The Wilderness Years

At 1:04pm on November 25, 2020, the first paper published the news that Diego Maradona had died. A media frenzy ensued around the world. Immediately, people began to question the team that had taken care of Maradona, who would ultimately face criminal charges in relation to his death. In this episode, we return to that day, to learn how the news of Maradona’s death broke. We look at the impact that his death had on the world, how it affected people close to him, and how the pain from their loss gave way to anger surrounding the investigation into the way he died. The original episode, "The News", was published by Spotify's Original Podcast The Last Days of Maradona.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The World Cup is underway in Qatar and many storylines are being written on and off the pitch. In this very special bonus episode, The Journal's Joshua Robinson examines some of the controversies surrounding these games. From human rights violations to the banning of beer, this episode tells the story of how Qatar came to host this years tournament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For this final episode of the season Matt & Steve look back at the mutiny that took place during the 2015 Women’s World Cup and the Spanish National team’s battle for supremacy on the pitch and equality off of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If there’s one thing in World Cup soccer that is a safe bet, it’s Scotland’s inability to qualify for world tournaments. Matt leads Steve on a painful tour through Scotland’s wilderness years and some of his most painful memories.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today the English Premier League is one of the most popular and profitable sports leagues in the world but that wasn’t the case 30 years ago. This club saw troubling times in the 1980’s. From stadium tragedies to the rise of an unlikely hero in Paul Gascoigne, we tell the story of a few events that helped to forever change the trajectory of English soccer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FIFA has promised that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will NOT be harmful to the environment and even went as far as to say it will be carbon neutral. This raised the eyebrows of many environmentalists all over the globe, so we went to the professionals to ask if this claim was true.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, members of the country's women's soccer team - once symbols of a new Afghanistan - knew they needed to escape. This is the story of how the team's former captain, Khalida Popal, hatched a daring plan for their evacuation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is a story about a player that arguably put forward the best performance in the Irish National Team’s history during the ‘94 World Cup. Paul McGrath went head to head against Italy’s Baggio, Baresi and Maldini under the hot boiling sun in New Jersey and etched his name in history as one of the greatest defensive players the game ever saw. Ooh, Ah, Paul McGrath.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the most common and unfortunate traditions in professional sports is the championship trophy being stolen. This has happened to the World Cup trophy not just once but TWICE . This week, we learn about the capture of the Jules Rimet trophy and the very unlikely heroes involved.  The original episode, “Jules Rimet Trophy ”, was published by Parcast’s GONE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A few weeks shy of what would have been Diego Maradona’s 62nd birthday, we look back at some of the peaks and valleys of his career and dig into what makes him one of the most enigmatic and arguably most talented players in history.  The original episode, “The Rise And Fall of Diego Maradona ”, was published by Gimlet Media’s We Came To Win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices