A Football Report

The AFR Voice team have trekked all over the globe once more this week - making sense of Jose Mourinho’s cautious tactics at Old Trafford, questioning the ethics of Manchester City trying to buy a club in the A-League and hailing the phenomenal attendance at the Seattle-Portland Cascadian derby. The latter was the scene of this week’s #whereisfootball winner and proudly adorns our cover art for the next seven days. All that audio travelling pales into insignificance compared to photographers Gad Salner and Vadim Tarasov, who have clocked up hundreds of actual miles to explore the lower-leagues of Israeli football. In an interview with Gad, we hear how the pair went about compiling a set of photos that powerfully depict the grit and spirit at the bottom of the footballing pyramid, and its ability to carve through political and social tensions. There’s a film in the works too. As always we welcome your contributions – tweet us at @AFRvoice or email afrvoice@gmail.com.

AFR Voice is back for episode two of the season, and we’re throwing ourselves two footed into everything that the footballing world has to offer this week. Did the Confederations Cup not quite do it for you tournament-wise this Summer? Then fear not - this week’s main feature focuses on the Homeless World Cup which took place in Poland last week. We’ll be speaking to AFR’s Amy Eustace who was out there volunteering – she’ll be telling us about the tournament, and the positive impact that it has on the lives of the people involved. Then it’s off to take a look at the things that caught our eye in the global game this week – the good and bad side of the Italian Super Cup, Mario Balotelli showcasing his off-field talents, playing the kick-off lottery in La Liga, and how Farnborough FC from the English Conference South have assembled the greatest team that the world has ever seen, on paper at least. Oh, and we might mention some Portuguese guy who you may have heard has just started a new job in West London. And big props to Instagram user @joseph_surposeph who took our favourite #whereisfootball photo this week, and has been duly rewarded with the pod’s cover art this week. A delightful snap from Eastlands on Monday evening. Don’t forget to get in touch – tweet us at @AFRvoice or fire some electronic mail our way at afrvoice@gmail.com. Tidy.

The sweet smell of cut grass, the piercing sound of the referee’s whistle and moans at Arsenal’s transfer woes are in the air again…which can mean only one thing – football is back . The AFR Voice squad are changing up their style of play this season, with a greater emphasis on ‘voice’ than ever before. Each week – yes that’s weekly – we’ll set our focus on the very best of the writing published and championed on the AFR website and complement it with interviews, discussion and debate. In the inaugural show of this new campaign, we picked out three stories that quenched our thirst for football over the summer drought – our selection included a poignant piece on the collision of protests and football during Brazil’s Confederations Cup, the shameful blow to the dignity of Women’s football in England and the arrival of camera technology…on referee’s heads. There’s also a quick-fire preview of the major European leagues and the occasional highlighting of the more bizarre things the game has to offer, namely Radamel Falcao dressing like Duran Duran. Each week, we'll also focus on the #whereisfootball Instagram project, with the show's cover art being handed over to our shot of the week. First up is @escapetosuomi's view of Arsenal against Man City in the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. One thing remains the same though - you can get your views to the podcast team on @AFRvoice, or afrvoice@gmail.com.

It’s over. It’s over for another season. But as the transfer window gets wrenched open, the managerial merry-go-round starts to gain momentum, and the last of the champagne-drenched Bayern Munich and Crystal Palace players get scraped up from the Wembley turf, AFR Voice is back one last time to get under the skin of the weekend’s action. We start off with none other than club football's showpiece event – the UEFA Champions League Final. Tune in for extensive audio from the pod’s roving reporters, Paddy and Alex, soaking up the pre-game atmosphere in Piccadilly Circus, before delving into the future of football courtesy of the Adidas Lab where we got chatting to some of AFR’s finest about technology and just where the game is going. We’ve also got a chat with journalist and Bundesliga expert Archie Rhind-Tutt to give us his take on the final and what the future holds for both Dortmund and Bayern. Then it’s off to possibly the most lucrative game in world football where Crystal Palace were triumphant over Watford in the Championship play-off final, earning themselves enough money to buy a small country in the process. But just for how long will the party last? And what are they going to do with all that cash? To finish off, we’ve got a roundup of what else has been going on outside of North London– Monaco making big (bank) statements in the transfer market, more heartbreak for Benfica, the US Open Cup third round, and a fight for the final Champions League spot in a La Liga campaign that doesn’t show any sign of finishing until about mid-August. And with that, we are done. Many thanks to everyone for listening, tweeting and emailing throughout the season – we massively appreciate your involvement, and we’ll catch you soon!

The pod wraps up all of the last day action of the Premier League with a focus on the North London scrabble for a Champions League place and we wave off Sir Alex Ferguson, Jamie Carragher, Paul Scholes and Michael Owen to name a few. We even highlight the chance to own Sir Alex’s final piece of gum chewed as the Manchester United manager. With the final day in the English top tier proving relatively sedate, we headed to Europe for some end of season drama: AC Milan and Schalke stealing a last gasp Champions League spots, Atletico Madrid grabbing the Copa del Rey, and a tearful farwell in Paris to one man; one beautiful, moisturised man. Across the pond meanwhile, there's all the breaking developments with NYC FC, and AFR chief Eric Beard's not so subtle ways of potentially recruiting players for the new franchise. The European love-in continued at great pace courtesy of pod member and Chelsea fan Alex who regaled his experience of watching the Europa League final live in the Amsterdam Arena. Armed with the trusty AFR dictaphone, he provided an entertaining and pulsating account of another glorious night on the continent for The Blues. Whilst the match was a memorable one (no matter how much Benfica fans will want to forget it), the final is no match for the big daddy of them all – the Champions League final at Wembley this Saturday. As if you needed any further encouragement, we whet your appetite for the colossal clash with a match preview and prediction. Keep an ear out for our show next Tuesday, our final podcast of the season, when we’ll give a full debrief of the Munich-Dortmund game and pour out some champagne as we fondly (and hazily) look back on another sensational season of football. As always, you can get in touch with the team by tweeting @AFRvoice, or emailing afrvoice@gmail.com

It’s early May, which in footballing terms generally means one thing: it’s business time. And AFR Voice is punching in for this week’s audio shift with plenty to talk about. Whether it be a 33-man match in Norway, horror challenges on reporters in Denmark, or the hottest thing out of the Madrid branch of IKEA since someone burnt the meatballs, we’ve got it covered. The Premier League title may be all wrapped up and tucked away safely in Manchester, but there’s still plenty to play for. We’ll be taking a look at the cross-London melee for the final Champions League places, whilst at the other end, any team not in the top half of the table will be nervously looking over their shoulders as Wigan make their customary late push for survival (if they’re not too busy winning the FA Cup). Then we hop down into the lower leagues where there was a crazy final day in the Championship, and Paddy waxes lyrical about the play-offs as the league pyramid continues to shuffle itself for a couple more weeks yet. We’ll then be popping off overseas where Juventus celebrate winning the title (and having a dressing room the size of an aircraft hanger), Dortmund fans tell Mario Goetze what they really think of his big-money move to Bayern, and what happened behind closed doors at Milan’s training ground when Andrea Pirlo was in town. Oh, and we may also give a slight mention to those German teams who seemed to do rather well in the Champions League semi-finals against some half-decent Spanish opposition, and what we can expect from the final later this month. Sehr gut. Contact us as always on afrvoice@gmail.com, or @AFRvoice on twitter.

The Champions League trophy has landed in London and AFR Voice can proudly say it had a hand in the journey after UEFA kindly invited us to see the famous big-eared trophy travel through the capital. The curvaceous silverware was transported via tube, taxi and London bus on it's way to the home of English football for the glamour final. You can watch the rather unusual journey here. Happily, we hopped on the bus to speak to the cup's security guard for the day, Chelsea, Blackburn and England legend Graeme Le Saux. He told us about his Champions League experiences, what he makes of Jose Mourinho’s mooted return to Chelsea, and his take on the controversially late kick off for the FA Cup final. In this interview special pod, we also spoke to ex-England women's captain Faye White who was marshalling the women's trophy through the sea of star-struck and slightly bemused commuters. We chatted about the health of the women’s game, the pros and cons of wearing a protective mask in the biggest game of your life and whether Arsene Wenger should get the boot. You’ll hear all of us next Tuesday in our full guise when we give you a comprehensive debrief on the Champions League semi-finals, round-up the final weeks of the European leagues and discover whether Branislav Ivanovic has turned into a zombie with a hint of Uruguayan DNA. If you want to get in touch, remember to email us on afrvoice@gmail.com, or tweet us @AFRvoice

The Premier League title race may be all wrapped up by now, but AFR Voice is by no means finished with the season just yet. With plenty of football still to be played, we’ll be taking a look this week at the movers and shakers in England and abroad, as well as discussing the latest artificial playing surface controversy to hit Norway, managerial frat parties in Eastern Europe, and Manchester United’s Shinji Kagawa playing Dr. Dolittle in one of the most bizarre TV commercials that we’ve ever seen for a Japanese broadband provider. We’ve also got an exclusive interview with ex-Blackburn, Chelsea, Southampton and England left-back maestro Graeme Le Saux, who has been talking to Ben about all things Champions League as the famous trophy makes its way to Wembley for next month’s final. If this isn’t enough to quench your audio thirst then we’ll be taking an in-depth look at all of the weekend’s Premier League action, including the ever-tightening fight for the top four, Wigan’s fight to avoid joining QPR and Reading in the relegation sewer, and of course, Luis Suarez’s rather tasty challenge on Branislav Ivanovic. Then it’s time to put the domestic action on hold and get European. With two tasty Champions League semi-finals coming up this week, we’ll be picking apart the chances of each team and making some potentially questionable predictions about who will be taking to the pitch at Wembley next month. As per usual, we’ll be finishing off with a round-up of the leagues from around the world, where Landon Donovan is back and already knocking on Klinsman’s office door in the MLS, early morning training sessions have taken on a new meaning in the German second tier, and find out which figure in Italian football has made it into Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world (clue: it’s not Pirlo’s hairdresser). If you feel like chewing the pod's ear off, get in touch by tweeting @AFRvoice, or emailing afrvoice@gmail.com. Pass me a napkin.

Okay okay, as much as we try, we can’t seriously muster the belief that the Premier League title race has been blown wide open, even if Manchester City did triumph against their neighbours on Monday. After speeding through the Manchester derby, we pulled up and rubbernecked the almighty scramble for survival at the foot of the table. Whilst Aston Villa have really hit top gear and Stoke continue to stall, Reading and QPR are now surely all set for the scrapyard? Amongst our relegation predictions we discuss Gabriel Agbonlahor’s scoring record, Paolo Di Canio’s promising debut at Stamford Bridge and Newcastle amazing knack of scoring crucial last minute goals. Then it’s off to MLS to round up a set of games that we are creatively branding ‘Upset Weekend’. Snappy isn’t it? We also check in on the A-League finals down under and tour the notable events defining the European leagues – including Bayern sewing up the Bundesliga title, PSG running away with it in Ligue 1 and a belated but well-earned tribute to Francesco Totti’s 20-year reign in Serie A. Oh and of course, an audio slap on the wrist for Mario Balotelli who was caught smoking in the train toilets on his way to play Fiorentina. As well as the headline-groping stories, we’ll also be bringing you some rather left-field stories from the global game such as an amazing penalty save and goal scoring combo from a Portuguese keeper, the unlikely return of Matthew Le Tissier to football and El Clasico played out exclusively by dogs. Woof! Recording finished with Borussia Dortmund drawing 1-1 with Malaga and all-set to crash out of the Champions League. Didn’t miss anything did we? As always, get in touch with the show by tweeting @AFRvoice, or emailing afrvoice@gmail.com

We may be in the middle of an International break but AFR Voice isn’t taking a time out. No sir. We’ve got our passports out and spend this week’s podcast picking up some serious air miles as we charge around the globe bringing you everything you need to know about the World Cup qualifiers on 5 different continents. So as teams from around the world have pulled out of the international lay-by and got back on the road to Brazil 2014, we start off by looking at the delicately poised groups in Europe, discuss if a pre-qualifying stage for so-called International “minnows” is a good idea, and look at the possibility of Montenegro installing trap doors under the pitch against England in an act of gamesmanship. Then it's off around the world where the USMNT have been fighting snow, frost and Costa Rica in the Hex, Lionel Messi has been getting some extra camera time in South America, and New Zealand have qualified top of the Oceania group (but Shane Smeltz has still been left with a qualification headache). There's also time for a quick round-up of all of the week’s MLS action, a special look at the Australian A-League (where it really is business time), plus we discuss what it takes to get the Blackburn managerial job, and why everything on Wikipedia must be true. Get in touch with the team to mock Paddy's poor betting selections, suggest more leagues to cover, or anything else for that matter - tweet us on @AFRvoice, or email afrvoice@gmail.com

Spring is in the air, except in freezing cold London, so it's an especially husky outing for the AFR Voice team as they wrap up the last two weeks in football. Amidst all the usual winter fare of Premier League and FA Cup action, the green shoots of MLS and the Champions League have sprung again, we’ve seen quite literally a new breed of pitch invader, and perhaps most importantly, you can now watch games from a pitch side jacuzzi in Zurich (and yes, you did read that last point correctly). There's the usual look at all things Anglophile – have Liverpool hit form at the right time? Will Chelsea and Man United be able to play their FA Cup replay before the final itself? And when Spring arrives, are Wigan the best team that the world has ever seen? We’ll also take our pick of who is going to jump off the managerial merry-go-round and straight into the Reading manager’s office, and we’ll see who’s been getting all artistic at Stoke. Then it’s straight into all of the action from around the world. We start off in MLS where both the Western and Eastern conferences seem to be having a Canadian affair, Seattle may soon be making a significant addition to their roster, and Ryan Nelsen starts to make his mark in Toronto. Then it’s back over to Europe where Palermo put Chelsea’s managerial dismissal policy to shame, Atletico Madrid surrender their 100% home record, and Montpellier attempt to start discussions with a certain Diego about taking charge next season, so watch this space.... As always, you get in touch with the team by emailing afrvoice@gmail.com, or join in with the 'at which point before the World Cup will Jack Wilshere get injured' sweepstake by tweeting @AFRvoice.

Was the Capital One League Cup Final the biggest fairy-tale final of all time? With Swansea’s remarkable resurgence since flirting with relegation to non-league football in 2003 and Bradford’s relentless giant-slaying cup run, it was a game where any result could be cherished – and cherish it we do, with a full match analysis and examination of each club’s heart-warming stories. After that resplendent walk in a field of football calm, we scamper through the weekend’s high-octane Premier League games and it’s Tottenham Hotspur who are getting all of our attention – great coach, world class talisman, likeable players - we’ve got a stranger feeling in our stomachs… we think we’ve fallen in love with Spurs. Talking of the North London side, we’ll be talking to Tottenham and Liverpool legend Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock. Larger than life, choc-full of anecdotes and hearty belly-laughs – he tells us all about his famous dust-up with Eric Cantona, Liverpool’s current prospects and his old ties with Paolo Di Canio, which seamlessly enough draws us into a look at the bizarre goings on at the League One club. In our final leg, we receive a preview of the new MLS season courtesy of a severely jet-lagged Alex and we merrily skip around the European Leagues. Whilst the championships may be pretty much over in Bundesliga, La Liga and Seria A, we turn to the red-hot chases for Champions League places instead, including a hard-fought Milan derby. Although, there really is only one news story in town; Diego Maradona (and his lawyers) return to Italian soil for the first time in 8 years! All that, plus news of plans to erect slides at St James’s Park (we kid you not), and considerable salivation over some truly special goals from Dimitar Berbatov, Papiss Cisse and Rafael. As always, get in touch with the Voice team by tweeting @AFRvoice or emailing afrvoice@gmail.com. Do it.

What a couple of weeks it’s been in the world of football. We start with an interview with ESPN FC’s Mark Lomas to talk all things African Cup of Nations, before discussing the possible implications of the Europol match fixing scandal, what it means for football, and if there is a solution to the problem. Elsewhere (in case you hadn't noticed) David Beckham has signed for PSG, the Premier League has seen one of its finest own goals, and England have pretty much made themselves favourites to win next year’s World Cup. So strap in and let the latest edition of AFR Voice take you through all of the issues that you need to know (as well as plenty of stuff that you don’t), including bridal showers at the Bernabéu, a delightful selection of carpets in Turkey, and a new kind of card being brandished by referees in the Greek lower leagues. We’ll also be taking time to get under the skin of this weekend’s Premier League action and decide if Manchester United already have the title sown up, before heading overseas to discuss toiler humour in Germany, running baths in France, and just how the USMNT are going to fight their way out of the most sinister-sounding of World Cup qualifying rounds – the Hex. As always, you can get in touch with the team by tweeting @AFRvoice or emailing afrvoice@gmail.com.

It’s been a magical weekend of FA Cup action, but now the dust has settled, Luton have finished celebrating, and Oldham’s Matt Smith has stopped shoving Martin Skrtel around the penalty area, let the latest of edition of AFR Voice take you through all the highs and lows of what was a truly rollercoaster weekend of fourth round drama. We’ll be taking a good look at all of the weekend’s big upsets – Oldham dumping out last year’s finalists Liverpool, Brentford holding cup holders Chelsea, Leeds knocking out a much fancied Spurs side, as well as the MK Dons shoving Harry Redknapp back into the transfer window “gang war” in a bid to sign up yet more talent that may (but most probably won’t) keep QPR up. We’ll also be saying a fond farewell to Mario Balotelli as he heads back to Milan, as well as what to do if a Premier League footballer’s car gets a puncture outside your house, and why unemployed French tutors should get on a train up to Newcastle, and pronto. Then it’s off around Europe where Lazio are desperately trying to recruit a new ornithological mascot before the January window shuts, Cristiano Ronaldo’s hatrick still isn’t enough to upstage Messi in La Liga, and Zlatan gets a good megging in Ligue 1, before we head down to South Africa to give you an update on all of the happenings at the African Cup of Nations, including the real reason as to Cape Verde are proving to be such high fliers. As always, you can get in touch with the team by tweeting @AFRvoice or emailing afrvoice@gmail.com

Blow up the balloons, get those cake candles lit and fire up the party tunes - it's the January transfer window's 10th birthday! To celebrate the momentous occasion we give the old boy the birthday bumps - providing a bruising analysis of the Premier League institution. Sure it's a guilty pleasure for fans to enjoy, but is it more disruptive than helpful to clubs and what are the alternatives? Also in our party bag is a complete round-up of the weekend's top-tier games - we doff our caps to ageing fine wines Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, whilst also dressing down Jon Walters's double own-goal fiasco at Chelsea and salivating over Reading's incredible comeback against West Brom. The club game is wrapped up with a giddy dance around the European leagues - including a look at Kevin Prince-Boateng's stand against racism and some deliciously mischievous rumours linking Pep Guardiola to Bayern Munich. The cherry on the top of the audio cake is our preview of the African Cup of Nations - we'll be assessing the traditional big boys' chances, launching a sweepstake and lighting a candle of hope for 'plucky minnows' and AFCoN debutants Cape Verde. For those with an irreverent sweet tooth, we'll be giving a nod to Clarence Seedorf's miraculous music career, an adorable dog invasion at Galatasaray and champion Italy's less complimentary answer to the Ballon d'Or...the Golden Bin Awards!