Beyond The Pitch

Now that the first round of group stage matches have been completed in France, Anto and Phil are joined by former player, manager and now pundit Ray Wilkins to weigh in on the matter of what next for England, Wales and a number of important topics across European football. We explore the matter of Belgium and Marc Wilmots after a stunning loss to Italy, the arrival of Antonio Conte at Chelsea later this summer and ask the question about why England continues to struggle to meet expectations once the pressure gets added in finals competitions. Ray also gives his take on the timing of the sale of AC Milan, nearly 30 years after Silvio Berlusconi ended his time at the football club and set the stage for one of the great eras in the sport starting in 1986. We also explore the violence that marred the first round matches and take a look at how the smaller national teams are finding a way forward in EURO2016 as transitions and the counter attacking game seem to be the blueprint for close games, late heroics from unexpected players and why this formula is working so well early on.

Joining Anto and Phil is former Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa goalkeeper Mark Bosnich from Australia to give us his take on a variety of early summer returns both in terms of the Premier League and first glance perceptions of the field competing at EURO2016 as the group stage is now underway. We examine the groups for a couple of potential upstarts and surprise packages, who exactly are the favorites and even dig into who could be the dark horses based on early performances. We also take a look at the early summer moves for a number of big clubs in the Premier League with respect to expectations.

A massive week in world football as Real Madrid is crowned with its eleventh Champions League trophy amidst the backdrop of an off-season armed for big changes and two huge arrivals in Manchester who will seek to settle matters of reputations and legacies now that Guardiola and Mourinho are set to take over, and then of course it is also a summer where EURO2016 and Copa Centenario will take center stage in between it all. Joining Anto and Phil to take on these storylines, bylines and more are Gerry Armstrong from Sky Sports to give us his take on the Champions League Final and the collision in Manchester between two of the top managers in world football who have major work to do this summer and then it will be Frank Dell`apa of the Boston Globe and One World Sports to give us the view of Copa Centenario from the northeast of the United States, an early look at the European Championship and the Italian national team as selections are narrowed down and the issue of Sebastian Giovinco is examined in context.

Just as another round of Champions League, Europa League and domestic titles come closer into view, another potential scandal involving media rights and the secret economy surrounding world football has been revealed in the name of the Panama Papers as a worldwide investigation begins to unravel more than 11 millions secret documents affecting not only the FIFA President but also the world elite. Joining Anto to discuss this important story and its impact on the newly elected Gianni Infantino is David Larkin of ChangeFIFA to break down the early revelations and how they must be framed given the recent level of scandals that have gripped the organization over the last decade and how the culture inside FIFA continues to resist the very changes once touted in the run up to the election by its action. Then in part two, Dr John Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard University, and the author of the world recognized best seller - Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain - joins the show to discuss his important work in establishing the link between physical activity, proper brain function and how we continue to discover more revolutionary insights that reveal themselves in youth sports and why grassroots soccer ticks off many of the significant boxes.

With yet another week passing in the Premier League, Claudio Ranieri and Leicester City continue to ride the wave of a truly unexpected rise to the top of the table after 25 rounds and with 13 rounds left in the season after handling Manchester City there is a shift in perceptions where the once unthinkable is about to hit solid ground. Joining Anto for a deeper dive discussion into this matter and several more is Oliver Kay of The Times to examine these Foxes against the landscape of a season in which big, cash rich clubs continue to hit the rocks, some big names in club management have been laid to waste and a story for the ages is taking firm root in English football history. How is it that a club that was once forecasted for relegation and its manager seen as little more than a prime sacking candidate taken on a role of miracle worker with a patchwork quilt of players who collectively have put teamsheets and huge budgets into the ringer all season. We also explore what failure now means for Manchester City and how this club has largely unachieved given its fabulous collection of talent, how Mauricio Pochettino has been flying under the radar for much of the season with a defense that defies some long standing beliefs about Tottenham and how events this weekend at Anfield has put a long standing debate into stark focus as its fans demonstrated against FSG over ticket prices and a whole lot more.

Now approaching 30 days before a special FIFA Congress that will elect the next president, Anto is joined by David Larkin of ChangeFIFA to examine many of the figures both left viable and now pushed to the side as disposable as the campaign winds into final view while asking important questions that have yet to be explored as well. We begin with the FIFA Reform effort that has been derailed in the months leading up to this election and then dissect the laundry list of football administrators and players who have paved the way for the favorite Sheikh Salman who appears to be facing more trouble over human rights concerns dating back to the Arab Spring in 2011. Also discussed is how fans are still left in the dark about the approval process for candidates, the source of their campaign financing and exactly which FAs have given their support to the respective candidates. We gauge the election field, evaluate a recently signed memorandum of understanding between CAF and the AFC along with present the case of why government interference and the use of soft power is encroaching on world sport. As it stands, it appears that the status quo and the existing FIFA culture has won over realistic reform, and this election seems to have major questions and could result in yet another more troubling replay of corruption and scandal in the coming years.

In the second of our up-close segments on Manchester United, Phil Brown is joined with Andy Mitten of United We Stand and ESPN FC to take yet another deep dive look into the evolving fortunes for the club now in its second year under Louis Van Gaal and another look at how supporter culture is being shaped with so many changes at hand. Andy helps us through the years of his personal history with United We Stand, examines the deep divide that exists between the stadium experience and commentary on social media and discusses many of the issues most fans consider important in the post Sir Alex Ferguson years. This includes what next for Ryan Giggs, how the global appeal is influencing the culture around the club and how all the years of success continue to shape and ripple expectations on so many levels.

Everything up to this point has been prologue and the narrative now takes on an unpredictable wrinkle as the winter transfer window has opened and football has returned from its seasonal break in Italy and Spain, but calcio might just offer some of the biggest and most pressing examples of what could transpire over these next few weeks in the player market with several contenders making moves against the rising tide of Premier League broadcasting revenue. Joining Anto to open the discussion for the 100th episode is David Amoyal of GianlucaDiMarzio.com and ESPN FC where we examine the scudetto contenders for their targets and objectives and the many challenges for many amongst the chasing pack. We begin with the state of Juventus who are performing the dual task of rebuilding the squad with younger faces while closing the gap on top spot successfully and Napoli which has made the coaching transition with some open questions regarding quality depth as the club mounts its serious challenge across all fronts. We also explore the serious and troubling trends for Roma who have longer term concerns for its manager and a squad that continues to fall beneath its capability at least in public perception. Other clubs featured are Fiorentina, Lazio and AC Milan who have ongoing objectives of their own, which includes potential influence from other domestic leagues for its players and whether deeper problems are on the horizon for Laziale and Milanisti in the coming months. This is a milestone show for BTP and Anto also takes a look at the first big story of the 2016 season which is how the biggest clubs in the Premier League continue to dance around a Leicester City team which says more about the failures of clubs such as Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, the frailties of Manchester City and Arsenal, than it does about the Foxes who are beginning to recede under the weight of fixture congestion and a manager once ridiculed a decade ago in Claudio Ranieri.

As the calendar year comes to a close, it is time to reflect on what was so great about the sport in 2015 and what went so very wrong as world football was anything but uneventful while giving us much to celebrate and even more to learn from as scandal, corruption and indictments became an important part of the narrative. Joining Anto this week is the complete BTP team as Phil Brown takes the world angle in segment one as we open the discussion and talking points including everything from competition winners, beautiful Barcelona and champions from emerging nations, and then to the many issues that seemed to tear apart this sport at its core. Then in segment two, Nico DiBenedetto gives us the view internally from US Soccer where the impact of the investigations and arrests inside the Americas serious became a trend of their own while acknowledging the star-crossed year that was 2015 for US Soccer as the women delivered and the men did not, while not losing sight of some important acknowledgements for trophy winners in MLS.

As many of the top European leagues move to the holiday break and the winter transfer window begins to open for business, we take a step back to address two very big issues in world football while opening the window to football in the Middle East with a new partner. First up is attorney and youth coach Derek Howard who served as Co-Lead Counsel, representing the plaintiffs in a ground breaking soccer concussion lawsuit in the United States that delivered common sense regulations to exposing youth players to the act of heading a soccer ball. This week head injury in sports is being discussed once against in North America as a new movie titled, Concussion, hit theaters nationwide and it once again sparks much debate about how science has opened a deeper understanding of how concussive and sub-concussive hits affect the brain, especially in our youngest people where the damage can be even more extensive. Then in part two of this episode, UEA sports journalist Omar Al Raisi and Hamoudi Fayad, the co-founder of Ahdaaf.me, give us a view of Middle Eastern football including a first look at Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE as the key benchmark nations for the region and how kafala continues to dominate perceptions of the region as the 2022 World Cup has magnified the debate. Some important topics in this episode and an introduction to a new partner who will deliver us even further insight into a fascinating part of the world and its football.

Joining Anto for a special year end episode about grassroots challenges and opportunities is Tom Byer from Japan as we once again have a frank and candid discussion about youth development, the expanding roles of culture and media in this process and how new regulations in US youth soccer around heading a football is the perfect storm for kids in the sport. We begin with some important emerging news as the Chinese School Football Program has adopted yet new game-changing strategies involving media support across its entire educational media channel and how the German football and the Bundesliga have also stepped into the breach as the grassroots strategy has begun to prove that technical training at even younger ages is proving to be yet another significant step in youth development. We also discuss the recent issues in the US around heading a football, debate whether this focus is more of a cultural phenomenon that actual practice around the world, yet leave little doubt that this could be a catalyst for real systemic change in youth development as coaches have been mandated officially to keep the ball on the ground for safety reasons linked to traumatic head injury. We also discuss the future as Tomsan takes his work to UEFA grassroots, why some cultures resist change and why the successful ones always seem to push the envelope looking for the next advantage. And how China has proven to be the location where innovation and experimentation has led to some of the most aggressive and creative developments in youth football education.

In a week where football reform efforts, fresh indictments and admissions of guilt swirled around FIFA and two confederations, the acts of administrators around the world leaves little doubt that the organization failed to deliver the kind of meaningful steps forward to preserve itself. Joining Anto is David Larkin of ChangeFIFA to dig deep into the allegations and events that shaped an important week which includes a farcical attempt to elect an FA President in Argentina, yet another shape-shifting move by attorneys to resurrect the Michel Platini candidacy for FIFA President and a powerful and bold statement by the ECA which pushes FIFA credibility into an even deeper ditch. The basic question is whether these events prove without reasonable doubt that FIFA has finally crossed the line of sustainability and must be disbanded in order to flush its culture before stepping forward and ready to be restored. We also discuss the ongoing problems with sporting justice and election fraud and why these two components are key factors that must be addressed before real and actionable reform can be assured.

As many of the Premier League clubs and its fans await the impact of new broadcasting revenue flooding into the sport landscape, two very important things are happening which could alter the face of where European club football heads next as market power and new investment look to assert themselves in the coming months and years. Joining Anto for this episode is Phil Brown to deal with the lay of the land in the Premier League as it stands today, a league in which the midtable clubs are enjoying a serious run early in the season while the established big brands struggle to find top performance given the issues of transition and failures to perform on the European stage. Then in part two, Stefan Szymanski takes us through a number of key points relating to that new Premier League TV money and how the overall market could find itself reshaped as UEFA and other football leagues will certainly feel a knock down effect. How will this accelerated cash engine pick winners and losers in the future, will it result in a new pecking order amongst the top five leagues of Europe and how will many of the established powers respond to this new marketforce given that a number of big club football brands may find themselves confronted with a brand new reality as this revenue stream kicks into gear.

Another week in club football, and yet further talking points leading with which club will actually lay claim to a Premier League title that now seems to find new plots and new favorites week to week, while two more important trophies were awarded to worthy champions in Brazil and China. Joining Anto for a deep dive discussion into all of these topics is Paul Sarahs from the BBC World Football Fone-In starting with a Premier League view as Arsenal continues to leave doubts amongst even its supporters, Chelsea attempts to reverse the dark cloud enshrouding its season while Liverpool found wings against Manchester City and Leicester City continues to defy the odds with performances that go against the grain of championship form. We also gauge the emergence of Tottenham who also share a single loss in the league table to this point and an Everton side that is beginning to show a serious level of promise which abandoned Roberto Martinez a season ago. Then we shift to the world stage where Corinthians and its talismanic manager Tite has once again asserted his dominance in Brazil, while yet another Brazilian manager in Big Phil claims two more titles of his own, starting with the fifth consecutive domestic title for Chinese giants Guangzhou Evergrande and its second AFC Champions League master class over Al-Alhi of UEA. Now comes the biggest test yet as the FIFA Club World Cup awaits the Chinese super club.

Just as the last international break draws to a close, all eyes return to club football around the world with Asia in focus as a new continental champion is set to be crowned in China on Saturday, and the most successful president in club football releases a new autobiography that scales sport, business and politics. Joining Anto in the first segment is football writer and commentator Omar Al Raisi from the UAE to help preview the return leg of the AFC Champions League Final as Al-Ahli of the UEA looks to overturn Chinese champion Guangzhou Evergrande. We preview some of the key factors leading into the match, take a look at World Cup qualification in the region as well as discuss the ongoing FIFA political issues including a deeper look into the controversy surrounding Sheikh Salman of Bahrain and the allegations of human rights abuses in his country. Then in part two, long time contributor Steve Amoia makes a visit to explore the recently released autobiography of controversial owner Silvio Berlusconi, which has both its supporters and detractors. Written by Financial Times reporter Alan Freidman, the book gives an inside look into the former Italian Prime Minister and media tycoon who continues to lead AC Milan through turbulent waters, faced with the challenges of extending his brand in an era of rapid globalization.