Beyond The Pitch

As club football heads toward the last international break of 2015, we take the moment to look deeper at the most competitive domestic league in Europe in Serie A where a number of contenders have emerged and we also explore once again the constant and evolving matter of FIFA Reform which appears to have changed very little as the powerful are closing in on another FIFA President. Joining Anto in the first segment is Boston Globe and One World Sports contributor Frank Dell'Apa on the matter of a calcio season in Italy quite like none other as the race for top three has already proved fierce while its top clubs are finding results at every level of European football in 2015-16. We explore many of the top storylines including the transition at Juventus, the longer term view at Roma and how both Milanese clubs appear to have turned a very important corner in recent weeks. Then in segment two international football correspondent Simon Evans joins with Anto to discuss the revolving door FIFA reform effort underway while also looking at the implications as a Presidential election gets underway with seven established candidates awaiting their integrity checks to be finally completed. We take a look at some of the major steps, the potential issues going forward and how the big European clubs stand in wait to examine if the reform process has yielded anything meaningful as a result, given the ongoing and pressing matter of where the world governing body heads next with so many issues and consequences left unresolved.

Well into another week for club football, easily the two biggest stories in the game continue to be the ongoing problems and missteps at Chelsea by its highly successful manager and a never-ending tale of scandal and intrigue surrounding a process designed to elect a new FIFA president as the reform agenda endures with little confidence. Joining Anto to discuss the Premier League angle is Robbie Earle from NBC Sports as the Blues sustain yet one more loss in the midweek Capital One Cup, and the rumors and questions now swirl about the future of Jose Mourinho. We also discuss the decision to hand him a contract extension, the wisdom of the longer term visions at the football club, how Jurgen Klopp clearly has a grasp of the task at Anfield and why Slaven Bilic has seemed to find success so quickly at Upton Park in his first term. Then in segment two Oliver Fowler from ChangeFIFA joins the show to dig into the matter of this FIFA Presidential candidate field with some important questions to address - why exactly does FIFA need a new president with so many talented people already excluded from the process and what exactly should the vision for the future be when nearly none of the candidates have put a serious agenda forward. What should FIFA look like in the future, should the players and fans be elevated to stakeholders in their own right, and how exactly will the biggest issues facing this sport get addressed.

In the midst of a Matchday three slate of Champions League matches and the last round of Major League Soccer fixtures where both conferences face a final checkpoint for playoff seeding, the full BTP broadcast team weighs in on some key factors that could shape both competitions. Joining Anto in the first segment is Phil Brown to get into the matches of the week in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night where Arsenal delivered a shock result in a back up against the wall survival performance against Bayern Munich and yet another disappointment for Roma who fought valiantly from two goals down to squander a 4-2 lead on the road with Bayer Leverkusen. We also discuss the ongoing weak and naive meltdown for Jose Mourinho with Chelsea and whether PSG can deliver the kind of statement performance against Real Madrid at a key moment. Then in segment two, Nicolino DiBenedetto makes an appearance to gauge many of the key players and teams who are set to shape the MVP voting and a playoff chase where no clear favorites have emerged with week 34 set to shape what comes next.

Coming out of a very intense and important international break some national teams have been left with key questions and a Premier League giant has made a bold move after an uninspiring start to the 2014-15 campaign, with EURO 2016 qualification now at the playoff round, Liverpool appointing its very own Jurgen while another is feeling the pressure with a US National Team that failed to deliver against rival Mexico. In the first segment, football correspondent and commentator Ben Lyttleton gives us his view of the EURO 2016 field, failures for Holland that never quite seemed to right themselves. We also gauge the real and serious threats of Bayern Munich and PSG in the European phase of club football and then take a deeper look into the Klopp appointment at Liverpool and a back up against the wall Jose Mourinho who appears to be heading toward a showdown with a club that has yet to rebound in his third season. Then in part two, Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC joins Anto to look at the issues for Jurgen Klinsmann at perhaps his highest pressure moment yet, in the aftermath of a painful CONCACAF Cup performance where the outrage and concerns are now mounting and we examine many of the areas in which the US National Team program, the federation and its charismatic coach find themselves at a crossroads as two more defeats in this international break underscore the challenge ahead as 2018 World Cup competition now beckons with very little margin for error.

Now into the second international break of the calendar, there are a number of clubs in the Premier League left with deep and troubling concerns about the direction of their clubs, while in South America the most difficult path to Russia 2018 begins with another long phase of qualification. We begin this episode with football correspondent Graham Ruthven who joins Anto to discuss the many issues involving Chelsea and the now infamous Jose Mourinho loyalty rant, a Louis Van Gaal Army sent on forced retreat to the hills, and the last chapter for Brendan Rodgers at Anfield as Jurgen Klopp now appears set to be the next Liverpool manager in line. Can the German return this club to long term success or are the conditions behind the scenes more important factors that still need to be addressed. In part two commentator and Americas corespondent Juan Arango arrives on the scene to get into the start of CONMEBOL qualification for Russia 2018 with a number of important issues to consider on the heels of a costly Copa America that sees some top players missing due to suspension and some new threats which have emerged who can take points from many of the long-standing powers in the region.

Yet another week in football, and yet more scandal and allegation surrounding two very big names in world sport as both Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini have been tossed into more troubling destinations as football seeks new leadership and a desperate need for new direction, while club football clearly has a new early stage breakaway threat in Bayern Munich with league rivals Dortmund as its next challenge. Joining Anto in the first segment is David Larkin from ChangeFIFA to dissect and unravel the recent allegations at FIFA including Sepp Blatter as a target of a criminal investigation by Swiss authorities and how Michel Platini has been caught up in a web of innuendo and tangled explanations around how he came to be part of a disloyal payment for services rendered several years later, putting his presidential ambitions into serious question as he struggles to offer a clear and plausible explanation. We examine some of the key ramifications, how the sporting justice system obscures the process and insulates those in power and how this FIFA election cycle could impact US Soccer with a number of key questions to answer itself. Then in part two, Susie Schaaf gives us the view of a breakaway Bayern Munich so early in the season with new options and devastating depth as the club continues to dominate the Bundesliga and has laid waste to Dinamo Zagreb midweek in the Champions League.

Joining Anto for a second special episode this week is athlete turned sports correspondent Cathal Dennehy who breaks through the silence of a problem plaguing the world game for decades, but now surfacing as recent reports from The Sunday Times and German media have begun to document how football could become the next doping problem in world sport. A new study commissioned by UEFA which has examined more than 4,000 urine tests from top-level European players between 2008 and 2013, found that 7.7 percent of the 879 players tested had atypical samples that indicate the possible use of anabolic steroids. Armed with this fresh data, intelligence and long-known instances that have gone silent or under-reported, new facts now illustrate that some of the biggest names and biggest competitions are being confronted with a new reality. We explore a number of the most important milestones, some of the names attached to the doping stigma and why governing bodies resist the need to attack this issue head on like track and field and cycling have over the last decade. More importantly, has football adopted a willful ignorance over the years about this dirty secret, does it fear yet another scandal the could cripple its credibility and sponsorship appeal, and is it now time for football to get serious before it loses the capacity to control the narrative. These are among the big questions asked and while UEFA has indicated a willingness to adopt biological passport technology, questions remain at the doorstep of a troubled FIFA which has long ignored the best practices from other sports.

A special show this week as we take a deep dive examination of youth development and how coaches shape both perceptions and their legacies with their players from the earliest age simply by the words they use and the example they set and how it has begun to affect a whole generation of young people who are dropping out of sports at alarming rates. Joining Anto is Coach Reed Maltbie, the Executive Director for Star Soccer Club in Cincinnati, who recently was the subject of an important and viral TEDx talk that highlighted how coaching in this new era has both become destructive to participation levels. We get into some of the key metrics and statistics which lend to creating a new wave of limited athletes where creativity and expression are frequently pushed to the side in virtually every sport, how families and young players have become more disillusioned with throughout the youth sports experience, and what we need to do to reverse this trend sooner than later. We explore how status get conferred on former players over trained coaches with serious educational backgrounds and how we continue to sell parents on a factory of illusions when the most important facet of youth sports is to produce more rounded and better young people who can grow through the experience. Coach Reed has been a coach in numerous states for more than two decades, and his recent broadcast with TEDx in Cincinnati has become a very important video being shared with coaches in numerous across a variety of sports.

In a weekend filled with all kinds of drama in the Premier League and some key battles in Spain and Italy, we take a deeper look into the matter of some big clubs in England with lots of questions to answer, a perplexing team in Atletico who surrendered late and the verdict on two Milan clubs heading in the right direction. In segment one, Anto is joined by football commentator and pundit Janusz Michallik to answer many of these questions as Jose Mourinho, Brendan Rodgers, Louis Van Gaal and Arsene Wenger all have massive concerns heading into a Premier League season becoming more and more stretched due to the performance of Manchester City and their own shortcomings. We also take a look at the Atletico loss to Barcelona and whether Diego Simeone has enough time to lie in wait with a strong Real Madrid and Barcelona surging yet again, then we take a look at Milan and Inter post-Derby to glean what was discovered in that match. Then in part two, Stefan Buczko by way of our partners at Football Collective gives us the close up view of the early successes for Thomas Tuchel for a Dortmund club that has responded to the transition challenges with flying colors, although bigger challenges and competition awaits both in the Bundesliga and Europa League.

As the international break comes to a close and club football resumes once again, we take a look back at two national teams with lots of questions to consider as both Holland and the United States have reached a bit of a crossroads with serious answers to consider in October, for both Danny Blind and Jurgen Klinsmann. In segment one, international broadcaster Tim Caple joins Anto for a look at the very troubling signs and results for a Dutch team that has failed to reach top three in its qualifying group for Euro2016 while traditionally smaller powers have emerged and a small number of contenders have shown their credentials as the matches have drawn clear winners and losers. Is this a temporary blip for this world power or are deeper marketplace factors impacting Dutch football, or does the federation need to take a step back like Germany and Belgium once did to take a step forward. In segment two, Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC gives us the view of where the US National Team is in its preparation for the CONCACAF Cup against Mexico in October, and we examine a number of important issues for Jurgen Klinsmann as midfield balance continues to lead to defensive problems and strikers who cannot get the service required to be credible in attack. We also explore the Klinsmann perceptions that are mounting, his handling of a potential goalkeeper controversy and whether he could be forced to change tack if the match in October presents yet another failure after the shortcomings found during the Gold Cup. In the third and final segment, Aarony Zade from Football Channel Asia gives us the view of South Asia football as reports of unfulfilled promise from the Goal Programme continues to plague the region and we explore some of the key challenges facing national teams in a region often overlooked and caught between the political battles of East and West in the AFC.

In a week where the international break gets fully underway for national team qualification, lingering questions over a key deadline deal affecting two of the biggest clubs in football and yet another FIFA Reform Process that seems deeper on platitudes in an election year than actual means to repair a fully tarnished image. In the first segment Simon Evans from Reuters gives us the view he discovered in Switzerland and how FIFA has now opened up a two pronged process that now sparks more questions than answers as a presidential election gets tossed into the formula. Where does the Carrard committee begin and where does the Scala process end in terms of control, political will and cooperation at the federation level. These are among the questions pursued and we even examine the ramifications for US Soccer as key discoveries await in a D1 status battle where sides are fully entrenched and the courts and FIFA may actual begin to intervene. In part two, joining Anto is Phil Brown who explores the gears and perceptions that surround a very complex and bizarre transfer deadline deal gone bad for Real Madrid as the move to bring in David De Gea failed loudly. We explore the edges of the deal, whether Madrid got cold feet on an acquisition that will come with a windfall in six months in terms of saved fees, and how the market has come to define many of the challengers for the Premier League.

Hard to arrive at too many conclusions so early in the domestic campaigns across Europe, but in the case of some England and German clubs there are a number of key transfer market deals that could address where the favorites really do reside, and in the case of some Champions League clubs the next few days will define their potential to go past the group stage to the knockout rounds. Joining us in segment one is Oliver Kay of The Times to profile the top four favorites and some of the key issues and objectives that are before each club, including the squad issues and a number of the behind the scenes issues that have emerged in the earliest stages of the 2015-16 season. We explore how Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have navigated these early waters and whether the Liverpool off season moves have altered what they may do in this campaign. We also take a deeper dive examination of some of the transfer strategy itself and how it looks to shape the season ahead as well and whether the early days for this Manchester City campaign has altered the list of favorites and why. Then in segment two, Paddy Higgs from our partners at Football Collective gives us an early look into a Bundesliga campaign sending two clubs named Borussia scattering in opposite directions, whether Wolfsburg or Dortmund could give us a real title challenge as Bayern aims for Champions League glory, and we also take a look at some of the key transfers and smaller clubs fighting it out for Bundesliga survival.

Deep into the summer transfer period there are leagues already underway and Champions League battles already begun, but inside England and Italy there are powerful undercurrents and huge shifts underway that will not only have an impact on late player deals, but also send signals that change could be in the air for some big clubs and some big spenders. Joining Anto first in this edition is Robbie Earle of NBC Sports to take a look at difficult two weeks for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and we explore whether there are some behind the scenes elements affecting the defending champions, whether the late transfer market moves at Manchester United have become derailed due to a miscalculation over the David De Gea issues with Real Madrid. We also dig into the key indicators at Arsenal, Everton and a surprising Swansea City look to define their seasons around early trends that have either emerged or resurfaced over the first two weeks. Then in part two, David Amoyal of GianlucaDiMarzio.com and ESPN FC joins the show to preview what is lining up to be the most competitive and balanced Serie A in years with plenty of new names, fresh money and huge anticipation across the league. We examine the favorites, the wildcards, the potential disappointments and many of the key storylines that will define calcio in 2015-16.

Joining Anto for a special episode digging into the fallout from summer tournament football is the grassroots guru Tom Byer who gives us an even deeper look into the youth development movement being unveiled in China and why the Far East continues to become the pathfinder in youth development and why the US, among many other countries, produces the same kinds of players. We explore where the Chinese School Football program is in its early phases of implementation, what separates it from other countries who have yet to acknowledge development at the earliest stages of development and what the implications could be for the future. We also dig into the matter of how coaching culture has evolved to cover the shortcomings in a player pool, where parents, federations and stakeholders demand results from deficient player pools where technical standards are not optimal and in many cases deficient at a world class level. Many countries make the same mistakes with rigid systems that do not recognize football instruction as education and how, without that acknowledgment, little no value is now placed on the head start initiatives being employed in the Far East. Then in part two, Dan Orlowitz from our partners at Football Channel Asia joins the show to explore where Japan stands at a key point after the East Asia Football Federation tournament and how new national team manager Vahid Halilhodzic struggles to adapt to the demands and scheduling of a J League currently altering its competition while the football culture demands even further professional standards to take the next step in the world game.

Finally the season has arrived as the transfer window continues to distract and determine how each of the Premier League teams prepares to open the 2015-16 campaign, where the favorites, contenders and surprises are all discussed as well as a new initiative to put the spotlight on FIFA and the opportunity costs that were lost against a landscape of corruption and greed for decades. First up Anto is joined by Phil Brown, his cohost from SiriusXM to dig into the early impressions of where the Premier League is headed before the transfer window is closed for a first take on challenges and objectives for many of the top sides and those who might find it hard to survive the bottom three. In part two, Mel Brennan arrives to give us a first look into his newest project, Red Card: A Film About FIFA, which will hope to chronicle and reveal the many opportunity costs lost due to a long and troubling pattern of diverting a boom of resources away from the very people who needed them most. We also explore the questions that remain in the aftermath of a federal investigation with more rounds of indictments that are sure to follow and how interested listeners can contribute to a new film searching for the truth and a better way to lead the world game forward. Then in our final segment, correspondent Omar Al-Raisi from the UAE to talk some football from the Gulf, the AFC Champions League that is about to resume and a bit of boxing news as Floyd Mayweather and Amir Khan have announced fight plans from Dubai.