champions League trophy on two continents to go with his European title with Juventus in 1996 and a World Cup title with Italy in 2006. We examine the potential and possibilities, along with the able and willing underdog threat posed by FC Seoul with its own dynamic striker in Dejan Damjanovic and what the impact could be for a nation starving with success and ripe with anticipation for a Champions League title. Naturally, the shorelines do not stop there as we examine the final weeks of both the J-League and K-League as league titles will be settled with just a few short weeks to go for each competition. Then we turn our attention to Cerezo Osaka and Japan attacker Yoichiro Kakitani who has emerged as the next big target for European clubs and then double back into the matter of rising expectations for the Japan national team in advance of Brazil 2014 and how professional setbacks for both Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda has spawned a degree of speculation and consternation amongst fans that success could be undermined by uncertainty for these two stars at precisely the wrong time. We also examine a big change at the top for the Socceroos who sacked Holger Osieck after a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of the French and how some of the veteran Australian players have been lukewarm on his replacement in Ange Postecoglou, who takes his place from Melbourne Victory as veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has called it a day for his long international career, finishing with 109 caps.

In this edition of Prime Time Football, Anto and Phil are joined by Mail on Sunday columnist Bob Cass to discuss many of the current Premier League trends from early last week including both Manchester teams, the ongoing saga at Newcastle United where Alan Pardew is wrestling a giant shadow named Joe Kinnear and then we also consider the impact of the Sir Alex Biography that refuses to go away. We also examine the ongoing questions for Manuel Pellegrini and Joe Hart, factor in the impact of Vincent Kompany on the defensive success of the team and whether the away form will only improve once that backline is reassembled and the confidence is built back up. We also look at the Manchester City rotation in central midfield where the club may be one body short since Gareth Barry was moved on and ask the serious questions about whether Javi Garcia is the weak link that top Premier League and Champions League sides would target. We also weigh in on the matter of the Sir Alex Ferguson book as well to ask several key questions about the timing of its release, why some former players and club figures were targeted over others and then we examine the key questions on Sir Alex that are not handled completely in the final text, fostering an expose that serves his interests rather than the bigger picture historical context that will come once he is no longer an employee of Manchester United. In part two, we then take on a very deep look at Italian and European giants AC Milan who may be at the end of an era as the club looks certain to drop out of European football for a bit of time amongst rumors of a sale and a management crisis behind the scenes that only now appears to be gathering pace after only collecting one point in the last three matches, which means that this trajectory was set into motion against Parma FC three weeks ago at the hands of one of its own legends, yet begs one huge question - does AC Milan have the resources, energy and personnel in place to change course and reclaim its place as one of the great names in world football. Tonight, that answer seems grim and the outlook very bleak given the sum of the mistakes made over the years and the number of failures for which the club must now answer.

Joining Phil and Anto for his second appearance on the show is Swansea City and Wales national team captain and defender Ashley Williams in advance of the first South Wales derby to be played in the Premier League, in something of an historic season for the Swans who by virtue of winning the League Cup find themselves in the Europa League this season as well. One of the fiercest rivalries in British football, the stakes get no less on Sunday as the Ashley and the club settle into year two under manager Michael Laudrup who has elevated both the reputation and perception of Swansea to a new level across the continental and throughout the world, with international caliber players such as Ashley and a number of teammates including striker Michu who recently got the call to join a Spanish national team defending its 2010 World Cup in just a matter of months. We discuss all this matters with Ashley as well as his WillsWorld charity project that was established by Ashley in December 2010 with his wife Vanessa. We also take a look back at the recent qualification campaign for Wales and consider just how close the Wales team is to a playoff spot for an international tournament given that high caliber players such as Ashley himself, Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale surely add high level quality to a rather talented Starting XI.

Tear gas and rubber bullets, surface to air missiles on residential buildings, brand exclusion zones and riot police, forced relocation of citizens and planned gentrification of prime real estate - the madness of international sport has been an evolutionary process that piled layer upon layer of self-fulfilling logic and precedent to help stage and finance the World Cup and Olympic Games. In those countries where international sport is set to arrive serious concerns have begun to arise in the matter of public financing, civic priorities and human rights and it begs a simple question, when does this madness end and what next for these world sport mega-events and, better yet, who is being held accountable for what is emerging as expensive corporate festivals which come at great human cost. Helping us evaluate the evolution of some dubious IOC and FIFA Shadow Legacies and Celebration Capitalism is author, activist and former athlete Jules Boykoff who breaks down the procession where rampant commercialism, crony capitalism and serious human rights abuses have become the foundation upon which expensive stadium and infrastructure projects now fuel a fully developed Sports Industrial Complex with its own level of para-military suppression when not all goes according to plan, as evidenced at the 2013 Confederation Cup and the protests which endure even today in Brazil from that experience. Jules is an Associate Professor at Pacific University and has written commentaries on politics for outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, New Left Review, Dissent Magazine, The Nation and across academic disciplines for more than a decade, in fields as diverse as political science, sociology, geography, environmental studies, and history. This is an almost anthropological expose of how international sport has become an increasing tool used by the privileged to increase their personal wealth, how mega-sponsors align themselves to the halo-effect of these athletic movements done in the name of corporate sin-washing and how the less advantaged are now targeted via spin and misdirection talking points that so easily win each and every media day. Meanwhile mass evictions at gun point, planned gentrification projects and worker abuses have become just one more extension of Shadow Legacies left behind in the name of sport. At the core of this program, Unite Part Two, is the intensification of a dual economic and political evolution for both the IOC and FIFA where we must now ask of ourselves a serious question, is the temporary bump in consumerism and nationalism really worth the financial and human toll it takes to stage these mega-events.