The Athletic FC Podcast

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Carl Anka and Jay Harris to discuss why AFCON matters, as the 33rd edition of the tournament kicked off in Cameroon...The panel discuss this rite of passage for a diaspora of young football fans, how European attitudes towards the festival of football continue to evolve, de-bunk some of the typical misconceptions about African football and tell the sensational story of Comoros, aka, 'The Island of the Moon'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & David Ornstein to discuss some of the latest transfer news. Aston Villa are confident of signing Everton left-back Lucas Digne after picking up Philippe Coutinho on loan, Arsenal could be after a striker and Newcastle are targeting further signings ahead of their crunch relegation showdown with Watford.The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke will join us to tell us what has gone wrong at Spurs for record signing Tanguy Ndombele who wants to leave the club in January.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are once again in the company of bet365's Steve Freeth to preview the best of the weekend's FA Cup Third Round action... Will Ben Garner's Swindon stand toe-to-toe with Pep's Man City, could Arsenal be light in midfield against Nottingham Forest and is the Hull City takeover done yet?Plus, why Crystal Palace could be dark horses for the trophy this season, Manuel Lanzini's inspired West Ham form and what Ralf Rangnick could learn from his 29-year-old centre half, Phil Jones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the Africa Cup of Nations kicking off this weekend Mark Chapman & Matt Slater are joined by Hicham El Amrani, former Secretary General of the African Football Federation.And later in the pod we’ll be joined by The Athletic’s Dan Sheldon who has been speaking to Martin Semmens CEO of Premier League side Southampton following their takeover by a London-based investment firm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Which referee's name strikes fear into your heart as a fan. Does Stuart Attwell really hate Arsenal and why do Premier League referees all look alike?... Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Stuart James and Dan Barnes to reflect on the 'Great Referee Conspiracy' gripping the hearts of supporters across the country...The guys discuss the concerning lack of diversity, accountability and whether 'consistency' is even possible in football. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman discusses the future of Romelu Lukaku - after he was dropped from the Chelsea squad - with The Athletic’s Simon Johnson & James Horncastle & Adam Crafton.Adam Crafton was at Old Trafford last night for The Athletic and has plenty of thoughts on United's struggles following their loss to Wolves. And with the transfer window now open, The Athletic's Newcastle United writer Chris Waugh joins the pod ahead of a very busy month on his beat.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic Football Podcast is taking break this week so we wanted to point you in the direction of the newest addition to the Athletic podcast network.In The Boardroom is hosted by Jacqui Oatley and she speaks to people from up and down the football pyramid about the day-to-day to running a football club. As a taster, this is Jacqui's conversation with Leon Mann, co-founder of The Football Blacklist, where they discuss Leon's on-going mission to make football more inclusive - from coaching to club administration to the media.If you like what you hear, you can listen to the other interviews from the series by searching for In The Boardroom and subscribing for free on Apple, Spotify and everywhere else you get your pods, including of course the Athletic app. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ho-Ho-Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to preview the best of the Boxing Day action as Dan questions whether this is a good time for his beloved Villa to face Chelsea and the trio debate where both Newcastle and Manchester United most need to strengthen in January...Plus, Phil Hay chimes in on how badly Leeds need some players back from injury this Christmas, if Liverpool can sustain a title challenge without their African stars and whether the Newcastle project is a more interesting proposition than Brighton's? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mbappe, Pogba, Rudiger and countless other star players are out of contract next summer; The Athletic's senior writer Stuart James joins Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes to explain...How the pandemic has helped to create a truly 'unique' summer, the role of football agents in this trend and how clubs are trying to wrestle back some control. Plus, who the big winners and losers might be in January? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton to discuss the fallout from the Premier League's decision on Monday not to postpone a round of fixtures over Christmas despite the rise in COVID cases continuing to put matches in jeopardy.We're also joined by The Athletic's senior writer Dominic Fifield and our Leeds correspondent Phil Hay to look at Chelsea and Leeds - two of the clubs who have been badly affected by the recent chaos in different ways, and with it being announced that 16% of Premier League footballers are unvaccinated we attempt to work out the reasons why and whether football can do anything about this issue.All that plus a look ahead to the January transfer window and our panel pick their footballing highlights of 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.