Beyond The Pitch - Tim Caple

Anto is joined for a wonderful look at the European football season by Tim Caple one of the finest international broadcasters in the world. Tim has worked with ESPN UK and Eurosport and many other networks this season as he covers Dutch, German and Italian football. We start with the Champions League Final to take a look at a remarkable Barcelona team and consider that - if they are not the best team in the history of the game - they might just be the finest in the Champions League format. We get into many of the big storylines involving the Bundesliga and Bayern Munich in particular, Serie A with Milan and the remarkable teams of the season, and then jump to Holland to review the comeback season at Ajax and if a young Feyenoord side might just be the next big thing in the Eredivisie given the average age of that squad. Tim also gives us a preview of his work this summer including the highly underrated Toulon tournament and several international tournaments that once again reveals that there is no break ever in football. We also close on the recent scandal involving FIFA and wonder if the organization needs to look at itself not only in terms of ethics and integrity, but also in terms of relevance as the European Championship and Champions League seem to have passed the World Cup in terms of corporate sponsorship and audience ratings. A great discussion with one of the finest commentators in the business today.

Frank Rijkaard A curling free-kick European qualification Europa League preview Barcelona Dani Alves