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RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann has stressed that Timo Werner’s purported transfer to Chelsea is not done yet, but he is wary that his side are set to lose “highly talented” players this season.

The East German outfit overcame Hoffenheim 2-0 on Saturday to strengthen their position in third in the Bundesliga and go a long way to seal a place in next season’s Champions League. 

The 24-year-old forward has been one of the chief architects of this success, having scored 25 times and set up eight more in 31 Bundesliga outings this season, but he is expected to complete a transfer to Chelsea this summer, with the Stamford Bridge side having agreed to match his €60 million (£53m/$69m) release fee.

Although nothing has been officially completed, Nagelsmann has dropped a hint that he is already considering options to replace the Germany international star.

“The transfer is not fixed you, you have to emphasise that,” Nagelsman told Sport1. “I’m a coach with a realistic view and dreams. I’m aware that one or another highly talented player will leave us. It’s up to us, then, to find new players who can follow in such big footsteps.”

Although Leipzig continue to pursure a policty that sees them sign young players, develop them and sell them on for a greater fee, their coach says that their ambitions remain high and says the team is moving in the correct direction.

“I’m satisfied with our performance, our aim was to reach the Champions League,” he said.

“It’s normal that we’d want to be champions sometimes. Every team in the Bundesliga should have this desire. But if we reach the Champions League, I’d be satisfied with this season in transition.

“We constantly score a lot of goals and have had the most stable defence for a long time. We’ve been moving in this direction for years.

“We want to take the club to the next level and achieve our goals. If we win enough titles, that’s up to me, the club and the team.”

Leipzig will face Dusseldorf in their next fixture on Wednesday and a victory would all but seal their place in the Champions League next term.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Presidential aspirant Herbert Mwachiro has lauded Musalia Mudavadi's financial help for AFC Leopards.

Mudavadi off-set AFC Leopards land rates debt that had proved to be a stumbling block in their dream to build a home ground. The former Deputy Prime Minister paid the outstanding KSh600, 000 debt and promised to take financial care of players during the coronavirus period.

A move that has attracted praise from Mwachiro who made his interest to vie for FKF presidency a few weeks ago.

“I take this opportunity to commend the support extended to AFC Leopards by [Musalia] Mudavadi at a time when football clubs, especially community football clubs in Kenya, are navigating a rough patch,” Mwachiro said in a statement obtained by Goal.

“Through this generous financial support, AFC Leopards will fast-track their journey towards sustainability and realise a long-held ambition of owning a home stadium.

“Football players, whose lives have been disrupted by the cessation of sports, also stand to benefit from the rescue package that has been given to the club by Mudavadi.”

The former FKF Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer further urged clubs to ensure they meet the club licensing requirements as they aim to find a stable footing on matters of finance.

“As we move into a season of recalibrating the football management in the country, it is important that clubs in Kenya start the process of adopting club licensing as recommended by Fifa and Caf,” Mwachiro added.

“Club licensing is a significant step-change that will enable community clubs to gain from professional management and commercially sustainable operations.

“My administration will assist the clubs that adhere to club licencing via financial resources and/or expert knowledge. This is a new dawn for Kenyan football.”

Mwachiro will battle for FKF's top seat against the incumbent Nick Mwendwa, former Cecafa Secretary-General Nicholas Musonye, ex-FKF Vice-President Sammy Shollei, former FKF President Sam Nyamweya, former Vihiga County Governor Moses Akaranga and Gor Mahia's Chief Executive Officer Lordvick Aduda.

There is no tentative date when the federation will hold its mandatory elections as the previous two attempts were stopped by the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT).

The SDT, in its December rule, stated the electoral code discriminated against other contestants and favoured the incumbent while in its March judgement, the John Ohaga-led body said FKF's National Executive Committee's term had expired and thus were not in a position to oversee elections.

Thomas Muller has clarified his controversial comments about Bayern Munich’s transfer policy, insisting that his initial words, which led to a public rebuke by sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, were taken out of context.

Muller caused a stir on Wednesday when he spoke about the “paradox” in the club’s finances amid rumours of a big-money bid for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz.

Speaking after Bayern’s 2-1 DFB-Pokal semi-final win over Eintracht Frankfurt, the 30-year-old questioned the logic of being linked with a player like Havertz, who could cost up to  €100 million (£90m/$113m), while at the same time current players are being asked to take pay cuts to help the club through the coronavirus crisis.

Salihamidzic was unimpressed with Muller’s comments, saying he “maybe chose the wrong path with his words,” though he also insisted the pair had resolved their differences in private.

Muller has now issued some further clarification to his comments, saying his words had been misinterpreted by the media as “provocative”.

"At FC Bayern there is no internal dispute over the waiver of salaries with regard to possible transfers in summer. We have waived our salary for completely different reasons, namely for our employees," the Germany forward said on Twitter.

“My statement related to the fact that I was annoyed that I was asked about transfers next season after a cup semi-final.

"It is pretended that these top transfers - which we absolutely need - can be managed with a snap of your fingers. As if 100 or 50 million euros are not (big) sums in these times we are in right now.

"Personally, I want the best possible squad for me next season. I have big goals, I want to win the Champions League . I want us to attack properly, to continue this run that we currently have.

“I (will) no longer speak publicly about transfers. Let us be relaxed about the future.”

Muller was absent through suspension on Saturday as Bayern beat Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1 to restore their seven-point lead at the top of the table.

It means Hansi Flick’s side can clinch an eighth successive Bundesliga title with victory at Werder Bremen on Wednesday.

Call of Duty: Warzone has continued to grow since its launch in March, with more than 60 million players heading to Verdansk to fight it out in the Gulag.

Warzone offers players two different experiences. The first of these is “Battle Royale”. 150 players air-drop into the game’s Verdansk map and the squads must eliminate one another while fleeing a deadly ring of gas. The last player/squad standing at the end wins. This mode can be played in solo, duo, trio or quad modes.

Plunder mode also features 150 players in squads. However, instead of simply eliminating enemies, players must compete to loot “Cash” found scattered across Verdansk. Eliminated players drop any Cash they had, allowing you to steal it, and furthermore, you can even complete in-match Contracts in order to earn bonus Cash.

Download Call Of Duty: Warzone

The game features two main factions of the Operators: the Coalition and the Allegiance. Both factions include a variety of Operators to choose from. The Coalition is a multinational alliance that consists of operators from SAS, Warcom and Demon Dogs, while the Allegiance is made up of the remnants of the Russian Forces in Urzikstan, foreign mercenaries and rogue NATO soldiers.

And while the Operators are getting famous among the gamers, Goal.com has teamed up with Call of Duty to make the "Coalition vs Allegiance" ultimate team. The concept consists on choosing 11 characters from both the Coalition and Allegiance who are featuring in Warzone.

We'll then analyze the specific traits of each character and potential Footballers who fit the mould and resemble well with the character. The audience will be involved by voting for their favorite Operator-Footballer combo to make it feature in the Ultimate team.

For our new poll, we are going to be looking at Wyatt from the Coalition faction and Mace from the Allegiance one.

Wyatt - Benzema : Benzema is no ordinary striker and his impact on the team is much greater than scoring goals alone. He is terrific while holding up the ball and drawing the attention of the opposition in order to free up space for his team-mates. Wyatt, like the French striker, is a true team player. He makes the sacrifices required to help his team win. Not being the star of the show does not bother him, as long as his team is victorious.
 

Mace - Aubameyang : Aubameyang is famous for his explosive speed, ability to score with both feet and strong aerial presence, all of which make him one of the most lethal strikers in the world. Mace, is a quick operator who is usually in the right place at the right time. He is merciless with his opponents and, as Aubameyang often dons a mask during his celebrations, Mace will wear one during battle, never willing to give anything away.
 

Who should feature is the Coalition vs Allegiance utlimate team? vote below

Former Liverpool player Steve McManaman has said that he is delighted that he is not seeing much of the club’s academy players because it is evidence that they are thriving.

Speaking ahead of the return of Premier League action for the first time in three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Academy mentor said that the players’ lack of interaction with him is evidence of their success while training with the first team.

There was further encouragement on that front for the Premier League leaders in a 6-0 friendly win against Blackburn at Anfield as Jake Cain and Leighton Clarkson both featured, with the latter netting the last goal.

McManaman reflected on his delight at not seeing such faces once they have graduated.

“When I see some of the players who are excelling at the Academy, there's nothing better than not seeing them again,” he told LFCTV’s ‘The Academy’ show.

“I mean that in the nicest way because they move up to Melwood, and I love it when I don't see them again because it means they're at Melwood and they're excelling at Melwood. 

“There's nothing better for these younger players with talent to play with better players, to play with players who are at the top of the game. 

“If you've got anything about yourself and if you want to be a first-team player in the future, you should be able to improve so much by playing with the best players in the world – and that's who Liverpool have got at the moment. 

“I love the fact that Leighton and Jake are there, Neco Williams is there and Curtis Jones has, of course, been there a while, like a number of the older ones. But whenever they disappear to Melwood and hold their own, that means they're improving, that means they're getting better.”  

Jurgen Klopp’s side, who need only six points to seal their first title of the Premier League era, could wrap the title up next Sunday at local rivals Everton if they picked up three points and Manchester City lose to Arsenal on Wednesday in their game in hand.

Chidozie Awaziem’s joy at La Liga returning following the coronavirus suspension was short-lived on Saturday, as the Nigeria defender gifted Real Valladolid an early opener in their 2-1 victory over Leganes.

Only two minutes had elapsed when Awaziem, attempting to deal with a high ball through the middle, headed the ball beyond his onrushing goalkeeper Ivan ‘Pichu’ Cuellar, allowing Enes Unal to rush in and poke it home.

Perhaps Awaziem can be forgiven for ring rust due to a lack of recent gametime, after all, he hadn’t played for three months before this fixture due to the absence of live action amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the goal ultimately proved costly for Leganes on the day—Ruben Alcaraz added a second in the 54th minute before Oscar Rodriguez’s consolation late on—and may prove costly longer term.

While Valladolid’s victory takes them up to 32 points—seven clear from the dropzone—Leganes missed the opportunity to draw level with 17th-placed Celta Vigo.

There’s still plenty of football still to come—with 10 games left—but the hosts could ill afford a slow start to the returning campaign, let alone a home defeat against fellow strugglers.

Conceding cheap goals has also been a specific problem for Leganes this term—their 41 goals conceded is the joint fourth w0rst in the division, while their 33 goals for puts them 11th in the league overall.

It’s clear where their problems lie, and this is an area that—surely—experienced coach Javier Aguirre will have been drilling his troops on ahead of the league’s return.

Awaziem’s moment of madness surely undid much of the work done during the downtime, and represented a disastrous return to action for Leganes.

However, does the Nigeria defender deserve the criticism that he has received—and will continue to receive—from observers in the aftermath of the loss?

Even Opta have opted to label the defender’s header back towards goal as an ‘Error that led to a goal’, which may appear a little harsh.

Certainly, Awaziem’s ability to deal with the high ball forward demands some scrutiny.

His awareness appears to be lacking, as he appears to have no idea of Unal’s proximity when he opts to head the ball back to the keeper.

So early in the game, with the league only just resumed in a crunch relegation battle, it’s no time to be taking risks—if Awaziem must deal with the ball while retreating, rather than attack it square on—then he ought to head the ball out of play or direct a forceful header back to his keeper, creating space in the process.

Instead, he appears to be caught in two minds—perhaps a consequence both of taking his eyes off the ball in order to engage with Cuellar, and his body positioning—and fails to put enough conviction on his header.

Definitely, Awaziem could have done better in this situation.

However, how on earth can the centre-back take the blame here ahead of goalkeeper Cuellar?

Even though the goalkeeper has a greater field of vision than the centre-back, even though he can see the onrushing Unal, even though he can see the trajectory of the high ball, he still opts to rush far out of his area.

Where was the sense in this decision-making from a keeper who, at 36, should have known better?

Instead, Cuellar rushing out towards Awaziem destabilised the defender, created doubt as to what he should do next, and left the goal exposed.

Ultimately, Cuellar’s decision-making transformed the decision from a routine situation for Awaziem to a disastrous return to action for Leganes, and yet he could clearly see that the Nigerian had the situation under control.

Opta and armchair pundits may have attributed the blame to 23-year-old Awaziem, but it was the goalkeeper, not the defender, who transformed an innocuous clearance into an early goal.  

Abderrazak Hamed Allah has secured his place in call of Duty: Wazone ultimate team, which features a combo of COD's operators and football players who have similar characteristics.

Goal.com has teamed up with Call of Duty to make the "Coalition vs Allegiance" ultimate team. The concept consists on choosing 11 characters from both the Coalition and Allegiance who are featuring in Warzone.

We then analyze the specific traits of each character and potential Footballers who fit the mould and resemble well with the character. The audience is involved by voting for their favorite Operator-Footballer combo to make it feature in the Ultimate team.

For the new poll, we had a duel between Bafétimbi Gomis and Abderrazak Hamed Allah who were representing Grinch from the Allegiance team and Golem from the Coalition team respectively.

Al Nassr's striker led the poll with 55% of the votes (9316) beating out the Frenchman who ended up with 45% of the votes (7511).

Stay tuned for our next poll...

The Camp Toyoyo Board, commonly referred to as the Board, has confirmed former Kenya midfielder Crispin Olando is in good health and soon new developments will be made public.

The 32-year-old is in custody at the Jackson Parish Correctional Centre after allegedly breaching immigration rules. The Kenyan was booked because he did not have the necessary immigration documents and was not granted a bond.

"First I want to state that the Board made contact with Crispin in a bid to understand the circumstances surrounding him," read a statement signed by Philip Lukhachi on behalf of the Board and obtained by Goal.

"We are therefore privy to some details of his situation that are not public and wanted to make sure we are certain that anything we say is verified and accurate.

"We are also aware that there have been several individuals who have put contradicting information out there using social media, broadcast, print or the usual hearsay.

"Due to the sensitivity and nature of the information we have, we want to state Crispin is in good health. We will give more information and any new developments upon verification and permission from Crispin and people handling his case."

The public has been urged to be considerate with the information shared considering the victim has a family and reputation to keep.

"Now we understand, people want to establish this short-lived credibility and are looking for content to appeal to their audience and much-needed ratings," the statement added.

"We encourage people to carefully verify the authenticity of the information and their sources before putting it out.

"Keep in mind that the said individual has family and friends who could be impacted by the information spewed out thoughtlessly.

"With the viral nature of some information, you run the risk of conveying erroneous information that can unfairly affect public opinion and impact his case." 

After moving to the US in 2013 in search of greener pastures, Olando managed to secure trials with Houston Dynamo and Vancouver Whitecaps but failed to convince their technical benches to sign him.

He resorted to playing in the lower tiers of domestic football in the country before eventually retiring and settling with his family.

While in Kenya, the midfielder turned out for then-Kenyan Premier League (KPL) side Thika United before joining Tusker FC.

At the Ruaraka-based side, Olando won back-to-back league titles in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

John McGinn may be key to Aston Villa’s Premier League survival hopes this season and not necessarily Manchester United transfer target Jack Grealish, according to former Scotland midfielder Graeme Souness.

With the Premier League campaign set to restart this week after a three-month recess due to the coronavirus pandemic, Villa find themselves in the teeth of the relegation battle.

The Birmingham club are second bottom of the standings but only a couple of points from safety.

Souness believes they still have a shot at survival, but it hinges on how McGinn returns after a lengthy layoff due to a fracture ankle.

“There is no doubt they missed John McGinn after he fractured his ankle,” Souness wrote in his column for The Times.

“A lot of fuss is made of Jack Grealish, but McGinn does a lot of the unseen work, the box-to-box aggression, whereas Grealish attracts more attention because he spends more time running with the ball. 

“If McGinn comes back and plays like he did at the start of the season it could help them survive, but they also may find it difficult to hold on to him when the transfer window opens.”

Souness says that many of Villa’s problems are self inflicted and derive from last summer’s transfer window.

“From the outside, it is hard to know what Villa were going for last summer and didn’t get,” he said.

“Did they end up signing the second or third choices on their list? That is always dangerous. Sometimes you must hold your nerve and wait until the right players are available rather than signing people for the sake of it.

“Their defensive record is the worst in the Premier League. In 28 games, they have conceded 56 goals. That means, on average, they need to score three to win.

"It is a dangerous combination, if you are conceding too many goals and cannot score at the other end and neither Wesley, the big Brazilian, nor Mbwana Samatta, the Tanzanian striker, have really done it for them.

"Ultimately, it boils down to the most important things in football: management and recruitment.

“They remind me of Fulham last season. They came up, had a wealthy owner in Shahid Khan and splashed the cash but wasted most of it and sacked Slavisa Jokanovic and Claudio Ranieri before turning to Scott Parker when it was too late to survive.

"It was a classic case of coming up with a feelgood factor, having achieved something together, and within a couple of months that business plan was torn up.”

Martin Braithwaite is hoping to answer Barcelona's SOS with goals that carry Quique Setien's team all the way to trophy glory after opening his account.

The Danish striker played his first full 90 minutes in La Liga since joining from Leganes as an emergency signing in February, as Barcelona thrashed Real Mallorca 4-0 on Saturday.

It was his fourth appearance and second start in the league since swapping a relegation battle for the title race.

And the man Barca bought to ease their injury problems intends to show how much he can contribute over the remaining weeks of the coronavirus-disrupted season.

He may have his work cut out to secure a regular start, given Luis Suarez returned from knee surgery as a substitute at Mallorca, but Braithwaite wants to play a part and said of his maiden Barca strike: "I've been waiting for it for a long time, so it's amazing to score my first goal.

"It was most important to start like we did [on Saturday], so we are happy and we have to continue like this.

"As an offensive player you want to score goals and I've been working a lot in this break, and I've been really looking forward to playing this game and hopefully getting a goal and I'm happy, I'm really happy."

Suarez's season looked to be over when he had an operation in January, but the three-month suspension of the league has allowed him to recover fitness, and now coach Setien has options up front for the title push.

The Uruguayan had a 33-minute run-out at Son Moix, and Braithwaite can expect to come under pressure for a regular start.

Barcelona's win in their first match back after lockdown restrictions were eased ensured they would remain top of the table.

Braithwaite said of the successful trip, speaking to Barca TV : "It's really important because we have to start with confidence, and to score four goals and not concede any goals is really important for us.

"We started good and just built our confidence and we need that to continue pursuing what we want."

After Arturo Vidal's early opener, Lionel Messi set up Braithwaite and Jordi Alba before sealing Barca's victory in additional time.

Barcelona have 10 games left in the LaLiga season as they attempt to fend off Real Madrid and wrap up what would be a 27th league title.

Following media reports that Bloemfontein Celtic was set to be sold to TS Galaxy owner Tim Sukazi, Free State businessman Lebo Mokoena has confirmed the club will remain in the City of Roses.

Mokoena said everything is finalized and that he did everything in his power to ensure Phunya Sele Sele remained in the province, but the deal is yet to be officially announced.

On the other hand, the Pietermaritzburg-based businessman explained he has always been linked with Siwelele and he also attended their annual general meetings as a young boy.

“The team is in Bloemfontein. It will be staying there but there are few final details that we need to finish [before it can be official that the team is staying in Bloemfontein],” Mokoena told IOL.

"Yes [I’ve done everything in my power to ensure that the team stays in Bloemfontein].

“Everything is final, it is just one thing [that we need to seal and everything will be official]. The team is safe.”

Although he is based in KwaZulu-Natal, as the owner of Mokoena Group operating in the Umsunduzi area and surroundings, his roots are in the City of Roses.

“Originally, I’m from Bloemfontein. Having been born there gives me the understanding and the importance of this team in Bloemfontein. At the age of 10, I was attending AGM meetings of this club," he continued.

The news of the club staying put in the Free State province comes after Sukazi recently explained that any chairman in the National First Division (NFD) would be interested in buying Premier Soccer League (PSL) status and that he was planning to relocate the team to Mpumalanga.

On the other hand, Sukazi recently told Ikwekwezi FM that he has had talks with Celtic over a proposed sale, saying he would be announcing to the people if KwaNdebele that he has secured a PSL club.

Meanwhile, in the midst of their financial struggles, coach Lehlohonolo Seema has done well during the 2019/20 season as they sit eighth on the table.

Just before the season was halted because of the coronavirus pandemic in March, Celtic managed to reach the semi-finals of the Nedbank Cup and are set to face Baroka for a place in the final.

Uganda Premier League giants Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA FC) have reportedly completed the signings of Ashraf Mugume and Charles Lwanga.

The two are expected to be unveiled by the 13-time UPL champions soon after agreeing on contractual issues already.

According to Football256, Mugume has agreed to join the Kassairo Boys on a four-year contract while Neymar, as Lwanga is popularly known, has signed a contract of three years.

Mugume was let go by the UPL 2019/20 champions Vipers SC in January and is said to have been training with KCCA for some time now. Mugume joined the Venom's first team during the 2017/18 season.

He, however, did not cement a permanent place in the first team and was later allowed to go on a loan stint to Police FC.

Serving the Law Enforcers, the central midfielder scored three goals and provided five assists as he enjoyed a good time under coach Abdalla Mubiru.

He returned to his parent club before the cancelled season began and featured in four games, including a start against relegated Maroons FC.

The other appearances came against Onduparaka FC, Kyetume FC and against Sam Ssimbwa's Uganda Revenue Authority (URA FC).

Lwanga has joined the previous league champions from SC Villa. He had reported Villa to the Players' Status Committee after the club had reportedly failed to pay him salaries for nine months.

Lwanga joined Villa in 2019 under coach Douglas Bamweyana and had signed a contract that would have seen him serve the Jogoos for five years 

The reported signings of the duo come a few days after KCCA were rumoured to have entered into negotiations with Disan Galiwango of Express FC.

“We should pull it off if all goes well. Both parties are interested. He is coming as a free agent but terms with the player have not been concluded yet. When done with all our targets, I’ll let you know,” a source close to KCCA is quoted as saying.

KCCA are also understood to be in final stages of finalising the signing of Pius Obuya from Maroons. Obuya is thought to be an apt replacement for Allan Okello, who left in January for Paradou AC.

Jadon Sancho will leave Borussia Dortmund this summer, according to Dietmar Hamann, but the former Germany ace ultimately expects to see some “reason” come over the game in the Premier League.

Football has been plunged into a state of economic uncertainty following the coronavirus crisis, which has seen the game put on hold for three months around much of the world.

Although matches are starting to take place behind closed doors, the financial impact of the crisis has yet to really be manifest, and while Hamann believes this will have an impact on Premier League clubs, he still thinks the top end of the market will not take too much of an immediate hit with the transfer window approaching.

One player already making headlines this summer is Sancho, with Hamann of the belief he will make a big move.

“There will continue to be a market for the top players, like Jadon Sancho – he’s just too good to wait another year,” he told Bild.

“I see him going to the Premier League. The most likely option there is Manchester United.”

Hamann would like to see more circumspect transfer fees and wages paid in England off the back of this crisis, but with investors prevalent in the Premier League, he does not think that is guaranteed.

“It would be nice to see some reason there,” the former Liverpool man said.

“Before the Coronavirus crisis, last season, the 20 clubs in the league made a loss of around €670 million. Perhaps smaller transfer fees and less salary will now be paid to players across the board.

“Investors can dig into their pockets to make up for a deficit. Of course there is an absurdly high TV income in England, but the investors give the clubs completely new opportunities. That is why the idea of solidarity in the clubs is also different. 

“In the Bundesliga, players have waived their salary so that no one had to be fired in the offices. In England, the 20 captains got together and donated some of their salary to the NHS.”

Play is due to resume in the Premier League next week, and Hamann says the Reds, who need only six points from nine games, will cruise to the title.

“Their lead in the table is too big. They're playing in their own league this season,” he said. “The question is not whether Liverpool will be champion, but when. The only pity is that there will be no celebrations with fans who have been waiting for the title for so long.”

Mwadui FC coach Khalid Adam has admitted his charges struggled in their match against Yanga SC on Saturday.

The Shinyanga-based side lost the game by a solitary goal, which came in the sixth minute as a result of a quick move engineered by Haruna Niyonzima, who beat an advancing Jaffar Mohammed on the left flank.

Mohammed's cross was met by Ditram Nchimbi but the goalkeeper Mahmoud Amri saved Mwadui from the initial attack, before Balama Mapinduzi fired home shortly after.

"We really struggled in the match, but I cannot blame my players at all," Adam told journalists after the match.

"The [coronavirus outbreak] happened and it affected us; before the break, the team was in a good momentum. Being our first match, I do not want to blame my players, I am not used to blame games.

"I hope we will play better in the next game and rectify the mistakes we made. Like in the attacking front, we were very wasteful. There were many chances created but we were not clinical.

"We have lost [against] Yanga, but our next game, I hope, will be better and we will get good results. The positive we picked is that the players were not injured."

The tactician has also revealed why he believes his charges will be better against Simba SC in the second round.

"We won the first meeting by a solitary goal because we had the momentum. We were better prepared because we had also played many games," Adam added.

"Sometimes when face big teams, you need the momentum which comes from playing many games. It is what we missed against Yanga."

In another Tanzania Mainland League match played on Saturday, Namungo and Coastal Union played out a 2-2 draw.

The third-place-chasing visitors got two goals against their hosts in the first half as they dominated the proceedings.

It took the visitors just three minutes to get the first goal through George Makanga while the second one was scored in the 17th minute by Abeid Athuman.

Namungo did not keep their lead, though, as Coastal Union fought back in the second half and equalised to ensure the tie ended in a 2-2 draw.

Issa Abushehe scored the first goal for the hosts seven minutes after the restart of the second half before Hance Msonga struck the equalizer to deny Namungo all the points.

Namungo will remain fourth on the log with 51 points as the draw has denied them a chance to close in on Yanga.

Coastal Union are fifth with 46 points and enjoy one more point than sixth-placed Polisi Tanzania.

Liverpool’s 2019-20 side will not be remembered as one of the great English sides, according to Stan Collymore, a former Anfield striker.

The Reds stand only six points away from winning a first title of the Premier League era, having dropped only four points in 29 Premier League matches, and although they will not finish the season undefeated, they stand a chance of smashing the division’s points record.

But Collymore believes that while Jurgen Klopp’s vintage makes for a fine team, they have not been put up against opponents of comparable quality.

Defending champions Manchester City, for instance, have failed to find their best form this term, losing seven of their 28 fixtures to date – a dramatic decline for a side that had lost only six times in its previous two seasons.

“Liverpool are a fine team and they will deservedly have the title wrapped up within two games,” he wrote in The Mirror.

“But while I will celebrate my old club’s success, I will also lament that their domination isn’t just because Jurgen Klopp’s side have been so good but also because plenty of others around them have been bad.

“Liverpool’s dominance is not a sign that we’re seeing the greatest sides ever, it’s about a limited number of clubs being able to fill out squads because they have the biggest budgets, something that puts other clubs in leagues at a competitive disadvantage.

“Liverpool have been exceptional but will they go down as one of the great all-time English clubs? No, for the reasons above they will not.”

Indeed, Collymore believes that there are problems in the Premier League that are seeing the elite becoming untouchable.

“There are issues in the Premier League that are starting to echo in the Bundesliga, La Liga and Ligue 1, where no more than a handful of teams have the money and there is a brain drain of the top talent towards them,” he said.

Liverpool are set to become the fifth different English champion in 16 years, compared to three over that same period in La Liga and Serie A, four in the Bundesliga and seven in Ligue 1.

The Reds could seal the title next weekend when they face Everton as the Premier League returns, but only if Manchester City fail to beat Arsenal on Wednesday.

Orlando Pirates esports team member Zaid Patel has completed his transfer to CD Almunecar City.

The 26-year-old, who is a striker by trade, has secured a move to the Spanish side ahead of the 2020/21 season.

Patel has been on the books of TS Galaxy, who made history by becoming the first National First Division (NFD) club to win the Nedbank Cup last year.

Almunecar released the following statement announcing the signing of the towering marksman.

"CDAC are delighted to announce the signing of 26-year-old South African forward Zaid Patel for the 2020/21 season," a club statement read.

The team is currently campaigning in the Primera Andaluza which is the sixth tier of Spanish football and they already had four South African players on their books before they signed Patel.

The four players are former Bloemfontein Celtic left-back Thabang Matuka, Kaizer Chiefs academy product Waylan Rooi, Kwinda Netshitangani as well as Bradley Jason.

Almunecar's club manager George Jermy explained that they signed Patel because of his professional approach and attitude towards the game.

“On behalf of everybody at the club, we’re really happy to welcome Zaid to CD Almuñecar City for the 2020/21 season,” Jermy told the club’s website.

“He’s a strong and powerful striker who has a natural eye for goal – we think he’s perfectly suited to European football and we can’t wait to see how he fits in.

“Zaid visited the club in December last year and we were all impressed with his professional approach and attitude towards the game.”

Patel is a well-travelled player having spent most of his career in the second tier of South African football.

Stellenbosch FC, AmaZulu FC, Cape Town All Stars, Witbank Spurs and Chippa United are the five clubs he has played for in the league.

The Krugersdorp-born player has also plied his trade in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in the past, having made his professional debut during his time with Bidvest Wits in March 2012.

Patel scored on his PSL debut against Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2011/12 season and he went on to play for Free State Stars in the top-flight.

He leaves Galaxy without making a single appearance for the team this season. 

The coronavirus lockdown is on Level 3 in South Africa but football is still suspended across the board. The PSL is trying all they can to save the 2019-20 season. 

While some seasons around Europe and Africa have been cancelled, the PSL remains hopeful of completing the current campaign.

When will the PSL season resume?   

Earlier this week, the South African Football Association (Safa) gave all the 32 PSL teams the green light to resume training following approvals from South Africa's Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize and Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa. 

While Safa has maintained that no football should be played under lockdown Level 3, even behind closed doors, it is safe to say allowing teams to return to training is a start of good things to come. 

PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza is hoping the season can be completed before or on July 31 but that would mean competitive games should restart at least by July.   

The PSL has been suspended for at three months due to the coronavirus outbreak coupled with the lockdown imposed by the government.

This means all the teams will need at least two to three weeks to be fit again and complete the season and that might be a challenge for the PSL. 

Could the PSL season be cancelled? 

In Europe, the Eredivisie declared their season null and void and ended the season without a league champion and promotion/relegation - but some teams, including Bongani Zungu's Amiens SC have taken legal action against the French Ligue 1 authorities as they feel the decision was unfair.  

The PSL has no intention to cancel the season and so is Safa who has maintained that they are not against the idea of completing the season but only if it is safe to do so. 

Three weeks ago, Safa confirmed partnering with the English FA to share ideas on what's best for the players and officials in regard to measures that should be taken on return to football. 

All the PSL teams have already fumigated their facilities and it's only a matter of time before players can be told resume training and be tested, according to Safa.   

In mid-Apil, Safa set two conditions that will make it possible for the return of all football activities in South Africa:

1. The government should declare that it is safe to do so - which they since have [subject to extensive testing and screening of players and officials and disinfection of training facilities].

2. That domestic flights are reinstituted - this hasn't been made clear as yet by the government. 

Hence it's unclear, at this stage, how teams will travel from one province to another to complete the rest of the remaining matches.  

However, these are some of the things that are still being discussed with Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula although there's still a possibility of a single camp for all the 32 teams under the PSL umbrella.  

What happens if the PSL season can't be finished?  

At this stage, it's unclear what will happen if the PSL season can't be finished. 

However, Kaizer Chiefs remain top of the log with 48 points from 22 games - and the country is divided on whether or not they should be crowned league champions. 

There are suggestions that Amakhosi should be declared winners if the season can't be finished but others have correctly argued that it won't solve the issue of relegation and promotion. 

Of course, AmaZulu and Black Leopards who sit 15th and 16th on the PSL standings respectively would feel hard done should the PSL season not finish and Chiefs be crowned champions.

Again, if the season can't be finished and Chiefs don't win the title, NFD teams such as Ajax Cape Town, Swallows and Uthongathi FC would feel shattered by the decision.      

As previously mentioned, the PSL wants to finish the season, and the executive is working around the clock to ensure that happens.   

In South Africa, we have seen schools re-open only to be closed again due to confirmed positive cases, and PSL will hope this doesn't happen once competitive football is back.

What are PSL teams doing during lockdown? 

PSL clubs have been allowed to return to training by the government but very few of them have done so already as others continue to ensure the environment is safe before welcoming their stars back.

Teams with resources such as Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns had been relying on technological means to monitor what their players were doing while at home. 

The issue of social distancing remains the biggest challenge - and it will be interesting to see how PSL clubs deal with it going forward. 

Cape Town City have already taken a step forward in addressing the issue of screening. 

AFC Leopards coach Anthony Kimani has revealed the kind of players he would like to work with in future.

Kimani, who took charge of the team in December after serving as Casa Mbungo's assistant, has identified the characteristics his preferred players should possess, as he hopes to steer AFC Leopards back to a winning path.

“We look at a couple of factors but one main issue is to see if the player is talented, whether their technical abilities will help the club and the tactical adaptation to the club's way of playing,” Kimani told the club's Online TV.

“Level of discipline and attitude is very important because in the end there are very talented players out there and so discipline makes a great difference for me.

“Discipline is something I always do not want to overlook because you sometimes get into match situations where talent alone does not matter but the mentality is much needed.”

Kimani also spoke about how Elvis Rupia came and helped the club after his January arrival.

“[Elvis] Rupia came at the right time just when we needed him the most after we lost our top scorer [John Makwatta] when he decided to move to join a team in Zambia,” the youthful coach said.

“We needed a player who would come in and score the goals for us something I think he has done.

“Together with the AFC Leopards technical bench, we are looking at which players we are going to sign and we have identified a few we think can bring a lot of value to the club.”

After scoring 13 goals in half a season, Makwatta joined Zesco United in the January transfer window.

According to Kimani, Leopards will sign only a few, but experienced, players in order to blend with their youthful players.

“We have decided to go the experience way and those who will be coming in are very experienced ones,” revealed the former Harambee Stars full-back.

“That will add the much-needed experience to the current team and if everything goes according to plan, AFC Leopards are going to be a strong team come next season.

“We bought young players who would not come straight to the starting team and have a huge impact but I am pretty sure in the next two or three seasons, these players are going to do very well for the club.

“But it is always good to strike the balance between the experienced and young players and that is going to be very important going forward.”

In the January transfer window, Ingwe signed very young players, some of them straight from high school, and Kimani believes their time to feature prominently for the local giants is imminent.

“We have got Austin [Odhiambo] who was very outstanding this past season. [Omar] Somobwana has given a good account of himself and [Dan] Sunguti has shown what he can do when given an opportunity,” the 2012 Cecafa Senior Challenge finalist added.

“We will try as much to see these players try and get enough playtime moving forward.

“AFC Leopards are a big club and there is a lot of pressure when it comes to playing for them and so we are going to be very careful about how we introduce them to the first team.

“Of course, we will not throw them into the deep end until when we feel they are very ready to take on the pressure of playing for AFC Leopards.”

When the season was cancelled in May, AFC Leopards were sixth on the KPL table.