The FootPol Podcast
The podcast that brings together football and politics. We'll be exploring the relationship between the two, both inside and outside the game.
The podcast covers "Big Politics" like politicians, clubs, international and national federations and other organised groups and how they use or abuse the game to "Small, Everyday Politics" in the form of community-level clubs, fan associations and the way that football reflects the political challenges of our day to day lives.
The FootPol Podcast is brought to you by co-hosts Drs Francesco Belcastro and Guy Burton.
The FootPol Podcast
Latest Episodes
Insta-FootPol. Is FIFA Selling the World Cup?
On Tuesday 28 July, FIFA posted plans to create a $20 billion commercial subsidiary, opening the door to outside investors taking minority stakes in the organisation's most valuable commercial assets, including the FIFA World Cup. In our latest...
The World Cup Was Never Just Football | Season 3 Finale
How political was the 2026 FIFA World Cup? In our final episode of Season 3, FootPol Podcast co-hosts Guy Burton and Francesco Belcastro look back on a tournament that was as much about politics as football. From US visa restrictions, the treat...
FIFA After the World Cup: Can Football's Governing Body Be Reformed? ft. Gaby Bracamonte
What should FIFA look like after the 2026 World Cup?In this week's FootPol Podcast, we speak with sports consultant Gaby Bracamonte about her provocative article...
Women Coaching Men’s Football: Marie-Louise Eta and Football’s Gender Debate ft. Claire-Marie Roberts
Marie-Louise Eta’s appointment at FC Union Berlin in the Bundesliga in April made history as she became the first woman to take charge of a men’s team in one of Europe’s top five leagues. But the reality behind the headline is more complex than...
Hook, Lock and Squeeze: Football's Enshittification ft. Mark O'Neill
What if football is following the same path as social media: hook the users, lock them in, then squeeze them for everything they're worth? In this episode, we talk to Mark O'Neill, a doctoral researcher at Westminster University, about the “ens...
