The dark side of the beautiful game, football (or, er, "soccer")

What we call "soccer" in the U.S. and Canada, the rest of the world calls football: the "beautiful game" is the world's most popular sport, with over 3.5 billion fans globally, an estimated 250 million players across 200 countries, and televised events can dwarf even the viewership of the Super Bowl—up to 4x and 5x.

But football has become a microcosm of issues throughout society, from rampant corporatization and club ownership takeovers by authoritative regimes, racism and misogyny among some fan circles and footballing institutions, and allegations of significant human rights abuses in the build-up to the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

To make sense of what's happening in the world's most popular game, Dave Ursillo is joined by Luke Aaron Moore, cohost and producer of the United Kingdom’s biggest independent football show, The Football Ramble. 

They discuss how the Russian invasion of Ukraine rippled across Europe to disrupt the Premier League's Chelsea F.C., the lack of regulation that allowed the Saudi-led takeover of Newcastle F.C., and how the women's game may be one particular bright spot in the global game.

Luke is also an author, a radio presenter, a broadcaster, and the cohost and producer of a number of shows with Stak, a London-based, award-winning independent podcast company that brings authentic conversation to life. He co-authored the 2016 book, The Football Ramble: By Four Friends Who Love the Game They Hate.

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