Beyond The Pitch

Maybe expectations are just too high for this collection of players with the US National Team after closer examination of third round CONCACAF qualification and how the team performed in Honduras midweek. That is the topic here as Anto and Nico start to examine what went wrong in San Pedro Sula, losing on matchday one after a very uneven and lackluster performance that seemed to lack much in the ideas and execution departments. At the flashpoint has been the US centerbacks for the match Geoff Cameron and Omar Gonzales, but deeper problems truly do exist for this edition of the US player pool as clearly the defensive position has been running dry for quite some time and is fully representative of an overall national team program finally waking up the harsh reality of when young prospects have not been produced successfully between World Cup cycles. Jurgen Klinsmann certainly knows this as he has been forced to reach overseas to Germany without much success either and the eventual successor to Landon Donovan and others appears no closer on the horizon either, forcing Graham Zusi into the breach with less than acceptable results on an international stage. We look back at the 2009 Confederations Cup team, with nearly four years approaching, and examine whether the US program is indeed regressing since that night against Brazil on the center stage of world football. The answer should not shock you, and really puts into stark focus the job Bob Bradley did for US Soccer and the massive challenge ahead for Jurgen Klinsmann and his staff. As Major League Soccer itself continues to increase the number of foreign players, as more and more of the top college players themselves are foreign born talent entering the SuperDraft, massive questions need to be asked about where the next generation of national team players will be developed, if the standard can reach another new level and if what we are seeing from Honduras is the shape of things to come. The dress rehearsal match against Canada in January is yet one more indicator that this next cycle could spell trouble for a talent pool not getting younger and decreasing quality standard when compared to the other top 20 national teams in the world. The United States should qualify with plenty to spare, given that it is CONCACAF, but that appears to be the only achievement based on the evidence at hand.

Investigative journalist, author and leading academic in the field of organized crime and matching fixing Declan Hill joins the show to discuss recent developments in a international law enforcement case where 680 matches have been alleged to have been fixed, both at the professional club and national team level worldwide. At the epicenter of this is a stunning press conference at the tail end of Operation Veto by Europol in which a series of criminals, operatives, officials and even players have been discovered to have links to a vast underground network of fraudulent betting schemes with links to Singapore and notorious figure named Dan Tan. This 19 month investigation has uncovered millions in profits, payouts and bribes and Declan helps us navigate the waters against the landscape of his best-selling book, The Fix, in which much of the scheme and organizations had been profiled and their methods described. None of this is new to the informed or Declan himself who first appeared on this show to explain how the Far East betting market was making moves nearly a decade ago and now an even bigger problem has washed up on the shores of European football including its highest level with the Champions League. Explored here is whether the FIFA Early Warning System has flaws and had left the scope of the problem virtually undetectable, why Dan Tan continues to avoid arrest given the international warrants outstanding, whether former integrity officer at FIFA, Chris Eaton, was marginalized and how football has continued to tolerate this problem to fester through its own inertia and inaction, choosing to offer more platitudes that real steps toward addressing this cancer on the most popular sport in the world. Match-fixing has now shown up in the backyard of FIFA and UEFA headquarters in Switzerland and now in the UK, so past ignorance and media-fueld perceptions that the match-fixing exists in lesser leagues has been handed a rude awakening. We examine whether law enforcement or football administrators have received the wake up call at last, the answer might not surprise most football fans, but leave little doubt that the problem is beyond anything once imagined.

Football commentator and correspondent Gabriele Marcotti joins us to take a look at the picture perfect debut on Sunday at San Siro to bring to a close a first whirlwind week of SuperMario Mania in Milan where the match may have ended on a controversial note, but served up what seems to be a rejuvenated Milan now in striking distance of top three, once thought to be improbable several weeks ago. Once again, the player in this Serie A mercato was Mino Raiola who delivered one of his prized clients to the Rossoneri after a very complex negotiation with Manchester City and presents Balotelli with his best chance yet for success, paired alongside forwards El Shaarawy and Niang, forming what could become the most dynamic front lines in football averaging 20 years of age. We also venture into the matter of top three where Lazio, Inter, Milan and Fiorentina all seem the most viable candidates and examine how each dealt with this marketplace and crystallize what really has become an unpredictable season with so much transition in Serie A. Also looked at here is the battle at the top between Juventus and Napoli, which may in fact come down to whether Edinson Cavani can deliver and take this title. In the second half of this episode we examine the fall of Zeman in his second tenure at AS Roma and try to pull together the factors that led to his demise as they were not always about the results, but about decisions with personnel that got no bigger than his long-running stubbornness in the matter of Daniele De Rossi. Then we close on the matter of Palermo at the bottom of the table and how its abrasive and bombastic owner, Mouricio Zamparini, may finally pay for the many seasons of calamity and controversy after having pushed the panic button during the winter transfer window with many players moving in and out of this roster, much like a supermarket with very little of a plan still in appearance and yet another manager sacked after a massive loss to Atalanta.

German football correspondent and historian Uli Hesse makes another triumphant return to take a look at the many positive trailing indicators in full bloom for the Bundesliga including its most treasured and trumpeted arrival in the name and figure of Pep Guardiola, who will become manager of Bayern Munich for the 2013-14 campaign. There is much to discuss as we consider the rising tide of German football, its growing reputation and what exactly its ceiling could be given the current state of its revenue model and lagging international TV rights earnings when compared to England, Italy and Spain - if only, briefly - as three clubs find themselves in the Champions League group stage, providing Germany its best chance of a European champion in some time. We examine the emergence of Borussia Dortmund as a case study, how the club views its goals against the European and domestic landscape, how the view is changing and whether this increased profile at Bayern and Dortmund will eventually surrender to forces willing to capitalize upon this popularity in raw earnings or whether the continued model and fan experience can remain in tact. We discuss these factors and circle back to the arrival of Guardiola, the boldness of the challenge and whether the old ghosts that plagued Louis van Gaal and Giovanni Trapattoni might actually catch up with him as well given the larger forces at work inside the Bayern changing room and the board room. Will the old ghosts of FC Hollywood emerge again or could it be a new turning point for the Bavarian giants - appears to be little middle ground with such an appointment. This is a big test for both Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola which shall be quite interesting to observe in the months ahead. We also touch on each of the German teams in the knockout rounds, where they stand in relationship to the trophy and whether Bayern, as usual, sits in pole position to deliver on the double at the very least.

Oliver Kay of The Times joins at a key point of the season as the transfer window closes and the league approaches its final, most important third of the season where only two of the top 12 teams in the table were able to collect three points at midweek. Surely this was a key checkpoint as questions still linger for what was once thought two major contenders in Manchester City and Chelsea who stumbled with what seemed almost predictable draws and an Everton team which continues to pass the important tests and finds itself undisturbed by key transfers going out and remains as healthy as could be best expected. Also in the focal point are Arsenal and Liverpool who battled to a somewhat predictable draw at the Emirates and left even more questions than answers, but of little doubt is Manchester United at the top with two unyielding talking points: an air of inevitability and the ongoing questions about first team goalkeeper David De Gea who continues to produce as many doubts as he does victories, not for this league title, but maybe what he might reveal in the key stages of the Champions League. Oli has some key insight into what his future may bring and provides a bit of insight from Old Trafford into what has been a problem for United this season, the ability to allow cheap goals that could haunt them in Europe. Also in focus here is the ongoing dress rehearsal for Rafa Benitez at Chelsea and two very valuable points squandered at Reading and whether a tipping has been reached for the Blues already, whether David Moyes has the squad to break through into that top four at last and what next for an Aston Villa team that appears headed for free fall if not relegation in the end. We also check in on the problems for Manchester City who continue to stay close to United, but just seem to lack that ability to find the goals when they matter against smaller clubs. Loads covered here in terms of trends and patterns that have emerged this season and whether they might just define a rather uneven season in the weeks and months ahead.

MUTV pundit and Manchester United legend Mickey Thomas joins the show to give us his take on the long term investment on Crystal Palace striker Wilfried Zaha, the two pronged difference of Robin Van Persie and the return of a healthy Nemanja Vidic to the squad as Sir Alex looks to reclaim a title lost a season ago on the narrowest of margins, goal difference. We also preview the glamour tie that will mark the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford and how Fergie might view that all important first leg away at Real Madrid given that the reigning Spanish champions seem to have reclaimed a bit of form of late. Mickey has some very pointed words in his defence of goalkeeper David De Gea, what we should or could expect from first year signing Shinji Kagawa at the business end of the season, weighs in on the nature of media pressure and expectations on players and even gives his opinion on what happens the day Sir Alex walks away from the football club. Little known is how Mickey moved to the United States where he played for the Wichita Wings of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), when indoor soccer was at its height when traditional outdoor version of football went into hibernation with the collapse of the NASL. He played in Wichita, Kansas for two seasons before moving back to Wales where he played for various other teams in the English League and returning to Wrexham in 1991, where in a highly memorable FA Cup defeat of Arsenal in 1992, the then 37-year-old Mickey Thomas scored on a laser beam of a free kick. Mickey has a tremendous personal story and his value to the discussion today on media, fan culture and sport is hugely important given the perspective he provides.

James Dorsey of Senior Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore makes his second appearance on the show to help us break down the situation after renewed violence erupted in the wake of a number of death sentences handed down from the Egyptian judiciary in response to the incident at Port Said. The accused Al-Masry fans were charged in the deaths of 74 fans from Al-Ahly soccer club during a match in Port Said last February, a day after the two year anniversary of the revolution that toppled former President Hosni Mubarak. James provides the kind of deep dive analysis and insight into this tragedy, the challenges and objectives of a post-revolutionary government struggling to reform its institutions and how long-standing perceptions both in terms of that judiciary and the security forces help shape public opinion and deep seated internal turmoil based on decades of repression. We examine how the issues in Egypt will serve as a series of challenges for the Morsi government and what some of the options may be while also being cognizant of the prejudices and historical comparisons with another Muslim country in Turkey where actual reform and serious change took not years, but decades itself. We also examine the concept of what dignity looks like for the ultras and protesters in the street, how perception can only be altered after many deeds over a long period of time and why Morsi will have some key domestic choices and international relationships to manage in the coming months. These measures would seem to include new legislation that would enforce independence of public prosecutors and separate them from investigative authorities, an independent commission to investigate cases of death and serious injury caused by police and security forces, while regulating the use of force and firearms in a nation left largely broken on the heels of revolution. We close on the matter of examining what steps Morsi and the government could do to avert further riots and demonstrations on March 9th, when the sentencing of another 54 defendants is handed down, including the former officers. As always, there are few that can provide the level of context and perspective that James Dorsey can, so if you want to seriously understand the ramifications inside the country, this is a serious subject matter expert with some fabulous insight.

Daniel Geey of the Competition and EU Regulatory Law Group at Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP joins up again with Anto to talk through some of the regulatory issues facing third party ownership of players with an eye towards compliance with Financial Fair Play, while taking into account new energy around standardizing the rules from a recent initiative championed by Michel Platini, UEFA and its Professional Football Strategy Council. At the core of this episode is framing the debate between establishing a level set of rules across all of the European leagues while ensuring that smaller leagues and less powerful clubs can find sustainability and strike a competitive balance where not all leagues in the football world are equal. Both FIFA and UEFA have both issued strong statements against the practice of third party interests holding rights to players as there now appears to be a battle brewing between standardization in practice and application versus those clubs and interests who consider third party ownership a valuable economic tool to level the playing field. The questions and concerns posted here is whether prohibition is the answer as found in England and France today or whether balanced measures with new layers of accountability and transparency are the answer as both agents and leagues in countries such as Portugal, Spain, Holland and Belgium do use this strategy much like South American teams do today, while Italy uses another form of co-ownership between football clubs that may prove even more effective as tool given that it is the clubs themselves who negotiate the terms. We examine recent statements by UEFA President, Michel Platini, Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes and Rob Jansen, the chairman of the European Football Agents Association, to evaluate where the future for third party ownership might actually reside, and open the discussion into club-sponsored academies around the world which may themselves be hedge funds in another disguise. In the end, the episode gets into the many questions out there about the practice of third party, whether some form of this strategy does make sense in a Financial Fair Play world and if prohibition does appear to the only path forward.

Former Manchester United, Norwich City and Aston Villa striker Dian Dublin joins the show to explain the next exciting phase of his life as the inventor of a musical instrument called The Dube, which he has brought to The NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center, one of the largest music product trade shows in the world and what went into its development. Dion gives us all the background on his new musical invention, how it came about, the many musicians including Stevie Wonder who have adopted it and endorse it and what his future plans are for marketing this percussive instrument. We also have the opportunity to dig back into his very rich career from his early days at Cambridge United and then to Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson came calling and how his star crossed fortune paved the way for the arrival of Eric Cantona at a key juncture in club history just before the run of trophies began and gave birth to an era of dominance in football. Dion shares how he was recruited, why Manchester United won the battle for his services and even a look at Norwich today and whether Chris Hughton can guide the Canaries to the more difficult task of second year survival in the Premier League. We also examine the history of two devastating injuries that almost completely derailed his playing career, a broken leg against Crystal Palace after a tackle by Eric Young and a more serious neck injury that could have been life-altering and ultimately did not end his career while at Aston Villa. But this is a story as much about his passion for music as it is a love for football and Dion explains what has been behind bringing The Dube to life, production and wide-scale distribution. Check his thoughts on the defenders of his day, who was the toughest centre back he ever faced and his thoughts on Wilfried Zaha who appears headed to Old Trafford during this transfer window. The Dube is a stylish cube percussion instrument which comes in four sizes and can be totally customised in colour schemes and tones, ideal for musicians, in schools, even DJ sets, the list is endless. Musicians and drummers including Courtney Pine and Thomas Lang to name but two have trialled this instrument and recommend it.

Belgian football expert and observer John Chapman makes his debut on the show where he gives us his view of the game in Belgium, both in the club ranks and with a national team that is considered among the serious up and coming challengers in the next two World Cup cycles if all goes according to expectation. At the center of this conversation is the emergence of a young, dynamic and deep class of Belgian players under head coach Marc Wilmots who have left their mark this season in a number of professional leagues across Europe and are locked in a 2014 Brazil Qualification fight with Croatia in Group A with a huge match perhaps being the fulcrum of this campaign in Zagreb in October. We examine whether the development cycle has substance or has been more a formula whereby a player cycle found unintended consequences and try to establish what the future looks like for the biggest clubs in Belgium as clubs from larger and more established leagues continue to raid this league for some truly quality talent. We also examine the transfer speculation surrounding Lucas Biglia and Dieudonné Mbokani and whether Anderlecht can sustain the overtures for their transfers during this winter period. Also discussed here is the emergence of Sacha Kljestan who has helped restore some of the midfield balance over a very important winning streak and a brief look at former player Roland Lamah who has sealed a move from Osasuna to Swansea City. John has a very interesting take on whether the window opening for the Belgian National Team has serious potential and whether Romelu Lukaku could be that player to take this generation to the destination where the biggest expectations currently reside.

Football writer and biographer Philippe Auclair joins us on a rather interesting discussion that begins on the topic of Thierry Henry, the primary figure of a new book penned by Philippe on the much misunderstood star that has been Henry throughout his career. We explore his place in that period of time in the late 1990s and early 2000s when a young French striker led two revolutions though his brilliance, both for the French National Team and at Arsenal FC with Arsene Wenger as the Premier League grew into maturity and Henry became its most bankable star as the Invincibles soon defined excellence in this new league growing with fresh new stars. We get into the many facets of Thierry Henry, how his stardom and reaction to it was shaped at a very early period in his playing career, how he influenced an emerging American marketplace as the Premier League moved from its early adopter phase, interesting backroom details on a pre-contract that could never be fulfilled and how even today he is considered as remote or detached in the public eye, almost defying what we come to expect from transformative figures in the game. The conversation then turns to the matter of surprise package Lyon under Remi Garde who have over-performed this season and should eventually crack under the weight of talent and expense at PSG, what the longer term strategy is for clubs like Lyon and why there are serious concerns about the competitive landscape in Ligue 1 when only one team can spend and others continue to sell at precisely the right moment given market conditions. This conversation soon evolved into one of higher end football finance, whether UEFA Financial Fair Play in a French context will become a moot point given the QSI influence throughout French and continental football and whether the lessons learned here will soon apply throughout Europe given globalization and economic interests on a geo-political level where profits are not really what is at stake. Football in these circles is about influence and the sport is a proper vehicle on which to build real global influence with some of the largest organizations in the world of sport. We also examine the Younes Belhanda situation in the January transfer window, perhaps a deconstruction and selling off of important players at Montpellier less than a year removed from a remarkable Ligue 1 trophy and check in on Joey Barton at Marseille, one of the most interesting football stories of the year in one of the top football cities in France, if not Europe in total.

Part two of the AFCON 2013 preview takes a look at each of the groups to look for match-ups, favorites, players who could catch fire and offer some predictions as to who could shake things up much like we saw a year ago when Zambia took home the trophy. Anto is joined by Ed Aarons once again, contributor to the BBC, The Sun and The Independent and always has some great insights in the African game. There are clear favorites, but there will always be those surprises and they will reveal themselves in several unheralded national teams in the form of Cape Verde, DR Congo, Algeria and maybe a bold deep challenge yet again by Mali. At the core of the discussion is three teams from North Africa, all of them with their weaknesses but seem poised to challenge each of their groups and could make some noise should they reach the knockout rounds. We examine the potential for the glamour match-up denied at year ago in Ivory Coast-Ghana, look for emerging stars that many have to see and even predict a couple of dark horse candidates should the favorites not break through again. This might be the swan song for Didier Drogba, but there are several key players who could shape 2013. In major talking points we look at Nigeria and some curious decisions with their roster, the upward trajectory for DR Congo, the real threat from Algeria and whether Tunisia can build on its success a year ago when they took Ghana to extra time in the quarterfinals. Expect the unexpected in South Africa and we will check back to see whether these predictions were correct.

Manchester United legend and current MUTV in-studio pundit Paddy Crerand joins the show just before his 50th year of association with the football club, who will honor him in early February with a special presentation. Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1939, and after six years with Celtic, on the fifth anniversary of the Munich air disaster, he signed for the Reds in 1963 and his commitment and contribution to United has become priceless ever since, as loyal to the cause now as he was the day he stepped out at Old Trafford. One of the most candid pundits out there today, Paddy offers his very unique perspective on the arrival of Robin Van Persie this season, why he so easily transitioned into the first team and embraced the culture at Manchester United and pay very close attention on his insights about Sir Alex Ferguson and whether he will ever actually retire given his continued passion and competitive nature and ability to find new challenges every season. We also examine how the culture at Manchester United is shaped, how the ability of a player is just as important as personality type and how that gets reflected in the return of former star players such Cristiano Ronaldo who will certainly receive a wonderful reception in the Champions League. We also discuss the return of Wayne Rooney to the first team after a slow start this season and if the arrival of Van Persie will change his position or place in the formation and how matters will get resolved to insure that these two key players can work out together as the bigger European nights are upon us starting in February. Paddy also gives us a recap of his infamous rants with sports radio in the UK and even weighs in on Scottish football, Gordon Strachan and so much more.

Phil and Anto are joined by Gareth Roberts from Well Red Magazine to take a look at Liverpool Football Club at a key juncture of its season after a loss against Manchester United and facing the sum of its performances against the Premier League top ten has been less than proficient in 2012-13. This begins with where the process is under Brendan Rodgers in his first season, but also a point where young players are producing in terms of appearances but perhaps not always consistently with respect to directly impacting matches. Gareth helps us separate what supporters see in this edition of the club, take stock of what is going right for the club, placing the development in the context of a plan and examining what the organization has decided to do in its search for players and its overall personnel strategy. The great news is that Liverpool finds itself in a very important position as it stands today, a team that clearly has made positive strides, appears to have settled on a philosophy that can work at Anfield, but lacks a bit in the mentality department as the level between top six and top four is razor thin given the standard of the league. We examine the youth on the team sheet, the evolving nature of introducing young players into the mix, whether the transfer strategy simply needs to be confirmed with a bit of success or is this just a matter of time for the ideas to take root, given that the club itself has stressed that serious Champions League football is part of an overall longer term plan, ensuring that what is done this season at the club is considered a building block for future seasons, player acquisitions and overall progress. Gareth also helps us weigh in on the prevailing issue at Liverpool during this key period which is whether more pragmatism might just be the strategy given that an upcoming stretch of matches against the top ten will define where Liverpool finishes the season. Another wonderful discussion with a writer and club supporter deeply involved with the ins and outs of Liverpool as an important transition is underway.

Anto is joined with football correspondent Ed Aarons for a part one of a preview for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in which we take a look at several of the big talking points that have surfaced as provisional and final squads have been submitted during the tune-up phase of national team preparation. Needless to say, a year removed from the surprising rise of Zambia and the Copper Bullets, many of the questions are a final audition for that remarkable dress rehearsal settled by single elimination penalties. At the core of the discussion is a window of opportunity closing for Didier Drogba with even more questions of this team than the last, a lesser talented Ghana side than 2012 with late scratch Andre Ayew of Olympique de Marseille as a massive loss to the cause, past stars continental level stars who have been pressured by their professional clubs to not attend this edition and whether this might just be a tournament for emerging stars such as Younes Belhanda of Morocco, Kwadwo Asamoah of the Black Stars and Tokelo Rantie of South Africa in front of the home fans. Questions are in abundance here about the return of Togo to the competition after a tragedy in 2010, if Mali can make that next step and if the shuffle of host nations with Libya might just give the Bafana Bafana another emotional awakening from tournaments past. This is the primer for a number of looks we will take at one of the great international tournaments kicking off on 19 January.