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Football Kenya Federation Premier League side Wazito FC have completed the signings of Ellie Asieche, Erick Otieno, Levis Opiyo and John Odhiambo.

The Nairobi club has been on a good run but that has not prevented them from adding more players to widen the selection pool for head coach Francis Kimanzi.

“Wazito FC are elated to announce the signing of [Eli] Asieche on a long-term deal,” Wazito announced on Wednesday after acquiring the former Sofapaka, KCB and Kariobangi Sharks star.

 “Asieche, an attacking midfielder joins from Sofapaka and is expected to boost our midfielder department.

“We are also pleased to announce the signing of [Erick] Otieno from Nzoia Sugar FC, [Levis] Opiyo from Gor Mahia, and [John] Odhiambo formerly with Ushuru FC.

“Otieno, a budding striker joins us on a long-term deal and will immediately link up with our first team.

“He is hardworking, clinical, and a beast in the air as was evident with the well-taken goal he scored against us at the Kasarani Annex a fortnight ago.”

Otieno has found the back of the net three times for the Sugar Millers in the ongoing season. He scored against Posta Rangers, Sofapaka and coincidentally, his latest goal was against Wazito.

Otieno had featured for KCB before he joined the Bungoma side and revealed his ambitions after putting pen to paper.

“I am happy to be here. Wazito are a big, ambitious team with quality players and I will work hard to earn my place in the team. As a striker, my job is to score goals and I am going to do my best to score,” he told the club’s website.

“Coach Kimanzi is one of the best in the country and under him, I am going to learn a lot. I am looking forward to this exciting journey with Wazito.”

Opiyo arrives at the club after playing for Thika United, Western Stima, Mathare United, and Nairobi City Stars from where he joined Gor Mahia and recently terminated his contract with them.

“Wazito are a big team with ambition and I am here to fight for my place in the team. To the fans, I want to assure them that I am here to give my best,” Opiyo said.

On the other hand, Odhiambo has featured for Ushuru FC, KCB and Mathare United.

“It feels good to be here,” the left-back said. “Wazito are currently one of the big teams in the league and this season they are in contention for the title.

“I am here to earn my place in the team. I am also excited to work with coach Kimanzi who is one of the best tacticians in the country.”

The four have arrived after Joe Waithira’s departure was confirmed.

South Africa coach Molefi Ntseki says they had “positive” expectations on Motjeka Madisha who lost his life in a car crash in December 2020.

Madisha died aged exactly a month away from his 26th birthday and had established himself as an undisputed starter at Mamelodi Sundowns.

Having been a bit-part Bafana Bafana player since his international debut in 2018, the defender had also just become a regular in the national team set-up at the time of his demise.

“There were a lot of positive things we were [expecting] from Madisha‚ it is just unfortunate that we lost him the way we lost him,” Ntseki told Times Live.

“For Bafana and everybody‚ it’s as if it is not real‚ it’s like he will come back to the team. But we have to accept and pass our condolence to everyone.”

Apart from the late defender’s impressive performances at club level, Ntseki says Madisha was considered for Bafana due to his history with junior national teams which earned him some international experience.

“These are the people who have worked with Madisha over the years‚ and these are the people who had high hopes for him as a player. I also met Madisha when he was with the Under-20 team with coach Shakes and coach Thabo Senong. We brought him to the Bafana squad in 2018 with coach Stuart Baxter for Cosafa Cup,” added Ntseki.

“I have had a very good relationship with him because he was always full of energy‚ always playful and a good person for the dressing room and for training sessions.

"Those were the good things about him. When we brought him to the Bafana set-up‚ we were looking forward to having a younger player coming in to strengthen our defence.

“If you look at defenders in the current national team‚ most have been with the team for more than five years. Madisha came in because of his background of having been with all the national teams.

"When we played against Sao Tome and Príncipe in Durban‚ the two captains were not in camp and I went with him to the press conference.”

Before his death, Madisha was already being mentioned as a future South Africa national team captain.

Eden Hazard has suffered a new injury setback and looks set to miss the first leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League last-16 tie with Atalanta.

The Belgium international has suffered a torrid time with injuries since moving to Santiago Bernabeu from Chelsea in a €100 million (£88m/$120m) deal in the summer of 2019.

The recently-turned 30-year-old has now picked up a new muscle injury and could be facing up to a month on the sidelines.

What games will Hazard miss?

The length of absence will depend on the severity of Hazard’s muscle injury and how quickly the problem heals, with it expected he will miss between two to four weeks of football.

In the best-case scenario of Hazard being absent for only a fortnight, then he would sit out the weekend’s trip to Huesca and home games against Getafe and Valencia, before potentially returning for the February 20 fixture against Valladolid.

However, in the worst-case scenario of being ruled out for around a month, Hazard would also be missing for the first leg of the Atalanta tie in Italy on February 24.

In addition, Zinedine Zidane’s side are due to face local rivals, and current leaders of La Liga, Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano on March 7.

If Hazard’s injury is as bad as feared, then he will be struggling to return in time for the date with Diego Simeone’s side.

What injuries has Hazard suffered since joining Real Madrid?

This is the ninth time that Hazard has been ruled out of a chunk of Madrid’s games due to injury or fitness issues since his move to the Spanish capital.

He suffered from ankle injuries primarily during his first year with Madrid, which impacted upon his ability to become a central figure in Zidane’s starting line-up.

This season, meanwhile, Hazard’s fitness problems have included a spell out in November due to coronavirus and a thigh injury, which he has only recently fully recovered from.

Further reading

'Hazard does not deserve to be a starter': How the €100m superstar lost his way at Real Madrid (Jan 19)

Zidane urges patience with Hazard as Real Madrid crash out of Supercopa with Athletic Club defeat (Jan 14)

'It's not his fault!' - Vermaelen defends Hazard amid injury struggles & claims he will get back to his best (Dec 9)

Mahmoud Hamid Soliman ‘Kahraba’ has expressed his desire to win the 2021 Fifa Club World Cup with Al Ahly.

Having emerged as winners of the 2019-20 Caf Champions League, the Egyptian Premier League side will represent Africa at the tournament that parades winners of other five continental confederations.

Pitso Mosimane’s men begin their campaign against hosts Al-Duhail on Thursday at Al Rayyan’s Education City Stadium and victory will see them square off against European kings Bayern Munich in the semi-final.

The former Zamalek and Luzern man, in a chat with the Fifa website, disclosed that the Red Devils’ focus is not limited to playing just two games in Qatar.

"Every player has his own ambitions, but the most important thing is to play well and help the team," said Kahraba.

"My desire is to reach the final and win the Club World Cup with my team.

“We tell our fans that our goal is to win the tournament, not play one or two games and return home.

"I've been an Al Ahly fan since I was a kid and so remember past performances at the Fifa Club World Cup. I recall slipping out of school to catch games at the cafe.

“It was a great feeling to watch Al Ahly play while we drank cups of milky tea. I've always dreamed of playing at the Club World Cup and that dream is finally going to come true.

"The Al Ahly fans mean a great deal to me, because I’m one of them. Al Ahly is something special in my life – I think of it as I would my father or mother.

“I hope I can continue playing with this team in the future and that we can achieve our goals and make the fans happy."

Al Ahly last participated in the annual competition in 2013. There, they bowed 2-0 to Guangzhou Evergrande in their first match thanks to second-half goals from Elkeson and Dario Conca.

In their fifth-place match, they suffered a 5-1 obliteration at the hands of Mexican side Monterrey with Emad Moteab getting their consolatory strike.

Thomas Tuchel suspects both Kai Havertz and Kurt Zouma will miss Chelsea's trip to Tottenham after picking up injuries in the final training session ahead of the match.

The pair will go for scans today to see the severity of their issues after coming off the training field, but all the Blues' other players are available for selection.

Without confirming their status, Tuchel cast doubt on their availability ahead of the London derby match on Thursday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"We had two little issues today on the training pitch. It was Kurt Zouma and Kai Havertz who went off the pitch with little issues, so they are checking and doing images [scans] right now," Tuchel said from Cobham Training Centre. "It is questionable if they are in the squad for tomorrow. Everyone else is available."

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho has his own issues at Tottenham ahead of the match which sees his sixth-placed team face the Premier League's seventh-placed side.

Mourinho confirmed the absences of Harry Kane and Giovani Lo Celso ahead of kick-off, and Tuchel believes that Spurs will miss their star striker.

"I would say it is always easier if Harry Kane is not playing, that's a given and absolutely for sure, it is no secret," Tuchel added. "Harry Kane is one of the best No 9s in the world. When he is in shape, he is a role model in the No 9 position that every player and coach hopes for.

"That's in terms of work rate, ambition, mentality, attitude and goal scoring ability. He is simply outstanding. We assume he won't play but we will prepare for all cases in case he makes it on the pitch. We will be prepared for that."

The match sees Mourinho face off against Chelsea, with who he won three Premier League titles and a host of cups over two glorious spells in the west Londoner's history.

However, it is the first meeting between him and Tuchel, having been kept apart in European draws. Tuchel has analysed Mourinho's teams ahead of kick-off and believes that a winning mentality is key to what the former Blues manager brings.

"I'm not so sure, first of all I strongly believe that it's Tottenham against Chelsea and not me against Jose," he said.

"I'm very happy to compete with a strong team against his side; I'm very happy to arrive with a squad with our quality, with our mentality and with the atmosphere that we are in right now. This is the most important.

"Was he a role model? Honestly, when I started my career, he was so far away like the moon from the earth, so he could not be a role model at all.

"I was happy at the academy [at the time of Mourinho's early career], then I was promoted to first league football and from there I just enjoyed and focused on every day.

"He's one of the best managers in the world; he has now created a squad at Tottenham that's very strong, and very competitive, and that would be the challenge.

"Is it a clash of cultures? I don't know. Jose is a winner and I want to implement the same in my teams. We are at the highest level to win games and we'll try tomorrow to beat them in their stadium."

The All India Football Federation's (AIFF) disciplinary committee has handed East Bengal coach Robbie a four-match ban and hefty fine of INR 5 Lakhs for misconduct.

The chairman of the AIFF's disciplinary committee told Goal, "Robbie Fowler has been guilty under Article 50, 58, 59.1(A) of the disciplinary code. He has been handed a four-match ban and a fine of INR 5 Lakhs. AIFF will monitor all his future conducts and in case of any discipline of whatsoever, he will be immediately provided with more stringent sanctions."

The committee took the decision after Fowler was found guilty of misconduct with match officials repeatedly. Fowler also had to sit out against Bengaluru FC in the first phase as the English coach was handed a one-match suspension due to two yellow cards.

East Bengal have already played 15 matches in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) season and have only five matches left in the league stage. This means that the Liverpool legend will be able to feature on the reserve bench in only the club's final league stage match of the season.

East Bengal's next four matches are against Jamshedpur FC (February 7), Hyderabad FC (February 12), ATK Mohun Bagan (February 19) and NorthEast United (February 23). It is a huge blow considering the Red and Golds will miss their manager in the second phase Kolkata derby against rivals ATK Mohun Bagan.

The Kolkata giants are currently struggling with their form. They are winless in their last five matches and are currently languishing on the 10th position in the league table with 13 points from 15 matches. 

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel shut down a question on rumours of Dele Alli being in line for a move to Paris Saint-Germain ahead of his side's clash against Tottenham, responding to a reporter by asking: "Are you at the right press conference?"

Tuchel was relieved of his managerial duties at PSG after two years at the helm in December, despite having guided to the club to first ever Champions League final in 2019-20.

Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was swiftly drafted in as the German's replacement, but he didn't have to wait too long before landing his next high profile role.

Chelsea took the decision to part ways with Frank Lampard on January 25 before turning to Tuchel, who took charge of his first game at Stamford Bridge against Wolves two days later.

The Blues were held to a 0-0 draw in that fixture, but earned their first three points under the new head coach against Burnley on Sunday, with goals from Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso sealing a 2-0 win.

Tuchel is now preparing his squad for a London derby against Spurs, who will still be able to call upon Alli after the midfielder was unable to secure a move away from the club in the winter transfer window.

Alli had been tipped to join PSG on loan amid a lack of playing time under Jose Mourinho, with reports suggesting that the 24-year-old was eager to reunite with Pochettino in France.

Tuchel was quizzed on the saga at a pre-match press conference because of his previous affiliation with the Ligue 1 club, but refused to be drawn on an issue which he says is none of his concern.

"Are you at the right press conference?" he said in rebuttal to the journalist's enquiry. "Are you sure? I will not answer that.

"I was happy to answer about Harry Kane [and his injury-enforced absence] because it is an honour for me to speak about him being one of the best players but with everything else, for every other player, I want to show respect and not talk about players of other coaches. We stick to our team, thanks."

The Blues are currently level with Tottenham in the Premier League standings on 33 points having played a game more, but can move to within three of fourth-placed Leicester City in the race for Champions League qualification by picking up an away win against Mourinho's side.

Tuchel will then look ahead to an encounter with bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United on Sunday, before Chelsea's focus switches to their FA Cup fifth-round tie against Barnsley.

Hansi Flick has offered his backing to Niklas Sule after the Bayern Munich defender was linked with a summer transfer to Chelsea.

Reports in Germany have claimed that the 25-year-old has been added to Chelsea’s transfer wishlist along with fellow Bundesliga defenders David Alaba and Dayot Upamecano.

Sule, who is under contract at the Allianz Arena until 2022, has made 20 appearances in all competitions for Bayern this season, but has only started two of the club’s last six Bundesliga fixtures.

However, Flick provided words of support for Sule, who suffered a serious knee injury last season, and suggested that the Germany international’s ability to play in different positions in defence made him a valuable player to have in the squad.

"Niklas is an absolute option, whether in the centre or full-back position," said Flick.

"He did well at Schalke [in a 4-0 win last month when Sule played at right-back]. Don't forget that he had a long injury.

"Niklas is a fast player who is calm on the ball and helps shape the game from the back. Given his size, he has absolute strength and I'm glad he's on our team.

"We will see how everything develops and how he sees his future. I am satisfied with his development, you can rely on him."

Meanwhile, Flick confirmed that Bayern are still waiting for Leon Goretzka and Javi Martinez to return negative coronavirus tests before he can bring them back into his plans.

Martinez’s period of quarantine is due to finish on Wednesday, with Goretzka due out of self-isolation two days later, and both midfielders are set to miss Friday’s game against Hertha Berlin.

"With Javi and Leon it is the case that we do a test after the quarantine, I can't comment on that because I don't have the results," added Flick.

"Javi has to take the test and then it will be determined if he still has the virus in his body. We have to wait from day to day.

"We also know with Leon that it takes a few days longer. He also has to be tested, everything will depend on that."

Mathare United have finally endorsed the Football Kenya Federation and StarTimes broadcast deal.

The 'Slum Boys' were among the two teams yet to sign the document since the Chinese-based TV channel took over the broadcast rights of the top-flight league.

However, the Nairobi-based club have signed the document, ending the long battle between them and the federation, which saw the club expelled from the league before they were reinstated by a local court.

“We hereby endorse the agreement and we shall endeavour to bring the agreement to fruition by cooperating with FKF in performing its obligations under the agreement,” read the agreement letter signed by Mathare United chairman Bob Munro and obtained by Goal.

“We, through this letter of endorsement, pledge to comply with the terms and conditions of the agreement as well as the rules of the game of football and that we shall not enter into any other agreements with third parties in respect of the rights granted to StarTimes [Kenya] Company Limited under the agreement.

“We also undertake to utilise the funds disbursed to us through FKF in respect of the agreement for football activity and for the betterment of the club’s participation in the FKF Premier League.

“In this regard, we authorise FKF to disburse funds in respect of the agreement through our account whose details are outlined in the letter.”

The move by Mathare United now leaves Ulinzi Stars as the only team from the 18-team league yet to sign the endorsement.

FKF president Nick Mwendwa has confirmed to Goal they are still waiting for Ulinzi Stars to follow suit.

“Mathare United have handed in their endorsement today [Wednesday] and that is very positive news for Kenyan football,” Mwendwa told Goal. “We have been engaging them for a long time now, but I am happy they have seen the sense to sign the document.

“For now, we only have Ulinzi Stars as the team yet to approve the document, they came for it [the letter] but they have not returned it, so we don’t know about them, but we will give them time.”

The three teams - Mathare United, Ulinzi Stars, and Zoo FC - had initially rejected signing the agreement, arguing they were yet to go through the contract signed between the federation and StarTimes.

Alex Iwobi’s goal has been nominated for the Everton Goal of the Month award for January.

The 24-year-old has been a constant figure in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad this season – scoring just once in 17 Premier League outings.

Nonetheless, his effort against Wolverhampton Wanderers will compete against Abdoulaye Doucoure’s fine strike in the Goodison Park giants’ 2-1 FA Cup triumph over Rotherham United and James Rodriguez’s beauty against Leicester City for a chance to clinch the individual honour.

Six minutes into the game against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, Rodriguez played a crossfield pass to Lucas Digne, before sending it back to the former Arsenal man, who calmly fired beyond goalkeeper Rui Patricio from 20 yards.

That strike ensured Iwobi scored for the first time in 38 English elite division games. The last time he found the net was on September 1, 2019, when Everton laboured to a 3-2 win over Wolves at Goodison Park.

Also in contention are Michael Keane’s header against Wolves, Izzy Christiansen’s effort against Bristol City women, Rhys Hughes’ solo strike in Everton U23’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool U23 in a Premier League Two encounter.

The Nigeria international would be hoping to add to his goal tally when the Toffees visit Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United at Elland Road on Wednesday evening.

Ancelotti’s men are eighth in the English elite division log having accrued 33 points from 19 outings.

Fifa has ordered Football Kenya Federation Premier League side AFC Leopards to pay former midfielder Vincent Habamahoro Ksh1.7 million.

The world governing body has slapped the local heavyweights with fines following a contractual dispute that involved them and the Rwandan midfielder.

Habamahoro is among the stars that left Ingwe in December 2019 following a reported run of four months without salaries. Soter Kayumba, head coach Casa Mbungo – who is now at Bandari – Ismail Diarra and Tresor Ndikumana were the others who left AFC Leopards in that period of financial turmoil.

"The respondent [AFC Leopards] shall provide evidence of payment of the due amount to Fifa,” a statement as carried out by Nation Sports read.

If the local heavyweights fail to pay the midfielder – who joined Rwandan top side Kiyovu SC thereafter – within the set time frame then they will be barred from engaging in transfer activities in three seasons.

“In the event, the amounts due plus interest are not paid within 45 days as from the notification of the claimant by the relevant details to the respondent, the respondent shall be banned from registering new players, either nationally or internationally up until the new amounts are paid and for the maximum duration of three entire and consecutive transfer windows,” the statement added.

The fines on AFC Leopards come after Fifa had ordered Gor Mahia to pay Tanzanian winger Dickson Ambundo KSh1.3 million for a breach of contract.

KCB also had to deal with Fifa after they were ordered to pay Gabriel Mugabo KSh1.8 million.

The Rwandan star signed for the Bankers in 2018 from Rayon Sports and was among the players who were released in 2020 as the club claimed they were let go owing to a restructuring policy before he escalated the matter with Fifa.

Wazito were the first Kenyan club in 2020 to be forced to pay former player fines amounting to KSh6 million for similar reasons as AFC Leopards, KCB and Gor Mahia.

The players who reported the Kenyan side to Fifa were Ghanaian forward Paul Acquah, Togolese defender Issofou Bourhana, Ugandan midfielder Mansoor Safi Agu, Liberian Augustine Otu, and DR Congo forward Piscas Muhindo.

Brighton will visit Anfield on Wednesday to play Liverpool as they are looking to keep four consecutive top-flight clean sheets for the very first time in the Premier League.

The Seagulls last did so at any league level in November 2016 in the Championship.

Liverpool vs Brighton Latest Odds

Liverpool are unbeaten in 12 meetings with Brighton in all competitions (W10 D2) and another win in the league has been valued at (1.42) with ZEbet.

Brighton have lost eight of their last nine away league games against Liverpool but a win for them has been tipped to occur at (7.00).

A draw between the Premier League champions and Brighton has been valued at (5.00).

Liverpool vs Brighton Team News

Sadio Mane missed the West Ham United game due to a muscle problem and is a doubt to feature against Brighton.

Nat Phillips has been rather impressive at the back and is expected to earn yet another starting role to partner captain Jordan Henderson. It is a matter of waiting and seeing whether Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak (waiting for his international clearance) will play for the Reds after completing moves to Anfield.

Naby Keita, Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Joe Gomez and Diogo Jota are also not available for Jurgen Klopp. James Milner's hamstring was tight against West Ham and is expected to be rested on Wednesday.

Former Manchester United and Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck is expected to be absent for Brighton due to a knee problem. Florin Andone, Tariq Lamptey and Alireza Jahanbakhsh are all out while Joel Veltman and Alexis Mac Allister who picked muscle strains against Tottenham will be subjected to tests.

Liverpool vs Brighton Preview

Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League ended at the hands of Burnley last time out. The Reds haven’t lost consecutive home league games since September 2012 (vs Arsenal and Manchester United).

Brighton have lost all seven of their away league games against reigning top-flight champions, scoring just twice and conceding 19 goals in these games.

Liverpool have won their last two Premier League matches, after going five without a win in the competition beforehand (D3 L2) – the Reds last won three in a row in the top-flight back in September (five wins).

Liverpool vs Brighton Tips and Predictions

Liverpool, who haven’t failed to score in three consecutive home league games since October 1984, have scored eight goals in the last five games and conceded six.

Brighton have scored four goals and conceded just two in the last five games and punters can take an offer of both teams to score at (1.73) with ZEbet.

Both teams to score at (1.73) with ZEbet.

Odds correct at the time of publishing. Please gamble responsibly.

Arsenal will launch an appeal against David Luiz's red card against Wolves, Goal can confirm.

Luiz was given his marching orders after referee Craig Pawson decided that contact had been made with Willian Jose in the box at Molineux just before half-time, with Ruben Neves stepping up to score the resulting penalty.

Nicolas Pepe had given the Gunners the lead with a superb 32nd-minute opener only for Neves's penalty and a superb long-range strike from Joao Moutinho to hand the hosts the win.

Goal can confirm that the north Londoners will be appealing Luiz's sending off as they believe the Brazilian's challenge was accidental.

Arteta voiced his frustration over the decision post-match, telling reporters: "I've seen it 10 times in different angles and I cannot tell you where the contact is."

Asked if the club would seek to have the red card overturned, the Spaniard responded: "I would say yes, let's go straight away, but we have to speak and make the decision [about] what's the best thing to do.

"If they have another 50 different angles to watch it, maybe I will be surprised. To play with 10 men for 45 minutes in the Premier League without your centre-back, against this opposition, of course, it changes the game.

"It was a big decision, if they got it right and can justify they got it right I put my hand up and apologise. The way we lost the game is where it really hurts, it's painful."

As it stands, Luiz will have to serve a three-match ban starting with Arsenal's next Premier League fixture away at Aston Villa on Saturday.

If the Gunners fail with their appeal, the 33-year-old will also miss a meeting with Leeds at Emirates Stadium eight days later and a clash against Manchester City at the same venue on February 21.

Arteta is already certain to be without first-choice goalkeeper Bernd Leno for those three matches, with the German having also been dismissed during the reversal at Wolves.

Leno was shown a straight red card for handling the ball outside the box late in the second half, and Runar Alex Runarsson was subsequently brought on to replace him between the sticks.

The result at Molineux leaves Arsenal in 10th in the top-flight standings, eight points behind fourth-placed Leicester City, who have a game in hand.

Steven Polack has explained the key aspects that will decide the FKF Premier League derby between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards on Sunday.

The two Kenyan giants will meet for the first time in the 2020-21 season with both teams riding high on the local scene, especially Ingwe who are in a run of three straight wins.

After losing the two matches – 2-0 and 1-0 - Ingwe have gone ahead to register three straight wins – 2-1 against KCB, 2-0 against Kariobangi Sharks, and 2-1 against Posta Rangers.

On the other hand, K’Ogalo, who are the defending champions, have also recovered from the shock 1-0 defeat against Vihiga United to win two straight matches – 3-0 against Zoo FC and 3-1 against Bandari.

But according to the British tactician, who oversaw two derbies and won all of them during his time with Gor Mahia in the 2019-20 season, has now told Goal the team which will go into the match with the right desire, passion, patience, and attitude will carry the day.

“AFC Leopards have started the current season well but Gor Mahia are now getting into their rhythm as well,” former Gor Mahia coach Polack told Goal from his base in England.

“So I am expecting a good game, but if we look at recent results by both teams either one of the clubs can have the bragging rights at the end of the game.

“We can look at the statistics and see Gor Mahia have had the upper hand in the last few years, but this is a derby and anything can happen.

“The team who comes into this game with the right desire, passion, patience, and attitude will win the day. So I believe it is going to be a good game between two teams who are doing well at the moment.”

His sentiments come a day after former international custodian Mike Kisaghi tipped champions Gor Mahia to take the bragging rights at Kasarani Stadium.

“I have a strong feeling they [Gor Mahia] will carry the day, I have experienced it and mostly being on form counts for very little in the derby especially when they play against AFC Leopards,” Kisaghi told Goal on Tuesday.

“But it will be a close contest bearing in mind AFC Leopards are on a good run of form, but at the same time Gor Mahia always relishes this moment of playing against AFC and always come up with the good results, they always come out with the bragging rights, and even win convincingly.”

Last season, Gor Mahia won both encounters, beating Ingwe 4-1 in the first round match before edging them out by a solitary goal en-route to winning their fourth straight league title.

AFC Leopards are yet to beat Gor Mahia in their last seven matches with the best result against their rivals coming in the 1-1 draw of the 2017-18 season with Gor Mahia winning the second round fixture 1-0.

Indian Super League (ISL) side East Bengal have refuted the alleged racism charges against their head coach Robbie Fowler.

A media report on Tuesday claimed that the East Bengal head coach, who has been summoned by the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) disciplinary committee, has been slapped with racism charges against the referees.

East Bengal released an official statement rubbishing the claims and it read, "While the Club is mindful of the gravity of an allegation of racism, Mr Fowler's comments on the refereeing were in no way racist. The disciplinary charge from the All India Football Federation which Mr Fowler will be responding to also does not allude to any racist connotations in Mr Fowler’s comments.

"SC East Bengal is appalled at the unfounded and misplaced report and strongly condemns the report. The Club distances itself from the baseless report which appears to be grounded in conjecture.

"SC East Bengal expresses its absolute support for Mr Fowler, in the face of any attempt to discredit his image as a global football icon."

The alleged incident happened after East Bengal's match against FC Goa where Fowler expressed his grievances against the referee for poor decisions in an interview. The Red and Golds though have clarified that the Liverpool legend's comments had no racist connotation whatsoever.

The AIFF disciplinary committee headed by Usha Nath Banerjee will summon the East Bengal coach on Wednesday at 6:30 PM.

Hakim Ziyech says he is finally feeling settled at Chelsea after a "difficult" start to life at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea reached an agreement to sign Ziyech from Ajax for £33 million ($45m) back in February 2020, with the winger committing to a five-year contract in west London.

A knee injury delayed his debut, while a hamstring issue in early December saw him miss the majority of the festive period and he has only recently returned to full fitness.

New Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel decided against risking him during a meeting with Burnley at the weekend , despite having started him against Wolves in his first game in charge.

Ahead of Thursday's fixture at Tottenham, Ziyech has admitted that his first few months at the Bridge haven't gone as smoothly as he'd hoped, but also insists that he is just beginning to adapt to his new surroundings.

Asked if he is comfortable at Chelsea after a turbulent introduction to English football, the Moroccan told the club's official website : "Yes, of course. I have now been here six or seven months and I have started to adapt to things more and more.

"At the beginning everything is new and it is nice but I really also love to be around my family and my mother and my brothers and friends, but at this time it is not possible. So after a while it was a little bit difficult but you start to get used to it. I have not met the fans properly yet.

"The fans had a game when they could come to watch and then I got injured after 25 minutes against Leeds! Hopefully, better times will come and everybody will be able to come to the stadium."

Ziyech has been playing as an inside forward in recent matches, which he has relished due to the fact he can express himself more freely in the final third of the pitch.

"It is a position where I love to play, without the ball having your responsibility but with the ball being free and trying to find space and trying to play football. That is what I like the most," he said.

"Get between the lines, find space, between the lines with the one or two touches. Especially in that position, you have a lot of options because is the defender coming out, yes or no?

"If he is not coming you can turn around and find the striker or the left-winger or the right-winger in space. You have a lot of options."

Ziyech was fondly dubbed 'the Wizard' by supporters during his time at Ajax because of his mercurial style of play, and he says the nickname originated from one of the club's social media posts.

He added: "I played one game in Ajax and I played a good game and after the game, the day after, one of the guys from the social media of Ajax posted something with that name and from that moment, people started calling me like that.

"Even now, I remember when I left Ajax and I came here but I was back in Holland a couple of times back, I was walking on the street and people called me the wizard.

"And people always use that wizard emoji on social media."

Fifa has revealed the body will not launch ethical proceedings against the president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, as requested by Harrison Jalla.

The NFF boss has been cleared by the Fifa Review Committee to contest for a seat in the Fifa Council at the 43rd Ordinary General Assembly of Caf, scheduled for March 12 in Morocco.

Former President of National Association of Nigerian Footballers, Jalla, wrote a petition, stating Pinnick allegedly lacks integrity and is not fit for a position in the Fifa council.

The world governing body has now responded to the petition explaining the body is not obliged to open an investigation into the matter and if they will, it would be at their discretion.  

“We acknowledge receipt of your correspondence and have taken note of the information provided. We wish to express our appreciation for having filed a complaint in the context of art.58 par.1 of the Fifa Code of Ethics (FCE),” Fifa said, as per the Guardian.

“It is noted that Fifa bears a special responsibility to safeguard the integrity and reputation of football worldwide and your complaint shows your commitment with our values and principles

“Notwithstanding the above, even though you are entitled to file such a complaint in the context of a conduct considered in compatible with the FCE, it does not follow that you become a party to the proceedings which may result from this claim, as only accused subjects are conceived as such parties (see art.37 of the FCE).

“In sum, and based on your complaint and your initial lack of standing in the potential case, Fifa is not obliged to start ethical proceedings.

“Further, we need also to clarify that we will not be in a position to provide you with information with regard to your inquiries or regarding the state of the proceedings before the Fifa Ethics Committee (if any).

“However, in the event that we would require any further information or documents from your part, we will contact you in due course.

“Also for the sake of clarity, please note that the Chairperson of the Investigatory Chamber may initiate preliminary investigations at her own discretion and at any time.

“Finally, and after a careful analysis of a complaint, should the allegation reported here is considered to be an internal matter or, in case it does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Fifa Ethics Committee, the claim may be closed or transmitted to the relevant Member Association or Confederation,”

Etubom Oyo Orok Oyo and Amos Adamu are the only two Nigerians that have represented the continent in the Fifa Council.

Former Kaizer Chiefs winger Junior Khanye has questioned Josef Zinnbauer’s approach to the 2-0 Premier Soccer League defeat away at Golden Arrows on Tuesday after making major changes to the team that beat Kaizer Chiefs in last Saturday’s Soweto derby.

From the squad that started against Chiefs, Zinnbauer omitted four players Thulani Hlatshwayo, Bongani Sam, Ben Motshwari and Vincent Pule.

Bafana Bafana captain Hlatshwayo was benched for the entire match against Arrows as the German opted for a three-man central defence comprising of Happy Jele, Ntsikelelo Nyauza and Innocent Maela.

Motshwari came on as a second half substitute, while Azola Tshobeni started in midfield together with Siphesihle Ndlovu who Khanye feels should not have started the match.

“Why change a winning team? I thought Ben Motshwari is injured sitting on the bench. Tyson [Hlatshwayo] also sitting on the bench,” Khanye told iDiski TV.

“I’m not a big fan of Tyson but he was better playing alongside Happy Jele, I said the return of Jele brings stability at the back. Jele plays well as a sweeper while Tyson is good at man marking so they complement each other.

“There’s no leader at the back, everybody wants to run where the ball is. I’m very disappointed. I know after this game Jele will sit on the stands and he will be blamed for everything maybe because he is a senior play. But, look at who he is playing with. Why did the coach change the back four?

“They play 3-4-3, sometimes they change it to 4-3-2-1. When they attack Makaringe joins the attack. He plays a right footed player on the left. Someone who is right footed is better suited playing on the right. I’m very disappointed. In the middle he put Ndlovu. I want to know where Ndlovu plays; an attacking position or a defensive midfielder?”

It is not the first time for Zinnbauer to make such changes especially in defence this season as Maela has been switched between left-back and centre-back positions.

Hlatshwayo and Nyauza have also played as right-backs from the heart of defence while midfielders Thembinkosi Lorch and Tshobeni have been used as strikers due to the absence of some injured forwards.

Mikel Arteta has delivered an update on Kieran Tierney's fitness while also revealing that Mat Ryan is racing to make his Arsenal debut following Bernd Leno's red card.

Tierney has missed Arsenal's last three Premier League fixtures due to a leg injury, including a clash with Wolves at Molineux on Tuesday night.

The Gunners struggled in the Scottish full-back's absence, losing 2-1 despite having taken the lead in the first half of the contest via an impressive individual effort from Nicolas Pepe.

The game turned when David Luiz was sent off for a foul in the box, which allowed Ruben Neves to step up and level the scores from the penalty spot just before the interval.

Joao Moutinho fired home the winner from long range early in the second period, and Arsenal's misery was compounded when Leno was sent off for handling the ball outside the box 18 minutes from time.

Arteta revealed post-match that Tierney was never considered for selection due to the fact he is still in recovery, but he is hopeful that the 23-year-old can return to the fold in time for a meeting with Aston Villa on Saturday.
 
"He wasn’t close at all [to playing on Tuesday]," the Spanish head coach told reporters. "Hopefully in the next few days he feels much better and he can come into the team and help us in this moment where we have so many games."

Alex Runarsson came on to replace Leno in the latter stages of the game against Wolves, but could face competition from January signing Ryan for the spot between the sticks while the Gunners' number one serves a ban.

Arteta says that Ryan, who is still awaiting his first appearance for Arsenal since joining the club on loan from Brighton, has been nursing a knock of his own over the past week, but is optimistic he will be available for selection at Villa Park.

"Mat had a muscular issue and in the last two days he hasn’t been able to train," said Arteta. "Hopefully we can get him back in the next few days."

Coach Houcine Ammouta disclosed Morocco face a tough challenge as the Atlas Lions’ African Nations Championship title defence fate will come down to Wednesday’s semi-final clash with Cameroon.

First-half goals from Soufiane Rahimi, Mohammed Ali Bemammer and Ayoub El Kaabi inspired the North Africans to a 3-1 victory over Zambia in their quarter-final encounter played at Stade de la Reunification, Douala.

Despite playing against the hosts, Morocco are favourites to qualify for the final because they are the tournament’s highest-scoring side with nine goals as well as boasting quality players at their disposal.

Even at that, the tactician claims the Indomitable Lions – who struggled to qualify for the knockout phase - pose a big threat to their ambitions because they have grown to be self-assured.

“Both teams have gained the momentum it takes to get to this stage of the competition, and I believe we need to focus on the technical-tactical performance,” Ammouta told Caf website.

"I know it will be a tough game because we are playing against the hosts who also have a good team.

“We have to produce beautiful football to the public and that's all we have to do to be focused at the moment.”

On the other hand, the Indomitable Lions boss Martin Mpile is upbeat that his team has what it takes to emerge victorious against the more experienced side, who are poised to defend the diadem won on home soil in the 2018 edition.

"We are here to win and get to the finals by making life uncomfortable for our adversaries. We are serene. It's up to us to go to the finals," he said.

“It will be a good game and we are determined to go through.”

Against Cameroon who are reaching this stage of the competition for their first time ever, coach Ammouta would be banking on striker Soufiane Rahimi to wreak havoc.

The 24-year-old Raja Casablanca goal merchant is the joint highest goalscorer with Guinea’s Yakhouba Barry on three goals each.

The winners of this encounter will face either Mali or Guinea in Sunday’s final billed for Yaounde’s Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaounde.