OTB Football
FOOTBALL DAILY | Off The Ball announce bumper LOI rights deal | Shamrock Rovers welcome Dundalk to kick off the season's coverage
14 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the significance of Off The Ball's new broadcasting deal for the League of Ireland?
Football on Off the Ball. Played football ultra under Mourinho during the classical wars when it was Mourinho versus Guardiola. There were few, if any, players who were more belligerent, more committed to the Mourinho cause than are below.
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Off the Ball's Football Daily. Phil Egan which will bring the number of live national radio commentary games to 33 across the new 2026 SSE Articity men's Premier Division season.
Chapter 2: How did Shamrock Rovers perform in their opening match against Dundalk?
Off the ball covered live games on Friday night for the first time last season, the new agreement brings even more national radio coverage than ever before for the League of Ireland. LOI Late Night on X Spaces and the LOI podcast, which is free to air each match week, will continue as normal.
And alongside the live League of Ireland matches, Off the Ball will also broadcast games from the 2026 Men's and Women's FAI Cups. The new season kicks off on Friday the 6th of February. Defending champions Shamrock Rovers play last season's First Division champions Dundalk at Tala Stadium. And it's a game you'll be able to hear on Off the Ball.
Manchester City are in full control of their League Cup semi-final against Newcastle. Goals from Antoine Semenyo and Ryan Cherky gave City a 2-0 win over the holders in the first leg at St James' Park. Boss Pep Guardiola was happy his team got the win, even though they weren't at their best.
We were there. Of course, there are some momentums. I know his pressing is really good, but we break up. First half, Jeremy was top. Second half, Simeone and Erling were much, much better. But all the team, the guys who came from the bench, good game and the first step to reach the final.
It's now two goals in two games for Semenyo since his move from Bournemouth. He also had a goal ruled out after a five-and-a-half-minute check. There was VAR drama when the teams met in the Premier League earlier this season, and Guardiola isn't happy both decisions went against his side.
Today, four people were not able to decide because the line was, I don't know, but the second goal, the Newcastle score, that was perfect. It was perfect, the line.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admits conceding a second goal in injury time makes it very tough to turn it around in three weeks time.
It's a body blow for us but not fatal at the moment and we're still in there fighting I think maybe a bit of naivety with a minute to go on the clock that we're still trying to chase a goal in that moment we need to defend I thought the lads gave everything today under difficult circumstances with the extra time on Saturday and there was a bit of fatigue in our performance but I can't fault the players.
New Chelsea boss, Leymar Senior, wants the fans to leave Stamford Bridge tonight knowing his side have given everything on the pitch. They take on Premier League leaders Arsenal in the first leg of their semi-final. Senior grew up in nearby Wandsworth and says he's aware of how much the team means to the fans.
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Chapter 3: What were Pep Guardiola's thoughts on the recent VAR decisions affecting Manchester City?
Host Morocco take on Nigeria at 8 o'clock, but before that at 5 o'clock at Senegal against Egypt, where old Liverpool teammates Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah will go up against each other. On last night's football show, the Athletics' Karl Anka joined Owen Sheehan and explained why winning Africa's biggest football tournament is so important.
One of the big storylines, obviously, across this whole AFCON is, can Salah do it? It's not quite at the same level as Lionel Messi in the World Cup, but it's certainly a huge subplot here in that Mahmoud Salah should be the most talented slash most successful Egyptian football player of all time, but he's never won the African Cup of Nations. You know, Yaya Torre has spoken about how
Because African nations are so unlikely to win the World Cup or make deep runs into the World Cup, having an African Cup of Nations medal means so much more. Didier Jogba has spoken about this all the time, about how he deeply regrets the fact that he retired and then the Ivory Coast won it in 2015. He's like, if I had hung on, would I have got one?
Or did I need to step aside for them to win one? So this is a really interesting one in that the squad Egypt have... might be, and I'm really straining and bulging my eyes here, might be the strongest Salah has.
Obviously, they are really, really big geographical political reasons as to why Egyptian football perhaps hasn't always been able to provide the best football team for Salah to go off and win AFCON. But he needs to do it. The problem is, this is also, I mean, this is one of Senegal's golden generations, right?
And this is also perhaps the last time Senegal will have a chance as good as this to win another AFCON with these players. So... I mean, if it's any time for Egypt, they needed to get it done now. But if there's any opponent they don't want to face, it is going to be Senegal. Most people, before a ball was kicked, said the AFCON final would be Senegal versus Morocco.
And we're almost at that point. So we'll see.
And if you want to hear that chat back in full, you can do so now in your OGB football podcast feed. And Real Madrid will begin life under Alvaro Arbeloa tonight after the sacking of Xabi Alonso on Monday. Real take on Albacete in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey. Reports in Spain say that former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is one of the top candidates to replace Alonso.
Antonio Conte and Enzo Maresca have also been mentioned. Spanish football journalist Graeme Hunter joined Owen Sheehan to explain how Madrid might look under Arbeloa. Real Madrid now need an Ancelotti type more than ever at this juncture, even though all the success he's had at the club, it feels like he's the perfect fit to almost slot back into this.
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