Markus Fjortoft (@MarkusFjortoft) and Ciaran McKenna (@CiaranMcKenna8) talk to Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) about Financial Fair Play, particularly the approach of La Liga and how this compares to the rest of Europe, as well as whether this hinders or spurs growth for La Liga. We also chat about Woke Capitalism, how clubs espouse liberal values while engaging in commercial deals and ownership models that directly contradict said values; how Sports Washing continues to operate; the inadequacy of Fit and Proper Tests, as well as the overlapping trends of inequality and accountability between UK sports and politics, and how fans, players, and the media are supposed to operate in this environment. 

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In this episode, Rob Harris (@RobHarris), along with Markus Fjortoft (@MarkusFjortoft) and Ciaran McKenna (@CiaranMcKenna8) , explore the intricacies and complexities of politics within sports. We discuss player activism on social issues, managers’ complicity or non-complicity with their club’s owners, the ethics surrounding the location of sporting events; including the Russia and Qatar World Cups, the Saudi Arabia F1 Grand Prix, and the Beijing Winter Olympics, as well as comparing the difference between politicians engaging with ‘unsavoury’ states with sporting federations. We also discuss Manchester City’s violations of FIFA’s Financial Fair Play rules, the capability of sports regulatory bodies to hold them accountable, whether they are truly independent, and touching on the future of football club ownership and whether viable alternatives exist. Moreover, we ask Rob how he navigates his own political and moral beliefs while reporting on controversial matters and how he asks the hard questions while maintaining journalistic integrity and respect within the community. 

Rob Harris is a British sports journalist and Global Sports Correspondant for the Associated Press. Rob’s reporting focuses on the intersection of politics and sports. Notable work includes his coverage of the 2015 FIFA arrests in Zurich, as well as his dogged reporting of what lies behind the success of Man City; from the FIFA FFP violations to the human rights abuses of the club’s owner and deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mansour. Rob regularly appears on MSNBC, BBC, and Sky News.

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From Vancouver with Brian White (@_BrianWhite42) to Glasgow with Markus (@markusfjortoft) and Ciaran (CiaranMcKenna8), this episode follows up on the previous two episodes about pro academies, college, and taking a different approach towards a professional career. Brian candidly reflects on his path from a New Jersey hopeful, through the college experience at Duke University, all the way to the pros with New York Red Bulls and Vancouver Whitecaps. We discuss why it's gone so well at the Whitecaps and how he's dealt with the inevitable setbacks: not being signed to a pro contract after being the 14th pick in the draft, being traded by the Red Bulls, and not being called up to the USMNT. Further, we discuss the key to a good partnership, being a selfless striker, and the mental application to taking the next step. Lastly, we reflect on the rewards of the college system for his development and what he wants to do after his pro football career is over. 

Brian White is a striker for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS and a Duke Alumnus. He spent the beginning of his career with the Red Bulls. He had 15 goals in 47 MLS appearances with the club after signing an MLS deal in 2018, having excelled for RBNY's second team in the USL Championship. White was selected in the first round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft after attending Duke University. Brian was traded to the Vancouver Whitecaps in June 2021 and became a revelation last season. The centre-forward had 12 goals and five assists in 27 appearances for the Canadian club, helping orchestrate a second-half surge under then-interim head coach Vanni Sartini, leading the club to the MLS Cup Playoffs. He agreed to a contract extension through 2025 with a club option for 2026 ahead of this season.

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Mike Noonan (@CoachMikeNoonan) is Head Coach of Clemson Men's University soccer team and current NCAA Division 1 Champion, the national champion of college soccer.
Following retirement from professional soccer, he has gone on to become one of the most well-respected college soccer coaches characterized by an impressive consistency and talent development.

Episode Description
In this talk with @markusfjortoft and @CiaranMcKenna8, he reflects on recruiting character instead of players, taking an educational approach to developing players, cultivating a “winning” culture across decades of coaching, where college fits in the larger American development system and the “software” it provides, and how MLS can do better in recognizing this.

At Ivy League school Brown University, Mike enjoyed consistent success, reaching 8 NCAA appearances, and winning 8 Ivy League Championships. Following his 15 years at Brown, he became head coach at Clemson and has since won 4 ACC Regular Season Championships and 2 Tournament Championships. 

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Liam’s Football Focus mini-doc has nearly 200k views on @BBCSport YouTube - Football Focus presents Hidden Pressures. This short form documentary features  presenter and ex pro footballer @Liam_macdevitt, who explores the 97% of players who come through the Premier League academy system but do not play a minute of top flight football. 

In this chat with @markusfjortoft and @CiaranMcKenna8, Liam talks about the fickle and ruthless nature of football, the pitfall of solely identifying yourself as a footballer, creating improved systems for individuals to grow as people off the field as well as on it, and how far we have actually come.

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Ståle Solbakken is currently the Norwegian Men’s National team manager. He is also a former professional footballer, totaling 298 appearances and 87 goals. Other achievements include being named 1995 Norwegian midfielder of the year, and 2 Danish Superliga championships with Aalborg and Copenhagen in 1999 and 2000, respectively. He represented Norway 58 times, including appearances in the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship, and scored nine goals. He ended his playing career in 2001 following a heart attack. 

As a manager, Ståle was named 2004 Norwegian Manager of the Year, and he has won a remarkable 8 Danish Superliga championships with Copenhagen. In addition, he took charge of FC Köln during the 2011/12 season and had a 6-month spell as manager of English side Wolves in the 2012/13 season. 

Ståle Solbakken talks to Markus Fjørtoft (@markusfjortoft) and Ciaran McKenna (@ciaranmckenna8) about his incredible experiences in football from playing to managing; both domestically and internationally. We cover his unique relationship with the Norwegian club Ham-Kam, the dying art of a goal-scoring midfielder and what contributed to him being one, his success as a player at Lillestrøm and the best 18-months of his career at Aalborg in Denmark, life before and after his cardiac arrest, as well as depicting his 20-year management career covering: his coaching philosophy, the qualities which world-class managers inhabit, building a winning culture at FC Copenhagen, fighting with Pep Guardiola to drinking with him, and transitioning into international football as Norwegian National Team manager - the collective mentality within Norwegian culture and balancing that with encouraging individual talent, as well as the challenge of getting Norwegian talent development ‘right’.

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Uwe Rösler is a German former professional football player and current manager. Uwe grew up in East Germany, attending the renowned school of excellence for elite sports before starting his professional career at Lokomotive Leipzig. He went on to play with several German clubs, including; BSG Chemie Leipzig, FC Magdeburg, Dynamo Dresden, and FC Nurnberg - all before making the move to Man City where he enjoyed the most successful spell of his playing career, scoring a total of 64 goals in 176 games, which earned him a place in City’s Hall of Fame in 2009. He later went on to end his playing career in Norway at Lillestrøm before starting his managerial career at the same club. Since then, he has managed several clubs over the past 17 years, including; Viking, Molde, Brentford, Wigan, Leeds, Fleetwood, Malmö, and most recently Fortuna Dusseldorf. 

Uwe shares with Markus and Ciaran his experiences growing up and living in East Germany, which consisted of a regimented yet innovative school of excellence program, threats from Stasi, the secret police force, and being in the middle of the uprisings that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall -  all of which had a profound effect on his playing and managerial career. 

Further, we go on to discuss his cult hero status at Manchester City and his desire to have retired there, and the cancer that forced him to retire in Norway while at Lillestrøm. Thanks for sharing Uwe. 

The latter part of the episode grapples with his managerial career, as we discuss him putting his stamp on a team in an increasingly shorter time-frame for managers,  and how he compares himself to when he first started in 2004 both tactically and "politically".

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Raymond Sparkes is UK’s longest serving football agent, having been in the business since 1991. In running ProStar Management, he represented up to 70 clients at one point, including high-profile clients such as Celtic legends Tommy Burns, John Collins, and Artur Boruc. At one point he represented 8 of 11 players in the Celtic line-up. Further, he brokered the first two Bosman deals in the UK. He recently completed his Master of Sports Directorship. 

In this candid and in-depth conversation, Raymond talks to Ciaran and Markus about how the industry has changed since he had to put up a 100k bond to become an agent, the delicacy of managing clients and the main reason a career can break down, the all-importance of knowing "what good looks like", the type of players he looks for and why, transitioning to a different generation of players,  the accuracy of Jerry Maguire, and the art of strategic positioning from a network and commercial perspective with a certain David Beckham as an example + plenty of anecdotes!

Follow BroPod on Twitter @BroPod1 and Facebook. Feel free to subscribe and review our podcast on iTunes, Spotify and all other outlets. #beother