Another World Cup cycle has drawn to a close, with the triumph of France and the African Diaspora. Alan & Mel reflect on these thirty-two extraordinary days, the excellence on the field, and its fields of meaning in a turbulent world with Laurent Dubois, author of “The Language of the Game,” who speaks to us from a jubilant Paris, home of the new world champions.
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Les Bleus! 2018 World Cup Champions! The French add a second star to their jersey with a scintillating 4-2 victory over a brilliant and resilient Croatia. Meleiza and Alan explain why, over the course of the last 32 days, France proved themselves deserving champions, truly the best team in the tournament – loaded with young, skillful players that jelled into a seamless unity; both outplaying and out-thinking all foes. With 16 of the 23 teammates from the post-colonial diaspora, they are truly worthy champions for our world!
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Alan & Fernando preview tomorrow’s final and tender their predictions. They marvel at the skill & stamina of Croatia; and emphasize France’s oft-overlooked defensive strengths. They discuss the possible political significance & symbolism of the showdown in this fraught time of crisis; and they also celebrate what has been a gloriously entertaining month of futbol!
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Elliot Ross, the man behind the popular Twitter handle Football is a Country @Futbolsacountry, joins The People’s Game’s Alan Minsky and Pacifica Radio’s Suzi Weissman to preview Sunday’s World Cup final between Croatia and France. We discuss the back stories of both teams, explain their on-field brilliance, and ask what, if anything, might be the political resonance of a victory by either side.
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Amy, Laurent, and Alan discuss the 2018 Men’s World Cup soccer tournament as it approaches its denouement in Russia. Laurent is famously a partisan of the French national team, and he relates the political resonance of his team, both in France and across the globe. Amy confesses her new-found appreciation of both the games on the field and the insights of intellectuals about the sport. Alan raises the inspiring, and yet perhaps troubling, specter of a triumphant Croatia. Futbol as a window through which we view the political imaginary.
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Alan summarizes his and Meleiza’s reflections on the England v Croatia semi-final; and wonders what lessons the futbol universe might impart from having such a tiny nation reach the World Cup final. Also, under consideration, the relationship of the 90s Balkans war on the players. Both finalists are certainly filled with players from families who faced tremendous adversity in recent decades; either as immigrants to a less-than-welcoming France, or as refugees from the largest war in Europe since WWII.
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Mark Torres, Director of the Pacifica Radio Archives, is a huge futbol fan – and he traveled to London, Mexico City, and Iceland during this year’s tournament. He’s back in LA, and he shares his thoughts on today’s semifinal between France and Belgium, the entire 2018 World Cup and its political subtexts. Mark is a die hard Liverpool fan, so does he root for Lovren or Henderson tomorrow?
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On today’s semifinal preview podcast we turn to the story on the field, break down the potentially winning elements of each of the four remaining teams – France’s fountain of youth, the tactical genius of Belgium’s maverick manager Roberto Martinez, England’s powerhouse teamwork, and the dynamic duo of Croatia’s Modric and Rakitic. Plus, we reject right-wing jingoist fan culture, rooting instead for the triumph of diversity and solidarity.
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We’re down to the Final Four of the World Cup – all European – and three out of the four are colonizer nations clustered around the English Channel. Among all the reasons radical fans have to despair, there remain many reasons for radicals to cheer. We discuss the multiple dimensions through which people across the world make meaning out of the world’s greatest spectacle. Also, an update on Brazil, and why this year the Left hasn’t lamented their team’s early exit from the tournament.
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And then there were four. On today’s podcast, we discuss the drama of the last two quarterfinal matches: England triumphant against a lackluster Sweden, and a suspenseful Russia-Croatia thriller that literally came down to the last kick. Also, we pick apart the complex politics of the remaining four teams (Belgium, France, England, and Croatia), searching for the subversive elements to root for in the all-European final rounds.
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