A Load of B-S

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Editor and podcast host at Aspects of History, Classics Teacher at the 'Eton of Africa', long-distance host of Frome Town FC's podcast. Documenting my tour of duty in Malawi and my African adventures, both actual and literary!

Aspects of History Podcast: Cold War Football with Tony Shaw and Alan McDougall

In just a few day's time, the 2026 Fifa World Cup will begin, a vast 48-team affair across North America, the geopolitical backdrop to the tournament as fractious as it has ever been in my lifetime.

Aspects of History and A Load of B-S

Jun 08, 2026

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Joining me for this week’s episode are Tony Shaw and Alan McDougall, their collaborative efforts in Cold War Football: A History in Ten Matches making for a fascinating dive into the sport on both sides of the Iron Curtain and beyond .

It goes without saying that ideology, propaganda and diplomacy have always been at the forefront of the beautiful game throughout its history. From Dynamo Moscow’s infamous 1945 clash with Arsenal to the revolutionary style of Hungary’s Magical Magyars, North Korea’s bond with Middlesbrough in 1966, and the charged meeting of East and West Germany in 1974, our conversation reveals how the game both reflected and transcended global tensions, breaking and building connections on either side of the Cold War’s cultural divide.

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Tony Shaw and Alan McDougall are professors at the University of Hertfordshire and Guelph respectively and the authors of Cold War Football: A History in Ten Matches .

Zeb Baker-Smith is a Classics teacher based in Malawi, a freelance journalist and Editor at Aspects of History .

Another year, another stint abroad. The intention behind this Substack is to keep my eye in on the writing front and document what promises to be quite the tour of duty, both in Africa and in the world of books (historical, postcolonial or otherwise).

So do come along for the ride and please subscribe as I document my travels and reads.