Andrew comes from a sports journalism and audio background, and has worked for the BBC and News UK.
Andrew Butler
Head of Social and PR
“Tortoise is an amazingly innovative and collaborative space for journalism and a place that allows you to step back and ask what’s really going on.”
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Thursday 3 November 2022
18:30-19:30 GMT
We heart football: the modern football fan
Football means so much to so many, but who are the modern fans and why, after all the trials and tribulations are they still so dedicated? Sapphire McIntosh and Charlie Eccleshare unpack in this session of Tortoise Lates.
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Thursday 3 November 2022
18:15-21:30 GMT
Tortoise Lates: The beautiful game
Join us as we explore the complete story of the England football team, and how the teams of the past shaped the squad of today.
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Tuesday 1 February 2022
18:30-19:30 GMT
Is ugly money good for football?
Are there benefits to the game that make questionable investments justifiable, or are we enabling oppressive regimes to ‘sportwash’ club reputations?
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Monday 13 February 2023
Sensemaker: Manchester money
What just happened
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Thursday 1 December 2022
The World Cup of contradictions
In many ways, this is a World Cup unlike any other. In others, it’s just like the rest. Andrew Butler examines the contradictory nature of Qatar 2022
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Friday 31 March 2023
Manchester United, Israel and treatment of asylum seekers
James Harding is joined by Tortoise news editor Jess Winch, head of investigations Alexi Mostrous and head of social media Andrew Butler. In this episode they discuss the sale of Manchester United, Israel’s government pausing a judicial overhaul after protests and attitudes towards asylum seekers around the world
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Monday 13 February 2023
Manchester City charged
The world’s richest club has been charged with 115 alleged breaches of financial rules. How will Manchester City deal with the upcoming inquiry?
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Monday 26 December 2022
Beth Mead’s revenge tour
In an historic year for English women’s football, one player stood out – Beth Mead. Her journey to success is a story of dedication and bouncing back from knock-backs.
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Friday 2 December 2022
Balenciaga, Alzheimer’s drug and protests
James Harding is joined by Tortoise journalists Liz Moseley, Andrew Butler and Dave Taylor to discuss the stories they think mattered most this week
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Thursday 24 November 2022
Fifa’s boss fights back
A day before the Qatar World Cup began, Gianni Infantino came to the defence of the host nation. After his surprising monologue at a press conference it was clear football and politics would continue to collide under his leadership.
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Tuesday 2 August 2022
England’s women victorious
England’s women won the European Championship for the first time in their history – but what does their victory mean for the future of the game, and what needs to be done to ensure the legacy isn’t lost?
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Wednesday 6 July 2022
Women’s football fight for equality
As the Women’s European football championships starts in England, Norwegian superstar Ada Hegerberg will be hoping to light up the tournament after a five-year absence in protest at sporting inequality in her country.
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Friday 20 May 2022
Playmaker – season review, part II
Chloe Beresford and Andrew Butler continue to reflect on the 2021/2022 season. In this final episode of the Playmaker they discuss club ownership, diversity in football and the overall state of English football.
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Thursday 19 May 2022
Playmaker – season review, part I
Chloe Beresford and Andrew Butler reflect on the 2021/2022 season. In part one they discuss the return of fans to stadiums after Covid restrictions, preparations for the Qatar World Cup and the state of the women’s game.
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Wednesday 18 May 2022
A day of great importance
17-year-old Jake Daniels has become the first male footballer in the UK to come out as gay in 32 years. So how has the journey to get here taken so long?
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Tuesday 17 May 2022
Milan’s glory days return
Seven years ago, neither of Milan’s clubs made the top four in Italian football. Now, they’re vying for the Serie A title. How have the good times returned to the city?
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Friday 13 May 2022
The world’s most expensive football shirt
Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ shirt has sold for over £7million – and in the process has made former England midfielder Steve Hodge incredibly rich.
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Monday 9 May 2022
Moustapha Cisse’s extraordinary season
Football is awash with stories that describe one player’s improbable rise through the ranks to sporting fame. But none quite come close to Moustapha Cisse’s rise.
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Friday 6 May 2022
The return of Bury FC
Bury FC have been bought out of administration three years after their league expulsion. But the hard work in starting again has more hurdles than you might think.
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Tuesday 3 May 2022
Football’s crypto bros – part II
The worlds of football, cryptocurrencies and their associated industries have collided more this season than ever before. What can we expect in the future from these fledgling businesses?
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Friday 29 April 2022
The adventures (and misadventures) of football’s crypto bros
This season has seen the emergence of NFTs and other crypto products in the world of football. So where do clubs and the wider game go next in these markets?
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Thursday 14 April 2022
The Championship cheat code
Aleksander Mitrovic recently broke the Championship record for most goals scored in a season. What more does he need to do to prove himself as an elite striker?
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Friday 8 April 2022
English football’s independence day?
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in parliament that English football should have an independent regulator. But will it ever actually happen?
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Friday 1 April 2022
The World Cup’s other English manager
Canada has qualified for the World Cup for only the second time in their history – and it’s all been made possible by their English manager, John Herdman.
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Monday 28 March 2022
The unstoppable Luton Town
Five years ago, Luton Town were sixth in the fourth tier of English football. Now, they stand on the brink of the Premier League.
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Friday 25 March 2022
Messi’s Parisian nightmare
Lionel Messi’s arrival at Paris Saint-Germain was supposed to be the icing on the cake for the French club. He’s now getting booed. What’s gone wrong?
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Tuesday 22 March 2022
West Ham’s Ukrainian hero
Andriy Yarmolenko was given compassionate leave when his home country of Ukraine was invaded by Russia. Now, he’s led West Ham to an historic European quarter-final.
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Friday 18 March 2022
Another way
Amidst Newcastle’s takeover and sanctions against Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, what can League Two club Forest Green Rovers teach us about a different approach to football club ownership?
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Friday 11 March 2022
Embers of the European Super League
The attempt to launch a European Super League fell flat on its face last year. But rumours of a second attempt are getting increasingly hard to ignore.
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Friday 4 March 2022
Football’s most outdated rule?
Aston Villa’s Matty Cash was booked for removing his shirt to show support for a Polish teammate in Ukraine. Is it time to rethink one of football’s most outdated rules?
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Monday 28 February 2022
Football and the metaverse
The emergence and drive to create the metaverse means the sky’s the limit for tech companies – so how will the world of football fit into it?
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Friday 18 February 2022
Thoroughly modern Max
Not many Premier League players have had a five years like Max Kilman – and now he’s on the verge of an England call-up.
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Friday 4 February 2022
Captain, Leader, Legend, NFT Salesman
The worlds of football and NFTs have collided since John Terry helped launch his own collection. Some are sceptical of his plans.
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Friday 21 January 2022
Fantasyland
Fantasy Premier League has attracted 8.9million players this season. A new study suggests this could be having a bad effect.
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Friday 14 January 2022
From LinkedIn to the AFCON
In 2018, Roberto Lopes ignored a message on social media thinking it could be spam. That error almost cost him a chance to play at the African Cup of Nations.
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Friday 7 January 2022
The indomitable Phil Jones
Few players have suffered more abuse or worse luck with injuries than Manchester United’s Phil Jones. But he endures.
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Tuesday 4 January 2022
2022: Playmaker predictions
What do we think will happen on and off the pitch in 2022?
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Tuesday 21 December 2021
A game of patience
Squid Game’s director Hwang Dong-hyuk originally had the idea for this year’s runaway TV hit in 2009. His story is a 12-year lesson in endurance.
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Friday 17 December 2021
‘Tis the season to be… playing football
We’re not going to start feeling too sorry for professional footballers. But if there’s any moment in the year when they deserve a tiny bit of sympathy, it’s Christmas and New Year when the league schedule can be punishing.
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Friday 10 December 2021
Sergio Ramos – a Galactico too far?
The Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos signed for Paris Saint Germain, and pocketed a fortune. Then he disappeared.
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Friday 3 December 2021
Cristiano Ronaldo’s sour grapes
This week, Cristiano Ronaldo finished outside the top three in the Ballon d’Or for the first time in ten years. The Portuguese superstar isn’t happy about it at all.
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Friday 26 November 2021
Ballon d’Or – the unhealthy obsession
On Monday night, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski will go head-to-head to be crowned the world’s best player. But should we really be lauding any player with individual awards?
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Friday 19 November 2021
The vanishing millions
Vanishing spray, the stuff which referees use to mark out distances for free kicks, has become part of football. But now there’s a monumental fight over who owns the patent to it.
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Monday 15 November 2021
Men against boys
Since 2016, 16 Premier League or ‘category one’ academies have entered teams into the EFL Trophy to gain valuable experience, The changes aren’t working.
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Friday 12 November 2021
A game with no name
Talks for naming rights between video game manufacturer EA Sports and FIFA are reportedly at a standstill. Which could mean the unthinkable – a FIFA video game not actually called FIFA.
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Thursday 11 November 2021
No place for sentiment
Dean Smith had the dream job – manager of his childhood club, Aston Villa. His sacking after a poor run of form shows just how brutal the industry is.
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Wednesday 10 November 2021
England’s right-back puzzle
Trent Alexander-Arnold is arguably the best right-back in world football. Why isn’t he first choice for England?
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Friday 5 November 2021
What happened to home advantage?
It used to be the case that playing football at home gave teams a big advantage. But so far this year in the Premier League, more away teams have won. What’s going on?
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Friday 29 October 2021
The Karim Benzema puzzle
Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. But off-the-field matters threaten to jeopardise his on-pitch form, and it’s not the first time it’s happened.
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Friday 22 October 2021
Fact, fiction and football
In the TV hit Succession, a made-up media mogul accidentally buys Hearts FC. It’s turned into a real-life good news story.
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Friday 15 October 2021
Racism: the receiving end
Two weeks ago League Two goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux was racially abused by a fan on social media. In his own words, he talks about the raw emotion he felt and how we can move forward to a better future.
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Friday 8 October 2021
The biggest statistical anomaly in football
Why are there so few professional footballers in the UK from a South Asian background? The former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil is trying to find the answer.
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Monday 4 October 2021
Should loot boxes be in the game?
FIFA 22 came out last week, with some changes to its most controversial feature – loot boxes. Has EA Sports done enough to fend off charges that it’s making huge profits from a form of gambling?
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Friday 1 October 2021
Ted Lasso scores
Film and television have a pretty dismal record making dramas and comedies about football. But now there’s Ted Lasso.
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Friday 24 September 2021
It’s always sunny in Wrexham
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s takeover of non-league side Wrexham earlier this year left most football fans bemused. But it’s likely it would never have happened had it not been for an English comedian.
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Friday 17 September 2021
Scoring net zero
This weekend, Tottenham Hotspur play Chelsea in a match that will be a first of its kind. But is a ‘net zero’ football match purely a stunt or signs that things are changing for the better?
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Friday 3 September 2021
Keith the duck
A minute’s applause rang out at Wigan last weekend for a dead duck called Keith. What does it tell us about who gets commemorated at football matches and why?
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Friday 27 August 2021
Is Bale back?
For years, Gareth Bale has been something of an enigma. He’s never really fully developed into the player we hoped he’d be, but as he restarts his career against at Real Madrid, could this season be the one when he catches fire?
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Friday 20 August 2021
The English striker adored in Chile
Ben Brereton has had a year like no other. Born in Stoke-on-Trent and having played at England youth level, how did he become a cult hero this summer in Chile?
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Friday 13 August 2021
One for the price of 55?
Arsenal’s chairman Stan Kroenke is known for keeping his business decisions close to his chest. But when 55 staff members were made redundant during the pandemic, only for one player to be bought for £50 million just 12 months later… well, how do you justify that?