Danny and Derek welcome back Nando Vila, host of The Best Soccer Podcast in the World, to discuss the FIFA World Cup. They touch on the ubiquity of soccer around the globe, the structure of FIFA, corruption at the organization’s top levels, the controversies surrounding the 2022 World Cup being hosted in Qatar, and more.
One thing that amazed me during the Milosevic "Era" was the role of Soccer hooligans in disrupting peaceful protests against the government. I would be getting this play by play rundown of the protests from Serbs - often eyewitnesses, and inevitably the report would turn to, "and then the soccer hooligans showed up" (except I was getting the translation - soccer fans or supporters).
I practically had to be drawn a diagram to understand why "football hooligans" engage in attacking political protesters. Vila is excellent in unraveling this world within a world.
Great episode!
One thing that amazed me during the Milosevic "Era" was the role of Soccer hooligans in disrupting peaceful protests against the government. I would be getting this play by play rundown of the protests from Serbs - often eyewitnesses, and inevitably the report would turn to, "and then the soccer hooligans showed up" (except I was getting the translation - soccer fans or supporters).
I practically had to be drawn a diagram to understand why "football hooligans" engage in attacking political protesters. Vila is excellent in unraveling this world within a world.
One nitpicky point: despite his name - and despite his Italian parents - Gianni Infantino is not Italian, he’s Swiss. Great episode, though. :-)