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Welcome to SC Libero, the most important of the least important membership clubs

Congratulations! You have made it to the front of the line at the little window outside the stadium. You are the most important of the most important listeners and are about to become a member of SC Libero. We really appreciate your support and loyalty to the club.

By clicking 'Join SC Libero' you will be taken through to the sign-up page to pay your membership fee. Once you have signed on the virtual dotted line you will be a socio of Sporting Clube de Libero (but please do not call us Sporting Libero).

Clicking on 'Follow in your Podcast App' will NOT allow you to join SC Libero but it will take you the ad-supported version of Libero on your destination of choice, where you can be a friend without benefits.

Join SC Libero

Join SC Libero

Get on the bandwagon early, before broadsheet journalists start describing us as doing 'interesting things', and join SC Libero. As a club member you'll get ad-free shows in your favourite podcast app and be the first to know about our exciting plans for SC Libero in the coming months.

Latest Episodes View All

Podcast Episode

World Cup 015 | The Tournament Debrief

The World Cup is in the rearview mirror but before it disappears from our collective consciousness, amid well-earned holidays or a headlong dash back into the gnarled embrace of club football, we take...

· 57 min 52 sec

Podcast Episode

World Cup 014 | How We Saw Spain Become Champions Again

Spain have beaten Argentina in the World Cup final in a slightly underwhelming conclusion to an overwhelming tournament. This episode was recorded throughout the day of the final by our Liberi on the...

· 50 min 23 sec

Podcast Episode

World Cup 013 | England Crumble To Set Up Heavyweight Final

England's latest World Cup exit at the hands of Argentina was both familiar but also a new type of failure. The familiar retreat was exacerbated by Thomas Tuchel doubling down on the tactics that had...

· 1 hr 17 sec

Podcast Episode

World Cup 012 | The Tale Of Two Very Different Semi-Finals

France v Spain and England v Argentina are the World Cup semi-finals FIFA wanted but they could not be more contrasting in terms of what they offer the viewing public. One side promises technical prow...

· 58 min 28 sec

About Libero

A podcast about football, the least important of the most important things.

Get in touch -> getintouch@liberopodcast.com

Meet the Liberi...

John Brewin
JB

John Brewin

Freelance writer, editor and broadcaster found on the pages of The Guardian and other places. Previously a long-serving editor and writer at ESPN. Possessor of maybe the finest collection of band t-shirts in the business.

Miguel Delaney
MD

Miguel Delaney

Chief football writer of The Independent since 2017. His latest book, States of Play: How Sportswashing Took Over Football, won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year. Especially proud of what he believes is a current record of attending every Champions League final since 2009 -- including the Covid-delayed 2020 edition in Lisbon. Miguel's favoured expletive begins with a 'C'.

James Horncastle
JH

James Horncastle

The Athletic's Italy correspondent, covering what his Libero colleagues call the Dolmio league. This tends to involve gratuitous pics of whatever he's eating and a staunch defence of Lautaro Martinez. Awarded the Stella d'Italia by the Italian state for promoting cultural ties between Italy and the UK. You can call him Cavaliere.

Tariq Panja
TP

Tariq Panja

Global sports correspondent at The New York Times, previously covering sports news at Bloomberg. Co-authored Football's Secret Trade: How the Player Transfer Market Was Infiltrated with Alex Duff. Lives in London but is often found in windowless rooms at the kind of hotels where sports executives like to gather.

Jack Pitt-Brooke
JPB

Jack Pitt-Brooke

Works for The Athletic, primarily covering Tottenham Hotspur and England. A regular on The View from the Lane and also found on The Athletic FC and Tifo podcasts. Joined The Athletic in 2019 after working at The Independent since 2010. Was once called "a little Tory beaut" on Twitter for questioning Everton's decision to sign Andre Gomes.

Rory Smith
RS

Rory Smith

Football correspondent of The Observer and co-host of the Men In Blazers podcast. Regular contributor to BBC Radio 5 Live and TNT Sports' Champions League coverage. Previously chief soccer correspondent of The New York Times; also worked for The Times, The Independent and ESPN. Author of Mister and Expected Goals. Lives in a large country pile in Yorkshire.

Jonathan Wilson
JW

Jonathan Wilson

Author of 13 football histories -- including Inverting the Pyramid and The Power and the Glory -- and one novel. Columnist for The Guardian and World Soccer, editor of The Blizzard, and co-host of It Was What It Was. Enjoys five-minute monologues about tactics born out of the Hungarian coffee houses of the 1930s.