The 42FM

Sinéad and Gavin nail their colours to the mast as they debate their big sporting predictions for the rest of 2026 and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sinead and Gavin discuss the Fifa president: where did he come from and how long does he plan to stick around?Infantino was elected as Fifa president in February 2016. He showed a supposedly new, more humble version of Fifa when he flew EasyJet to an IFAB meeting in the UK, saying “We are normal people and we have to behave like normal people.”He now travels on a private jet provided to him by Qatar. And Fifa recently requested a motorcade escort for their annual congress in Vancouver similar to the kind usually reserved for the Pope or the US president.Why has the head of a sporting body come to regard himself as worthy of such a show of deference? Does the Fifa presidency essentially guarantee a level of hubris, as the occupier of the office becomes further and further detached from the real world in which 99% of football supporters live?Can steps be taken to assure greater accountability for those in the role? Or are we destined to have a succession of egotistical characters speaking on behalf of the global game, while those who play, watch and love the sport roll their eyes? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sinéad O’Carroll is joined by Niall Kelly to discuss the fallout from Munster’s appointment of Roger Randle as attack coach, and the subsequent “mutual agreement” that the deal will not go ahead.Randle was accused of raping a woman in South Africa in 1997 when he was there as a player. Randle denied the allegation and has always maintained his innocence. He was initially charged with the crime, but that charge was later dropped.In today’s episode, Sinéad and Niall consider whether Munster’s hierarchy properly thought through the likely backlash to Randle’s appointment.Committee members and commercial advisors have walked away, relations with the IRFU have been strained, supporters have been left with questions, sponsors were feeling uneasy and players have been put in an impossible position of having to answer media questions on the appointment. And now, head coach Clayton McMillan is disappointed that the coach he wanted and backed will not join him at MunsterWhat will be the lasting consequences for the province - once the biggest brand in Irish sport - both on and off the field? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.