Summary: 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.
