In Part 1, Lee and Paul reflect on ultimate underdogs Mjällby becoming Swedish champions and the key figures behind their unlikely Allsvenskan triumph. How have sporting director Hasse Larsson and coach Anders Torstensson shown courage in the face of adversity? Why are Mjällby the best-ever team in Swedish history? And why is the village of Hällevik looking for a new postman? And from one first-time champion to another, Titas Teiten of Baltic Football News has the lowdown on new Lithuanian title-winners Kauno Žalgiris.

Part 2 continues in Lithuania, where Lee has paid a visit to second-tier champions TransINVEST and their stunning newstadium to ask some key questions. How does a new club based in a village outside Vilnius and owned by a logistics company build a fanbase from scratch? What has the reaction been in the rest of Lithuania? And why is football firmlyin the shadow of basketball in this beautiful Baltic country? To finish off, there are tales of helicopters, heartbreak and heroism in Ireland, Iceland and Kazakhstan respectively.

More from Baltic Football News

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Chapters

00:00 – Intro

00:45 – The Mjällby miracle

09:37 – Kauno Žalgiris with Baltic Football News

14:08 – A trip to TransINVEST

29:45 – Ireland’s marathon helicopter

31:51 – Relegation for cup winners Vestri

32:50 – Final-day drama in Kazakhstan

34:23 – On The Spot

In Part 1 of this special episode, Paul is joined by African football expert Ali Howorth live from the Cape Verdean capital of Praia to talk about the country’s historic World Cup qualification. What force of nature helped the islanders get the job done against Eswatini? What were the highlights of the after-party? What role has the Dutch city of Rotterdam played in Cape Verde’s success? And why might the Blue Sharks have more fans than expected at the World Cup?

In Part 2, Lee and Paul hear from Cape Verde central defender Roberto Lopes, who explains the story of his international recruitment via LinkedIn, and discuss everything from diaspora to donkeys. Why are there as many Cape Verdeans living overseas as on the islands themselves? Which geographical and demographical records have they broken by qualifying? And how has the Portuguese colonial rule shaped the domestic game today?

More from Ali Howorth

On The Whistle Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@otw_podcast

Substack Newsletter: https://alasdairhoworth.substack.com/

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

01:52 – Ali Howorth live from Praia

18:47 – Cape Verde shirt giveaway

20:00 – Diaspora and DMs

24:07 – Roberto Lopes voice note

26:37 – Best international recruitments

28:58 – World Cup’s smallest nations

35:14 – Domestic football and donkeys

In Part 1, Lee tells Paul about his travels to watch pod favourites Greenland and San Marino live during their respective trips to Austria over the international window. How did he impact the course of the Arctic island's match against Slovenia from the sidelines? What insights did he glean from inside the Greenland camp? Why is the legendary Austrian striker Toni Polster so bitter towards San Marino? And what question did Lee ask SM coach Roberto Cevoli at the press conference following his side's double-digit defeat?

There's more groundhopping tales to tell in Part 2 – but this time from the club game, because Lee has also been to watch Paks against Ferencváros in a Hungarian top-of-the-table clash in Budapest. What resemblance do Hungary's surprise league leaders bear to Athletic Bilbao of Spain? Why is their ultra group named 'Atomic Strike'? Why did thousands of Ferencváros fans change places in the stands five minutes into the match? And why might we not recommend live football in Hungary to groundhoppers?

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Links

Watch Greenland's Football Heroes (in German) here

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

00:30 – Greenland: Assists & red cards

07:01 – Greenland: Insights from the camp

14:27 – San Marino: Double-digit demolition

20:23 – San Marino: The press conference

25:39 – Paks: The Athletic Bilbao of Hungary

29:12 – Football Manager save ideas

31:37 – Paks: Robbie Keane's many meltdowns

35:00 – Paks: The power plant ultra group