This episode is brought to you in association with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: ⁠www.tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper⁠

The Sweeper is back for the first episode of 2025 to round up all the world football headlines from over the Christmas and New Year period. Starting in Europe, where Balzers of Liechtenstein have gone from 1,000 to 400,000 Instagram followers almost overnight – but how have they achieved their stratospheric growth? In Portugal, Nacional’s Madeiran mist has wrought havoc yet again and Oliveirense have used milk to mark the goal-lines in the absence of paint. Finally, in Italy, we take a deep dive into the wonderful world of Serie C.

In the rest of the world, there are teething problems for the world’s newest top-flight league in the world’s newest country: South Sudan. In Bolivia, national giants The Strongest have resorted to an unusual measure to raise money for children in San Pedro prison in La Paz and the relegation/promotion play-off has come to the most dramatic of conclusions. And there’s a similar story over in Indonesia, where controversy reigns supreme after PSM Makassar missed the memo that the 12th man is supposed to be the fans and fielded an extra player.

For a bonus episode on Wednesday 15 January and plenty of other extra content, join us on Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod.

RUNNING ORDER

00:00 – Intro

02:02 – Balzers’ instant Internet fame

07:02 – Cult clubs and countries

08:54 – Madeiran mist & mainland milk

15:40 – The wonderful world of Serie C

25:55 – A Chocolate Party and a play-off

31:45 – Favourite sounding football fixtures

36:07 – The newest league on the planet

44:42 – A 12th man – but not the fans

Editor: Ralph Foster

Part 1 is all about the drama of the 2024/25 UEFA Conference League. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Iceland and Ireland have their first-ever representatives in a European knockout stage, Portugal’s Vitoria de Guimaraes set a new continental away day record, Omonia’s "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" coach is sacked & the reserves of English giants Chelsea run riot. To help us review the action, we have a panel of experts from across Europe: Andy Brassell from On The Continent in the UK, Hinrik Wöhler from Vísir in Iceland & Massimo Solari of Corriere del Ticino in Switzerland. In Part 2, Lee and Paul have their world football knowledge put to the test by Joe McAuliffe of the excellent Career We Go football trivia podcast. Finally, we review our favourite stories, topics and trips of 2024 – from the Marítimo-Nacional derby on the island of Madeira to San Marino’s first win in 20 years over Liechtenstein in the UEFA Nations League – and look ahead to our plans for 2025. Finally, a big thank you from us to our editors, partners, collaborators, listeners and patrons. We wish you a happy Christmas & all the best for the new year!

Remember that if you don't want to wait until 8 January for your next dose of Sweeper goodness, you can sign up to our Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod and listen to our bonus podcast on New Year's Day. Becoming a member of our Patreon means you are supporting our independent journalism and getting access to a load of great content, such as bonus episodes, blogs, a weekly World Football Newsletter, access to our Discord server and entry into our football shirt giveaways. There are no contracts, no sign-up fees, no minimum stays and no advertisements.

Watch back our UEFA Conference League final matchday watch-along on ⁠X⁠ or ⁠Facebook⁠.

RUNNING ORDER:

00:00 – Intro

02:45 – Shamrock Rovers with Andy Brassell

08:06 – Conference League or Nations League?

10:26 – Víkingur Reykjavík with Hinrik Wöhler

14:38 – A trigger-happy Bosnian club president

17:50 – Lugano with Massimo Solari

23:44 – Crazy European away day records

27:25 – World football trivia with Career We Go

46:34 – Our best stories, matches & trips of 2024

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Editor: Ralph Foster

This episode is brought to you in association with FIFA+. Click here to get your free FIFA+ account and watch live football around the world: www.tinyurl.com/FIFAPlusSweeper

Gift a Patreon subscription for Christmas: www.patreon.com/SweeperPod/gift

Part 1 is all about the biggest domestic cup shocks and upsets across the globe, starting with Spaeri. But does their association with a government entity make it less of a fairytale triumph for the fast-rising second-tier Georgians? The focus then turns to other lower-league cup triumphs in 2024, including Senegal, where the final set an almost unbelievable all-time record. The segment concludes with our stand-out cupsets of the season in Spain, Austria, Norway and Denmark, where two top-flight teams have been hit with an expensive fine for a snowball fight.

Up next in Part 2 is a whistlestop tour of the globe, with five stories from five continents. In Europe, Serie D outfit Piacenza race through three coaches in one day, while a passionate fan tries to smuggle his grandfather’s skull into a continental final in South America. A striker hoping to face Cristiano Ronaldo in the Asian Champions League joins the wrong Esteghlal in Iran, TP Mazembe get stuck at the airport for two nights ahead of an African Champions League tie and Central American Cup winners Alajuelense want a place at the FIFA Club World Cup.

For bonus episodes, extra blog posts, weekly World Football Newsletters, sneak peaks at our agenda, football shirt giveaways and access to our magnificent Discord community, join us on Patreon at patreon.com/SweeperPod for a fiver a month and support our independent journalism. There are no contracts, no sign-up fees, no minimum stays and no advertisements. The next bonus episode – featuring our favourite stories from the 2024 calendar year – will be released on Wednesday 18 December.

RUNNING ORDER:

00:00 – Intro

00:39 – A Spaeri-tale Georgian Cup triumph

06:17 – Senegal’s lower-league final

09:53 – Cupsets across the continent

17:12 – An expensive Danish snowball fight

20:28 – Africa: TP Mazembe’s airport disaster

24:28 – Europe: Piacenza’s mental 24 hours

28:51 – South America: A smuggled skull in Paraguay

31:50 – Asia: A transfer to the wrong Esteghlal

35:13 – North & Central America: Alajuelense’s CWC claim

37:46 – The 2024 Intercontinental Cup on FIFA+

Editor: Ralph Foster