In Part 1, Lee and Paul investigate why Slovakia have finally been recognised as EURO 1976 winners 49 years later – with the help of a UEFA insider, a Slovak football podcaster and people on the ground in the capital, Bratislava. How is the successor country of a no-longer existing nation like Czechoslovakia determined? What brought about the update on UEFA’s website on 12 September? And what do Slovaks make of the bizarre timing of this decision?

In Part 2, the focus switches to the Italian lower leagues. There’s a mafia infiltration at Crotone at Foggia, as various criminal gangs target teams based in the south of Italy. Further north, Ternana appoint the 23-year-old daughter of a billionaire as their new club president. And Italy-based FC Südtirol face WSG Tirol of Austria, the club with only one away fan (sort of), in an intriguing match-up of two teams based in regions that used to be in the same country.

#slovakia #euro1976 #uefa #worldfootball #footballpodcast #crotone #ternana #seriec #serieb #italianfootball

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#MakeItHappen – Montserrat v India friendly

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The Sweeper team

• Hosts: Lee Wingate and Paul Watson

• Editor: Ralph Foster

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

00:51 – Czechoslovakia's EURO 1976 win

05:27 – Football successor nations

09:28 – UEFA's recognition for Slovakia

14:21 – Reaction from Bratislava

25:47 – Montserrat's challenge to India

30:04 – Crotona's mafia infiltration

35:00 – Atalanta U23s in Serie C south

37:47 – Ternana's 23-year-old club president

42:17 – Serie C on FIFA+

44:04 – Battle of the Italian & Austrian Tyrols

46:10 – WSG Tirol's one away supporter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Part 1, Lee & Paul bring you the best stories from the UEFA club competitions. FC Copenhagen are preparing to cross the Øresund Bridge to Sweden in the Champions League, but what record will the tie break? Which Kazakh club located as far east as China could make it into Europe’s premier club tournament for the first time? Why did Welsh side Penybont have to splurge €3,300 on their trip to Lithuania? Is there a more Satnav-friendly international tie than Shelbourne v. Linfield? And what can we expect from the new UEFA Women’s Europa Cup?

In Part 2, there are stories from Greenland, Australia, Japan, Norway, Estonia & Bolivia. How did B-67 player Søren Kreutzmann spend his one rest day at the 2025 GreenlandicFootball Championship in Nuuk? What all-time record did fourth-tier Nunawading City set in the Australian Cup round of 32? Which Japanese university team has been making headlines in the Emperor’s Cup? How could Lillestrøm be knocked out of the 2026 Norwegian Cup before contesting the 2025 final? And what on earth is Colombian footballer Efmamjjasond González named after?!

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Editor: Ralph Foster

In this episode of The Sweeper Podcast, we cover the big stories from 2026 World Cup qualifying and the latest international football news from Europe and beyond:

Part 1: Europe

• Austria’s stadium sinkhole saga continues as Ralf Rangnick takes to an e-bike
• Romania’s Mircea Lucescu becomes the second-oldest international coach ever
• Kosovo are unofficial world champions - but continue to face geopolitical challenges
• Erling Haaland apologises mid-game as Norway beat Moldova by record 11-1 score
• Slovakia and Iceland upset the odds to record famous World Cup qualifying wins

Part 2: Rest of the world

• Suriname turn around their fortunes with sports passport initiative & Dutch DNA
• Bolivia rely on altitude again to give themselves an edge in World Cup qualifying
• Uzbekistan continue incredible year by beating Iran to win 2025 CAFA Nations Cup
• Nepal cancel Bangladesh friendly due to civil unrest & elect new leader on Discord
• Northern Mariana Islands’ U23s face China in one of football’s biggest mismatches

The Sweeper is the global football podcast bringing you weird and wonderful stories from every corner of the planet. Whether you're into underdogs and upsets, ultras and fan culture, groundhopping and travel, derbies and rivalries, geography and geopolitics, or simply want a break from the relentless churn of big-money football, The Sweeper has you covered!

Support The Sweeper:

• Join The Sweeper on Patreon
• Support The Sweeper on Buy Me A Coffee

The Sweeper team

• Hosts: Lee Wingate and Paul Watson
• Editor: Ralph Foster

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

00:58 – Austrian sink holes and bicycles

05:34 – Mircea Lucescu: Football’s oldest coach?

09:08 – The 2025 Amateur Nations Cup

11:14 – The World Tram Driver Championship

13:48 – Kosovo’s unofficial world title

16:18 – UEFA’s seven banned match-ups

21:35 – Norway’s demolition job on Moldova

26:33 – Celebrations for Slovakia & Iceland

31:03 – Suriname’s World Cup push

34:59 – Bolivia’s strategic masterclass

38:25 – New Caledonia’s Gibraltar friendly

40:56 – Uzbekistan are Central Asian champions

42:29 – Nepal’s protest-related cancellation

45:02 – China’s U23s thrash Northern Mariana Islands

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.