Shakhtar Donetsk is a Ukrainian club – but Russia are trying to change that!

As part of their efforts to integrate occupied Ukrainian territories, Russia are now creating their own versions of major Ukrainian teams.

So why are UEFA not stopping this? What lie is being told to make it happen? And could the real Shakhtar win the Conference League?

On this episode, we’re taking you on a journey to Ukraine to investigate how football is being used as a weapon of war.

Plus: Semi-pro Heidelberg United eye up an historic AFC berth and Montserrat search for a new head coach on Facebook.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:25 – The copycats in Russia’s fourth tier

06:22 – The Crimean Premier League

08:01 – Shakhtar Donetsk’s European run

11:15 – The rapid rise of LNZ Cherkasy

17:31 – Heidelberg United’s AFC aspirations

20:58 – Unlikely continental qualifications

25:30 – Montserrat’s unorthodox manager hunt

A newly-promoted club are on the verge of the impossible.

If tiny FC Thun can get just a few more points on the board, they will win the Swiss Super League and claim the first major trophy in their 128-year history.

But what do the locals make of it all? Why is Thun the perfect place for such a fairytale? And how did a literal sauna force a high-stakes clash with Basel to be called off?

We headed to the Alps to meet the fans and find out the answers. Join us in Thun for Europe’s most extraordinary club football story of 2026.

Sign up to Patreon at patreon.com/sweeperpod to enter the FC Vaduz giveaway.

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:35 – A quick history of FC Thun

04:45 – The fire at St. Jakob Park

11:20 – Other bizarre postponements

16:46 – Groundhopping with the Thun Army

22:16 – A tour of the Stockhorn Arena

28:10 – The stunning beauty of Thun

33:15 – A quick stop-off at FC Vaduz

A former poker player has coached Bosnia to the World Cup!

Sergej Barbarez has guided the Balkan country to the tournament in his first head coach role – at the expense of four-time champions Italy.

So how did he go from the casino for the dugout? Why has qualification cost his striker Ermedin Demirovic €300,000? And how are Bosnia at a second World Cup without ever making the EUROs?

In this episode, we explore brilliant Bosnia’s incredible journey and reflect on Iraq and DR Congo’s play-offs successes too.

Plus, the Ceuta coach pledges to walk to Rome and Nauru launch their one child, one ball initiative.

Nutmeg Magazine (You can buy the magazine for a special Sweeper discount rate of £10 by using the code 'sweeper' at checkout): https://www.nutmegmagazine.co.uk/product/issue-39/

Nauru's 1 Child 1 Ball Initiative: https://stingz.co/pages/nauru-soccer-federation-one-child-one-ball-initiative?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ8cvxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEelDO7Gm-3sFxEpJ4A-iTsjaeuk0DmhnSSu4YoASfMxIsy-KbfggLYXbPp-qE_aem_QArFYavpkwgspTpT7riFWA

Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:26 – Bosnia’s poker-playing coach

15:20 – Iraq’s 21-match qualifying campaign

19:32 – DR Congo and the legend of Zaire

23:39 – Nutmeg magazine’s World Cup issue

26:24 – Ceuta coach’s pledge to walk to Rome

31:40 – Nauru’s 1 child 1 ball initiative