Matt Davies-Adams takes the hotseat alongside Daniel Storey, Tom Williams, Duncan Alexander, Felipe Cardenas and Dan Kilpatrick as Tottenham say goodbye to another manager. Igor Tudor is shown the door by Spurs after just seven games in charge. The club are pushing to make former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi his replacement, but is he what they need right now? Boos at Wembley for Ben White who scores, then gives away a penalty in England’s 1-1 friendly draw with Uruguay. And who will take the last six places at this year’s World Cup? The final qualifying playoff games take place on Tuesday. Produced by Lucy Oliva and Xavi Bird RUNNING ORDER: • PART 1: Tudor leaves Spurs (4:45) • PART 2A: England 1-1 Uruguay (26:30) • PART 2B: France 3-1 Colombia (36:30) • PART 3: USA 2-5 Belgium (43:30) • PART 4: World Cup playoff preview (49:30) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. In this final part three of our three-part special on Colombian football and the tragedy of Andrés Escobar. Co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper tell the story of the 1994 World Cup and its devastating aftermath. This episode explores the immense and impossible pressure placed on the Colombian squad, from death threats delivered to hotel room TVs, to the chaos of a nation in civil war pinning all its hopes on eleven men. The discussion covers the Romania defeat, the fateful own goal against the USA, and the senseless murder of Andrés Escobar outside a nightclub. Rob and Jonathan also examine the legacy of Escobar 'the gentleman of football' and his remarkable fiancée Pamela Cascada, before reflecting on Colombia's long road to recovery and redemption. You can listen to this episode ad-free over on our Patreon - Follow the link here - or go to Patreon.com and search for It Was What It Was. You will also get access to our World Cup countdown, magazine retrospectives and bonus episodes as well as a monthly Q&A with Rob and Jonathan. 01:00 Andrés Escobar's Posthumous Column in El Tiempo 01:55 Setting the Scene: The Narco State & Pablo Escobar's Death 06:55 Pablo Escobar's Deep Love of Football 10:55 Francisco Maturana on the Narcos: "Like an Octopus" 16:30 Andrés Escobar: El Caballero del Fútbol 20:25 A Move to AC Milan & The Burden of Representing Colombia 23:30 Higuita's Exclusion & The President's Calculations 26:00 The Romania Defeat: Hagi's Moment of Magic 27:45 Death Threats, Kidnappings & Maturana in Tears 33:00 The USA Game: Playing Under the Shadow of Snipers 35:30 The Own Goal & Colombia's Elimination 37:15 The Murder of Andrés Escobar 41:00 Who Killed Escobar? The Galón Brothers & the Cover-Up 44:45 The State Funeral & Pamela Cascada's Dignity 48:15 The Aftermath: Colombia's Slow Road to Redemption 51:45 2014 & The Restoration of Colombian Football Pride 54:15 Closing Thoughts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this sneak peek to a bonus episode of It Was What It Was on Patreon, hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper are joined by Professor Matthew Brown (University of Bristol) to deepen the series on Andrés Escobar by tracing how Colombian history, political violence and the drug economy intersect with football. Brown rejects Gabriel García Márquez’s claim that three events defined 20th-century Colombia, while explaining why the 5–0 win over Argentina in 1993 became a tipping point for football as a national identity marker. The discussion covers football’s emergence alongside other sporting cultures, the role of sport after the 1948 Bogotazo and during La Violencia, and Colombia’s later shift into guerrilla conflict and cocaine trafficking. They explore cartel money’s social and sporting influence, the effects of Pablo Escobar’s death and subsequent violence, the symbolic damage of Colombia’s 1994 World Cup collapse, Copa América 2001, and how the 2014 team helped build trust during negotiations leading to the 2016 peace deal, while noting ongoing violence tied to the illegal drug trade. You can listen to the full episode on Patreon On Tuesday, Rob Draper and Jonathan Wilson return to round off the Colombia series and bring that story to a close. On Wednesday, on Patreon only, the co-hosts continue the World Cup countdown series with an episode on the 1962 World Cup in Chile, looking back at the tournament and some of its key moments. Then on Friday, also on Patreon only, we look back at when Northern Ireland faced Italy in the 1958 World Cup qualifiers. With Northern Ireland preparing for their 2026 World Cup play-off semi-final against Italy, Rob and Jonathan revisit the meeting where Northern Ireland qualified for their first World Cup and discuss the background to Ireland’s football split in the 1950s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. In this second part two of our three-part special on Colombian football and the tragedy of Andrés Escobar. Co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper dissect one of the greatest World Cup qualifying matches ever played: Colombia's stunning 5-0 victory over Argentina at El Monumental in Buenos Aires. This episode explores the dramatic buildup to the match, the hostile reception faced by the Colombian team, and the extraordinary performance that shocked the football world. The discussion then examines the dangerous euphoria that followed, as Colombia began to believe that they could win the 1994 World Cup, and the dark realities of the narco state. You can listen to this episode ad-free over on our Patreon - Follow the link here - or go to Patreon.com and search for It Was What It Was. You will also get access to our World Cup countdown, magazine retrospectives and bonus episodes as well as a monthly Q&A with Rob and Jonathan. 01:39 Colombia's Mindset Before the Match & The Hostile Reception 04:07 The Lineup: Colombia vs Argentina at El Monumental 11:25 The Match Begins: Early Tension & Argentina's Miss 14:05 The Plane Incident: A Bizarre Moment at El Monumental 16:01 GOAL: Rincón Opens the Scoring 17:26 Maturana's Psychological Tactics at Half Time 18:05 GOAL: Asprilla Makes It 2-0 18:47 GOAL: Valencia Volleys In the Third 19:56 GOAL: Asprilla's Exquisite Curler Makes It 4-0 21:00 GOAL: Valencia Completes the Rout - 5-0 22:14 The Monumental Applauds Colombia Off the Pitch 24:32 The Celebrations: 100 Deaths & National Hysteria 30:55 "Now We're F***ed": The Burden of Expectation 33:19 World Champions Before the Tournament Begins 39:25 21 Friendlies & The Cash Grab 44:51 The Dark Side: Meeting With the Cali Cartel Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to a time-travel podcast diving into football’s greatest almost moments — the transfers that came within touching distance of reality, Richie McCormack's Sliding Doors. Sliding Doors goes beyond rumours and gossip to uncover deals that were genuinely on the table Each episode explores how one decision could have reshaped clubs, careers, and the entire football landscape From whispered negotiations to official bids, this is the anatomy of football’s biggest “what ifs” Think Michael Laudrup to Liverpool, Robert Lewandowski to Blackburn… and yes, Ronaldo to Rangers In this episode, we explore the remarkable life of Alfredo Di Stéfano, the man who transformed Real Madrid into the dominant force of European football. From his early days in Buenos Aires to starring in Colombia with Millonarios, Di Stéfano’s path to greatness was anything but simple. In one of football’s most controversial transfer sagas, he came within touching distance of joining FC Barcelona before political drama intervened. We unpack the chaos, the rivalry it ignited, and how Di Stéfano went on to lead Madrid to five straight European Cup triumphs. Become a member and sign up at offtheball.com/join

Welcome back to It Was What It Was, the football history podcast. In this first part of our three-part special on Colombian football and the tragedy of Andrés Escobar. Co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper explore the extraordinary history of Colombian football leading up to the 1994 World Cup. This episode covers the intersection of football and narco-culture, Pablo Escobar's involvement in the sport, the tense rivalry with Argentina, and the dramatic road to qualification culminating in the legendary 5-0 victory at El Monumental. You can listen to this episode ad-free over on our Patreon - Follow the link here - or go to Patreon.com and search for It Was What It Was. You will also get access to our World Cup countdown, magazine retrospectives and bonus episodes as well as a monthly Q&A with Rob and Jonathan. 01:39 The El Dorado League & Early Colombian Football 10:11 Francisco Maturana: The Dentist Who Revolutionised Colombian Football 19:02 Maturana's Influences: Total Football Meets South American Flair 27:43 Navigating Narco-Culture: Pablo Escobar 36:11 René Higuita: The Sweeper-Keeper & The Kidnapping 41:25 Building Rivalry: Colombia vs Argentina at Copa América 1993 48:12 World Cup Qualifying Begins: Asprilla's Controversies 54:03 The Road to Buenos Aires: Setting Up the Five-Nil Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Tom on paternity leave for a few weeks, Tab Ramos teams up with MLS Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle, and they are joined by USMNT legend Marcelo Balboa for an epic show! They discuss the pressure on the current National Team to at least reach the Quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, and why it was easier being the underdog back in the day. Tom and Marcelo talk about how Pochettino should have handled the ticket prices comments from Tim Weah, the Alex Freeman move to Villarreal, plus Ricardo Pepi's failed move to Fulham and it's impact on his place on the USMNT roster. We also get Marcelo's Starting XI for the U.S., his advice for the 2026 squad, and the behind the scenes details of his legendary near miss bicycle kick goal vs Colombia in the 1994 World Cup. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Hurrey is joined on the Adjudication Panel by Charlie Eccleshare and David Walker. On the agenda: a review of the World Cup draw ceremony, forecasting the nation's TV viewing habits next summer, why Mohamed Salah chose the wrong time and place for his seismic outburst, a dubious recipent of the "bagsman" honour and Dion Dublin invents a new variation on the proverbial goalscoring diet. The interactive Football Cliches Christmas Quiz is streaming live on December 28th — sign up at footballcliches.com/xmas to take part, with £250 the prize for the winning quizzer. All money raised will go to Shelter. Sign up for Dreamland, the new members-only Football Clichés experience, to access our exclusive new show and much more: https://dreamland.footballcliches.com Download SAILY in your app store and use code CLICHES at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For more info, visit https://saily.com/cliches Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In an effort to become podcasting's version of UK Gold, we're spinning it back and replaying the glory days of QK, every Tuesday and Thursday. This is: QK Reloaded. We'll be playing through our original episodes in release order. And this is... Euro 96 semi final post-hitter, Darren Anderton. This episode was first broadcast on 25th September 2017. ----- Our guest this week is Spurs and England legend Darren Anderton. Scorer of a spectacular goal in the 1998 World Cup against Colombia, winner of the 1999 League cup - and almost (still hurts) the man who scored the golden goal winner against Germany in Euro 96. We also have some exclusive gossip about Nigel Pearson’s order in a hardware store, weird shirt sponsors, plus we join Josh in another Italian piazza as he unearths more massively out of date transfer gossip. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jimbo welcomes Duncan Alexander, Felipe Cardenas and Luis Miguel Echegaray to discuss one of the great forgotten sides of the last three decades - the Colombia team of the early 90s. Led by Carlos Valderrama and sprinkled with the antics of goalkeeper Rene Higuita, Colombia captured the affections of many neutrals at Italia 90 and an iconic 5-0 win in Argentina saw them installed amongst the favourites for USA 94. Amid the backdrop of death threats from the cartels, a side featuring Asprilla and Rincon were eliminated early with Andres Escobar tragically murdered 10 days after scoring a crucial own goal. Not the only Escobar in this remarkable story. Produced by Charlie Jones and Lucy Oliva. RUNNING ORDER: • PART 1a: The best hamburger in Atlanta and Duncan’s quiz question (02.30) • PART 1b: Big Colombian football anniversaries (07.30) • PART 2: The birth of toque toque (15.30) • PART 3: Colombia at Italia 90 and the 5-0 win in Argentina (26.00) • PART 4: USA 94 and the murder of Andres Escobar (40.00) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.