WEBVTT - Gary Lineker on the World Cup, Trump and the Fans Left Behind 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:07.920 Bloomberg Audio Studios. Podcasts. Radio news. 0:00:09.119 --> 0:00:10.959 This is what the build up is to a World Cup. 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:12.920 It's all about the problems. Then once it starts it 0:00:13.000 --> 0:00:16.760 focused on the football. It'll hopefully be eventful and entertaining 0:00:16.800 --> 0:00:20.279 and live up to expectations. I think it's more off 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:22.439 the field. There are concerns is it just going to 0:00:22.440 --> 0:00:25.520 be purely corporate? Are we pricing out real supporters? 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:31.200 Gary Lineker, podcaster and media boss. Have you got a 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:34.760 guarantee from Netflix that if you want to criticize President 0:00:34.800 --> 0:00:38.120 Trump on air on Netflix through the podcast, that's okay 0:00:38.120 --> 0:00:38.480 with them. 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:41.240 I've not asked them that question. We're doing a show 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:44.199 every single day, so there will be some days where 0:00:44.240 --> 0:00:46.800 we might need something to talk about. But I'm hoping 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:49.760 we don't have to, but I fear we might have to. 0:00:51.720 --> 0:00:57.560 From Bloomberg Weekend, this is the Mishal Husain show. I'm Mishal Husain. 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:05.160 I'm going to say right at the outset here that 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:09.320 when you hear the word football in this episode, which 0:01:09.360 --> 0:01:13.160 you will a lot, I don't mean American football, but 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:18.040 what you might know as soccer. I'm afraid I have 0:01:18.120 --> 0:01:21.280 to stick to football because that's the way it is 0:01:21.319 --> 0:01:24.039 in my DNA, and that's how it is for my 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:28.280 guest too, Gary Lineker, who was a top goal scorer 0:01:28.319 --> 0:01:33.080 for England before he moved from competitive sport to sports broadcasting. 0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:36.399 He went on to have a long career with the BBC, 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:41.160 ending in a rather public falling out which you will 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:45.160 hear us discuss. But now his own podcast, The Rest 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:48.840 Is Football, is on Netflix every day of this World Cup, 0:01:49.600 --> 0:01:53.640 so I wanted him to take us into the atmosphere 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:57.640 of a big moment like this, a tournament hosted by 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:02.760 three countries, the US and Mexico, the fact that the 0:02:02.880 --> 0:02:07.240 organizers gave President Trump a Peace Prize, and then there's 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:10.600 the commercialization of the game. And I don't just mean 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:15.680 this World Cup, but the game in general clubs across Europe. 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:20.200 By the way, Gary Lineker is really more podcast boss 0:02:20.280 --> 0:02:25.160 than mere podcaster because his company, Goalhanger, is right at 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:28.919 the forefront of the audio industry. So that comes up too. 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:32.560 We grabbed some time in his diary before he headed 0:02:32.600 --> 0:02:35.320 off to New York, and when he walked into the 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:38.600 studio there was a copy of his book on the table, 0:02:38.960 --> 0:02:43.840 a twenty ten World Cup diary. His reaction wasn't what 0:02:43.960 --> 0:02:48.280 I imagined. Here's what happened. Actually, may seriously you don't 0:02:48.320 --> 0:02:51.079 remember this, Oh you better have a quick flick through 0:02:51.080 --> 0:02:54.679 it yourself. I'm maybe quoting bits of it at you. 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:58.119 It was your World Cup, your World Cup diary that year. 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:03.600 I did wonder why there was only one, because clearly 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:05.520 you've been at plenty of World Cup since then, So 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:07.160 maybe this is you've. 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:10.680 I have no memory of that. That's the first time I 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:12.640 think I've ever seen that book, or even when it 0:03:12.680 --> 0:03:14.920 came out. I didn't know it even did come up. 0:03:15.080 --> 0:03:16.440 I have no memory that I did that. 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:18.519 You say, well, you definitely got talked into it. You 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:20.760 say as much of the introduction. So here we are 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:23.840 thanks to all that Simon and Schuster, particularly in Chapman, 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:25.800 who took me out for lunch and persuaded me that 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:28.120 this was a good idea. Oh an idea. 0:03:28.200 --> 0:03:32.560 Clearly, if you've forgotten, that's what happens when you get older. 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:33.959 You forget everything. 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:38.920 You were fifteen. You were fifteen years younger when this 0:03:38.960 --> 0:03:41.200 came out. So no desire to add books to the 0:03:42.080 --> 0:03:44.040 to the media empire. 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:45.880 No, it's not. 0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:49.920 I guess I'd love to start Gary by just getting 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:53.840 your expectations and thoughts on this particular World Cup because 0:03:53.840 --> 0:03:56.680 you've seen many. I think your first as a player 0:03:56.760 --> 0:04:01.440 was nineteen eighty six. Research well that much. I should 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:04.080 have the starters, but you've seen them from different angles, 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:06.680 so set the scene for this one for us. 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:09.920 Well, football wise, I think once it gets underway, it'll 0:04:10.120 --> 0:04:14.640 hopefully be eventful and entertaining and live up to expectations. 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:18.520 I think it's more off the field there are concerns, 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:23.200 but that's been the case of every World Cup that 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:26.240 I think have covered and played in. It's hard to 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:29.240 remember them that long ago. But if even in eighty 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:32.920 six it was the height of Mexican cartels and all 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:35.960 that it was in Mexico, So nineteen ninety we had 0:04:36.120 --> 0:04:39.240 huge hooligans and problem and actually tried to pull us 0:04:39.240 --> 0:04:42.520 out on was at one point. So it's been ever 0:04:42.800 --> 0:04:45.719 thus in some ways, you know, even in recent times, 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:49.839 you've got Brazil twenty fourteen, huge demonstrations on the streets 0:04:49.839 --> 0:04:52.400 and they shouldn't be spending this amount of money on 0:04:53.080 --> 0:04:56.360 you know, stadiums when they could be helping the infrastructure 0:04:56.400 --> 0:05:01.480 of the country. Then we got twenty eighteen, just four 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:04.880 years before Russia's in Lady Crimea, So there's a lot 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:08.840 of hulla below about that. Four years onto Qatar, you're 0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:12.760 talking about GBTQ rights, you know, people dying in the 0:05:12.920 --> 0:05:15.520 building of the stadiums, you know. So I'm used to this. 0:05:15.520 --> 0:05:17.360 This is what the build up is to a World Cup. 0:05:17.360 --> 0:05:19.560 It's all about the problems. Then once it starts, it 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:23.000 focused on the football. But you know, there's a distinct 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:25.880 possibility at the moment that the host nation, or one 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:29.400 of the three host nations, the main host nation obviously America, 0:05:30.120 --> 0:05:32.240 could be at war with you know, one of the 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:33.480 teams that are in the tournament. 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:36.719 As things stand, Iran are coming, Yeah. 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:40.360 Exactly, they are coming. So you know, we don't know 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:44.359 from day to day what's going to happen. So yeah, 0:05:44.360 --> 0:05:48.080 this is a little bit different, but hopefully a little 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:50.479 bit like I remember going in Russia and everything was 0:05:50.520 --> 0:05:52.320 cleaned up before they came, and a lot of the 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:54.440 Russian people saying, this is the best it's ever been here, 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:57.200 it's amazing, and so I'm hoping it'll be a little 0:05:57.200 --> 0:05:59.359 bit like that, and that I know, people like Ice 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:01.839 are not taking fans off the streets. Well that's a. 0:06:01.880 --> 0:06:04.599 Good It's a good question, right, because there is that 0:06:04.680 --> 0:06:09.000 sense that it's possible that these you know, international gatherings 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:11.520 of fans to watch. This is a place that I 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:12.080 could be. 0:06:12.240 --> 0:06:15.320 Yeah, and some reports that you know, some players are 0:06:15.360 --> 0:06:20.279 not getting visas. Hopefully it'll all will be okay for 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:22.000 the World Cup. So I'm looking forward to actually the 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:22.760 football started. 0:06:22.960 --> 0:06:26.560 Yeah, but this is the atmosphere that surrounds it. And 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:31.000 there are other elements, for example, Journey and Fantino, FIFA's 0:06:31.160 --> 0:06:34.720 close friendship with Donald Trump. Do you think that has 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:38.279 gone beyond the norm when a country is about to 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:41.160 host the World Cup and the way that FIFA has 0:06:41.160 --> 0:06:43.080 to interact with that whose nation, I find it. 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:46.599 Very peculiar and very odd. Actually I think we call 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:50.400 him Sikofantino. Now I think that's new. But yeah, I 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:52.920 think the whole thing, you know, the Peace Prize and 0:06:52.960 --> 0:06:56.719 all that sort of nonsense, and so it's it's a concern, 0:06:57.320 --> 0:06:58.760 you know, and other things like that. You know, the 0:06:58.920 --> 0:07:03.760 pricing of the tickets is astronomical compared with previous World Cups, 0:07:03.800 --> 0:07:05.920 and obviously you know, FIFA must be involved in the 0:07:05.960 --> 0:07:08.880 ticket pricing, et cetera. And they're supposed to be a 0:07:08.920 --> 0:07:11.520 non for profit organized you know. They they've got billions 0:07:11.560 --> 0:07:13.320 in the bank and it's supposed to go straight back 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:17.600 into the sport. Hopefully it does. But the ticket pricing 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:21.280 seems off the chart. It's going to be really, really expensive. 0:07:21.360 --> 0:07:23.600 And one of the great joys of a World Cup 0:07:24.920 --> 0:07:28.040 seeing all the Brazilian fans and the Argentinian fans and 0:07:28.400 --> 0:07:31.640 the African fans and you know, people of Senegal and 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:35.760 and even from Europe, you know, the dots or turning 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:39.280 up in you know, in Orange and et cetera. Are 0:07:39.320 --> 0:07:40.800 we going to see that? I don't know. Is it 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:43.400 just going to be purely corporate? Are we pricing out 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:46.360 real supporters? So there are a lot of concerns going 0:07:46.400 --> 0:07:48.520 into the World Cup. Illiterate what I said before. This 0:07:48.680 --> 0:07:52.000 has often been the case and once it, once it 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:53.040 gets going, it's okay. 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:56.600 So fingers crossed Jenny and Fantino and Donald Trump. The 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:58.440 Peace Prize, which you mentioned, I want to just like 0:07:58.600 --> 0:08:00.760 fill in the blanks a bit for anyone who didn't 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:05.240 follow that at the time. For me, well, the basics 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:08.640 was that not long after Donald Trump did not win 0:08:08.720 --> 0:08:12.480 the Nobel Prize, it was announced that he was going 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:14.400 to win a FIFA Peace Prize. 0:08:14.520 --> 0:08:17.760 It was the most peculiar. I just don't understand why. 0:08:18.520 --> 0:08:21.960 I think it was partly eager. 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:24.840 Who's ego into Yeah, and. 0:08:24.880 --> 0:08:27.680 He wanted to do something, and you know, obviously he 0:08:27.760 --> 0:08:30.520 seems to be cozy up very much to the President 0:08:30.520 --> 0:08:33.199 of the United States, you know, fair enough, but I 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:35.320 thought that was a step too far. I mean, who's 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:36.480 going to win it? For a years time? 0:08:37.320 --> 0:08:39.840 Someone at the time he said that Donald Trump deserved 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:43.240 to win this prize, but there was clearly a kind 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:47.640 of lack of transparency around what the criteria were. 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:49.719 I'd love to know what the criteria was. 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:53.120 Is this these questions that you can ask on air 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:55.520 on the podcast because the rest of his football is 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:57.959 going to be on Netflix every day through the World Cup, 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:00.400 do you envisage talking about this kind of thing? 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:03.560 Absolutely? I would think so. Yeah. I don't think there'll 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:05.640 be any doubt that we can talk about whatever. That's 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:09.839 the beautiful podcast you're doing one now you can go 0:09:10.000 --> 0:09:10.480 where you want. 0:09:10.559 --> 0:09:13.000 But it's new, isn't it Netflix putting a podcast like 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:14.679 yours on and I just wondered that there's going to 0:09:14.679 --> 0:09:18.360 be a different vibe or even different understanding with them. 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:21.080 Netflix have said to us the reason that they wanted 0:09:21.400 --> 0:09:24.040 our podcast to give them a part of the World 0:09:24.120 --> 0:09:27.520 Cup that they didn't have four years ago because they 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:30.480 liked the way it was. So we'll have a lot 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:33.840 of fun. We'll talk a lot about football, but will 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:36.599 naturally discuss, you know, if ordinary fans can't get in, 0:09:36.960 --> 0:09:40.559 or if there's any issues going on outside. We're doing 0:09:40.600 --> 0:09:44.200 a show every single day, so there will be some days, 0:09:44.240 --> 0:09:46.560 well we might need something to talk about, but I'm 0:09:46.640 --> 0:09:50.360 hoping we don't have to, but I fear we might 0:09:50.440 --> 0:09:50.599 have to. 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:53.040 But have you have have you got a guarantee from 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:56.760 Netflix that if you want to criticize President Trump on 0:09:57.640 --> 0:10:00.280 Netflix through the podcast, that's okay with them because the 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:02.040 American media is in a funny place overall. 0:10:02.080 --> 0:10:04.920 On that topic, Well, I've not asked them that question, 0:10:05.440 --> 0:10:08.360 but I suspect that it'll be okay. 0:10:08.880 --> 0:10:11.800 This is the backdrop to the tournament, Well it is. 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:13.720 At the moment, but it was the same I remember 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:17.480 with Putin in twenty eighteen. But once the tournament started, 0:10:17.520 --> 0:10:20.079 there's so many as four football matches a day, so 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:22.600 hopefully there won't be any issues to talk about. 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:24.240 But if there is, of course we will, And how 0:10:24.320 --> 0:10:27.920 do you feel about it being this long stretch, longer 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:30.800 tournament than usual, bigger tournament than usual, the fact that 0:10:30.840 --> 0:10:33.200 there's going to be forty eight teams this time, because 0:10:33.559 --> 0:10:37.520 I've heard people say Infantino himself that means it's more inclusive, 0:10:37.720 --> 0:10:40.240 teams are making their World Cup debut, and other people 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:42.199 saying it's a money grab, it just shouldn't be that big. 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:44.280 Well, I think it's a bit of both. There is 0:10:44.400 --> 0:10:48.160 part of me that says there are players and countries 0:10:48.240 --> 0:10:50.360 that will have an opportunity to play in a World 0:10:50.360 --> 0:10:52.520 Cup which they would never have been able to do. 0:10:53.120 --> 0:10:56.439 That's a real positive. The number of games that the 0:10:56.480 --> 0:10:59.280 players are going to be asked to play in tough 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:04.360 conditions will be really difficult demanding players. At some point 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:07.200 they've got to give somewhere. With footballers, they played too 0:11:07.240 --> 0:11:10.199 many games and it's just the fill in the calendar. 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:14.440 There's no break at all. So in this World Cup, 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:17.640 it's not the fact that you've got more teams necessary, 0:11:17.760 --> 0:11:19.800 but the way they've structured it is that we now 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:23.480 have a round of thirty two. So after the group stages, 0:11:23.480 --> 0:11:26.880 where pretty much it's pretty much impossible for any really 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:29.360 good team not to get through to the knockout stage. 0:11:29.640 --> 0:11:33.160 But I actually quite like an extra round in that 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:36.640 sense because there's more drama, there's more jeopardy. Because the 0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:40.160 group stages, I think frankly then never you'll get the 0:11:40.160 --> 0:11:43.240 odd upset, but generally the best teams will go through, 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:44.600 and I think that would be the same. I think 0:11:44.640 --> 0:11:47.000 a lot of the interest in the group stages will 0:11:47.080 --> 0:11:50.120 be the smaller nations playing for the first time. Got 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:53.360 us out and contries like that, and Jordan and there 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:56.440 are a lot of others, and I think that'll be special. 0:11:56.720 --> 0:11:59.160 But I think the World Cup will really start once 0:11:59.240 --> 0:12:00.440 she gets to the last th two. 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:05.040 But also the logistics, the distances involved, and the borders, 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:07.320 because you are talking about a World Cup over three 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:11.440 countries much Canada, Yeah, exactly, so I'm not sure that's 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:12.120 happened before. 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:15.800 We've had two South Korea in Japan shared it, and 0:12:15.880 --> 0:12:18.200 the next one will be three as well, and to Morocco, 0:12:18.400 --> 0:12:22.040 Spain and Portugal. I mean, it's predominantly in the States. 0:12:22.120 --> 0:12:23.400 Certainly the finals in the States. 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:25.559 There are a lot of way more matches in the States, 0:12:25.600 --> 0:12:29.200 but America's a very, very large country, but they've had 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:31.319 a World Cup there before, so that travel is not 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:35.839 too problematical. But yeah, logistically it will be difficult for 0:12:36.280 --> 0:12:40.000 both the teams, the players and people covering it as 0:12:40.080 --> 0:12:40.679 well well. 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:43.520 Exactly so for you, people in the UK will know 0:12:43.679 --> 0:12:48.400 you for being the voice on the BBC of football 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:50.599 over such a long time. You're now going to have 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:53.800 this global audience and you're going to cover it for 0:12:53.880 --> 0:12:57.360 the duration wherever the tournament goes. How different an experience 0:12:57.440 --> 0:12:58.079 is it going to be for you? 0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:01.120 It will be quite different, although we've got I think 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:05.000 we've got a sort of smidgeon of the experience in 0:13:05.240 --> 0:13:08.319 Berlin and the Euros two years ago. But obviously this 0:13:08.520 --> 0:13:11.640 is a much higher end production because not only is 0:13:11.720 --> 0:13:14.079 it a podcast, it's also going to be, you know, 0:13:14.320 --> 0:13:16.960 a TV show that goes out sort of as live. 0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:19.160 Will be recording most of the shows in the evening, 0:13:19.280 --> 0:13:22.839 so it's it's a lot of work, slightly daunting, but 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:26.360 incredibly exciting. There's a lot of planning. We've been planning 0:13:26.360 --> 0:13:28.480 for a long time. We've got loads of great guests 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:32.559 which I can't say yet, but you know, our bass 0:13:33.080 --> 0:13:37.600 studio is right above Times Square. I'm really genuinely, it's 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:40.240 something different from me as well. Obviously I've covered lord 0:13:40.320 --> 0:13:43.920 knows how many World Cups for everyone since ninety four 0:13:44.000 --> 0:13:47.640 and played in the two previous ones, so I've covered 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:50.520 them all. But this will be different. Obviously we don't 0:13:50.520 --> 0:13:52.200 have the football, We're not showing any of the games, 0:13:52.280 --> 0:13:54.319 but the BBC and IT they have the rights to 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:57.040 show the matches. Such as the nature of the World 0:13:57.040 --> 0:13:59.319 Cup and the way the rights are sold, and they're 0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:01.920 sold to inter dual countries obviously all around the world 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:04.960 where they buy the rights, I can't see the World Cup. 0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:07.560 Who knows. The way the world is changing, the way 0:14:07.600 --> 0:14:11.760 television is changing, whether one entity, whether it be a 0:14:12.040 --> 0:14:15.319 you know, Netflix or Amazon or whoever, could buy the 0:14:15.480 --> 0:14:20.520 whole World Cup rights to show everywhere. But it'll be lighthearted, 0:14:20.560 --> 0:14:22.520 it will be fun and sometimes it'll be serious. 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:24.240 You know what it reminds me of hearing you talk 0:14:24.240 --> 0:14:26.640 about it is when you did the Olympics in twenty twelve, 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:29.520 because you and I were both part of the BBC lineup, 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:31.760 not together at different points in the day. But I 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:33.720 think that was a moment for you where you were 0:14:33.760 --> 0:14:36.280 going beyond football for the first time. 0:14:36.440 --> 0:14:39.800 Yeah, I'd done golf and I also worked on I 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:45.000 worked on the Olympics in was it ninety was the 0:14:45.080 --> 0:14:48.000 one in Atlanta? Was it ninety six? And that was 0:14:48.120 --> 0:14:51.920 kind of my first role and I that was an 0:14:52.000 --> 0:14:55.960 interesting experience because I wasn't ready really but I had 0:14:56.000 --> 0:14:59.240 the night shift anyway, No I was watching, but that's 0:14:59.280 --> 0:15:02.480 good place Olympic. I was doing the primetime show and 0:15:02.600 --> 0:15:05.600 it was and it was I mean, I had to 0:15:05.680 --> 0:15:06.800 do some studying for that. 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:09.280 I mean because I remember the book they gave us. 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:11.440 They gave us like a massive farm like that for 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:14.360 the World Cup every time you've seen it before the football, 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:15.160 and I never really read. 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:20.000 I know football, I know the players. I watched million 0:15:20.080 --> 0:15:23.080 games a year, but with the Olympics, I had to 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:26.640 do so much research into not necessary the people involved 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:30.160 in them, but actually how the sports worked, because you 0:15:30.240 --> 0:15:32.000 can't go on a show like that and not know 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:34.440 you stuff. But it was quite funny because I'd go 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:36.880 in early, we'd watch the games all day and we 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:40.080 were doing really well, really successful. And what happened is 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:42.720 because we I think the prime we did seven o'clock 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:46.480 till ten o'clock and we'd get guests in someone who 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:48.400 won the gold medal that day, or you know, the 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:50.480 early days, it was someone who won a medal. Then 0:15:50.520 --> 0:15:53.400 it became so successful it was who won gold medals. 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:57.360 And we were in there one night and I had 0:15:57.560 --> 0:16:01.960 nine separate interviews and you didn't really know who we're 0:16:02.000 --> 0:16:04.080 going to get until late on because some people are 0:16:04.120 --> 0:16:06.480 pulled out and cancer. Somebody wo win a gold medal, 0:16:06.520 --> 0:16:09.320 and they brushed them into the studio and I remember 0:16:09.360 --> 0:16:11.440 i'd four lads were brought in sat next to me 0:16:12.000 --> 0:16:15.400 and we got about thirty seconds to go, and the 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:18.080 floor manager, Chris, I looked at them and I went 0:16:20.200 --> 0:16:23.840 to help help he and he went, I don't know. 0:16:24.520 --> 0:16:26.600 And as I was introducing them, they were telling me 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:30.240 their names in their ear and it was like what 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:33.160 they do? Meanwhile they want a gold medal. 0:16:33.240 --> 0:16:36.880 Meanwhile they're completely starstruck because they're sitting on the looking 0:16:36.880 --> 0:16:37.120 at you. 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:38.440 But you know, I do it. 0:16:38.600 --> 0:16:40.200 I do remember for the same because I was on 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:42.520 in the morning, so very far away from primetime. But 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:45.360 I also remember at one point taekwondo coming on and 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:47.600 realizing there was a moment where I had to talk 0:16:47.640 --> 0:16:50.080 over the live pictures of taekwondo and frantically trying to 0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:53.320 look up the relevance and that book. I can tell 0:16:53.320 --> 0:16:55.920 you that now there was buried somewhere in that file. 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.680 But I also remember once the speaking of the medal winners, 0:17:00.800 --> 0:17:03.920 the brilliant women rowers came on, who had done all 0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:06.040 the rowers did really well, And I was talking to 0:17:06.119 --> 0:17:07.600 Catherine Granger, who's now very. 0:17:09.000 --> 0:17:09.119 Well. 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:10.560 Yeah they were, I mean, they were very much into 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:11.200 mad but they came. 0:17:11.680 --> 0:17:12.720 Your interview is much better. 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:18.080 They came on, and at one point I very very 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:21.600 foolishly said to Catherine Granger that I had once rode 0:17:21.600 --> 0:17:24.440 at university. And when my husband heard me say this, 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:26.720 he was like, that was the most embarrassing question you 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:29.240 ever asked. That is like saying to Gary Lineker, I 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:30.720 once played football. 0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:30.919 And. 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:38.399 If it's embarrassing, And I thought, yeah it was. It 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:40.880 was nothing like that, but it was a very long 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:42.359 time ago. But it was a very lame thing to 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:45.639 bring up. So but yeah, medal winners, it's fantastic, it's 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:50.639 their moment. It was not a fed how dare you? 0:17:50.760 --> 0:17:51.400 It's not a head. 0:17:52.680 --> 0:17:55.919 But I wasn't very good, as probably you can expect. 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:59.119 I do want to ask you about the trend with 0:17:59.600 --> 0:18:03.639 funding and investment in English clubs over the last two decades. 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:07.960 Because you've seen this, it's not just the individual wealthy owners, 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:11.159 it's now the sovereign wealth funds and private equity and 0:18:11.840 --> 0:18:14.879 asset managers of all kinds. What is the impact do 0:18:14.920 --> 0:18:16.320 you think of this on the game. 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:19.080 It does concern me, I think, particularly once we went 0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:22.840 down the line of sovereign states. But that train has 0:18:22.960 --> 0:18:26.520 left the station, so it's difficult. It's an odd one. 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:28.600 I mean, most of our football club's are owned by Americans. 0:18:28.760 --> 0:18:31.560 Premier League teams are owned by Americans, you know, billionaires, 0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:34.520 which is odd considering it's not their sport. 0:18:34.640 --> 0:18:37.440 Really becoming more their sport though you can well see 0:18:37.480 --> 0:18:41.000 that in demand for growing for tickets, the interest is growing. 0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:45.000 It's funny that American friends and they going, do you 0:18:45.040 --> 0:18:48.480 think we've got a good chance? Some kind zero chance? 0:18:49.000 --> 0:18:52.040 They went, what do you mean, so you've got zero chance? 0:18:53.080 --> 0:18:56.359 Sorry, any Americans, someone has to break it to them. 0:18:56.440 --> 0:18:58.440 Yeah, it's better to know, because it's the hope that 0:18:58.560 --> 0:18:59.119 destroys you. 0:19:00.240 --> 0:19:03.720 We've learned that, we've learned that they're young in footballing terms. Yeah, 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:08.160 but there is an Americanism around the around the World Cup. 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:11.639 Isn't there that there's dynamic pricing, probably trying to make 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:15.000 the whole model more like American football or American sports 0:19:15.040 --> 0:19:15.480 more widely. 0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:19.320 That's concerning I think. I mean I mentioned it earlier, 0:19:19.359 --> 0:19:23.359 but the ticket price, ticket pricing, just if you're pricing 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:27.080 out real fans completely, that's not going to be the 0:19:27.160 --> 0:19:32.000 same World Cup. So let's see what transpires. But it's 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:33.879 a serious concern for me. 0:19:34.160 --> 0:19:38.040 And going back to the English Premier League clubs, is 0:19:38.119 --> 0:19:41.440 the impact of money of that kind and from those 0:19:41.560 --> 0:19:44.600 quarters flowing in that players start to be treated more 0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:47.640 as commodities or was that always the case. 0:19:47.800 --> 0:19:49.560 Well, it's better than it used to be. The players 0:19:49.600 --> 0:19:52.520 that actually have quite a bit of control now on 0:19:52.760 --> 0:19:58.159 things and obviously earned huge amounts huge, huge salaries. But 0:19:58.600 --> 0:20:02.120 when I was playing, you know, you're basically a piece 0:20:02.160 --> 0:20:05.199 of meat. You could be sold anywhere, and they basically 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:08.800 threatened you that you you're planning the reserves if you 0:20:08.880 --> 0:20:12.520 don't go. So they actually have more power than they 0:20:12.800 --> 0:20:17.320 used to and obviously a lot more money, so you know, 0:20:17.400 --> 0:20:20.280 it's probably gone a bit out of control in some ways. 0:20:20.359 --> 0:20:23.800 But it's football's big business now, huge business. 0:20:42.880 --> 0:20:45.360 I do wonder if doing the work up on Netflix 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:49.280 means something to you personally, because when you finally left 0:20:49.320 --> 0:20:52.840 the BBC, did you think that that kind of spotlight 0:20:52.880 --> 0:20:54.359 wouldn't be on you anymore? I mean, you're doing the 0:20:54.400 --> 0:20:57.719 rest is Football and your media boss now, but does 0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:00.479 it mean something to you to be in demand for Well? 0:21:00.520 --> 0:21:02.920