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Leading sports marketing Company, Integral and Family and Football have announced a new joint venture partnership focused on augmenting the level of football talent identification, development, and management, on the African continent.

After almost a year of planning and working, Integral, the leading African sport management company, now enhances its service offering by adding comprehensive professional talent management services to its suite of services, having sealed this strategic alliance with one of the most prominent global football agencies, Family and Football.

Family & Football was founded by Dr. Erkut Sogut, a lawyer and registered FA intermediary, and has a foothold in many locations across the globe. The agency came into prominence by negotiating one of the most lucrative player contracts in Premier League history for Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil whom it also represents. The joint venture partnership is a landmark achievement for Integral’s football division and the experience of Family & Football will assist the company in providing quality, first-class representation to the flood of football talent dotted all over Africa.

Earlier in the year, Integral hosted Dr. Erkut Sogut when he visited Nigeria with his close friend and associate Misha Sher, VP Sport & Entertainment at Mediacom, who played a crucial role in forming the relationship between both companies.

“Nigeria, Africa and Integral are a strategic partner for us. We believe in their potential. And with Integral we will showcase African footballers in a different way because they deserve it,” Sogut commented on the pact.

“The continent deserves it. It has some of the best talents I have ever seen like Jay-Jay Okocha, Kanu, and many more like them. But our ties extend beyond football.

“I am passionate about education and I see the quality of people here; desirous of learning, of leaving a positive impact in the world. So together (with Integral) we will support them with our work.”

On his part Integral’s Managing Director Abimbola Ilo expressed his delight on the joint venture.

“We are extremely excited to be working fully now with Erkut and his team, joining forces together to become an even more dominant force in football representation, management and player trading.,” said Ilo.

“Importantly the scope of the joint venture extends beyond just the representation side of things and involves education and charity too which are equally important to us.”

Raheem Sterling says that he believes it is vital for more minority coaches to be given the chance at the highest level as both managers and executives as discussions surrounding race in society continue.

Protests remain ongoing in the aftermath of the killing of American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Those protests, which began in America, have moved worldwide in recent days with thousands turning out for anti-racism marches.

Sterling has long been outspoken regarding the intersection between race and football, with the Manchester City star calling racism "a disease" that is the most important problem society faces in modern times.

The England winger pointed to four former England stars: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole. Gerrard and Lampard are currently manager historic clubs in Rangers and Chelsea, respectively.

Meanwhile, Campbell has managed only at the lower-league level with both Macclesfield and Southend while Cole is currently in charge of Chelsea's U-15s.

Pointing to that fact, Sterling says that black, Asian and minority ethnic coaches, executives and other staff members are not given the same chances as their white counterparts, leading to a disconnect between those in charge and those seeking to implement change.

"The coaching staff that you see around football clubs: there's Steven Gerrard, your Frank Lampards, your Sol Campbells and your Ashley Coles. All had great careers, all played for England," Sterling told the BBC.

"At the same time, they've all respectfully done their coaching badges to coach at the highest level and the two that haven't been given the right opportunities are the two black former players.

"The change is being able to speak to people in Parliament, people at the hierarchy at my football club, football clubs across the country, people at the national team of England, to implement change and give equal chances to not just black coaches but also different ethnicities.

"Give black coaches, not just coaches but people in their respective fields, the right opportunity. I feel like that's what's lacking here, it's not just taking the knee, it is about giving people the chance they deserve.

"There's something like 500 players in the Premier League and a third of them are black and we have no representation of us in the hierarchy, no representation of us in the coaching staffs. There's not a lot of faces that we can relate to and have conversations with."

He added: "When there's someone from a black background I can go to in the FA with a problem I have within the club, that will be when I know change is happening and not just in my field, also in Parliament.

"Once we do see those numbers shifting, that's when I'll be happy and the people will be happy."

In 2018, the FA found that 5 per cent of the federation's leadership roles and 13 per cent of England coaching staff roles were filled by people from a minority background.

Additionally, the FA set targets of 11 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, for 2021 as the federation looked to increase diversity across the organization.

Sterling, meanwhile, says its important for these conversations to continue going forward, even after the worldwide protests die down.

"The protest is a great starting point, to make your voice be heard," he said. "But just protesting alone is not going to make a change in this country."

He added: "It's how we move on from here. It's about highlighting things, the society that needs changing, and then acting upon it. We've done a lot of talking, and it's time now to act."

Lisbon is supposedly being considered as a potential location for all remaining 2019-20 Champions League matches and Portugal great Nuno Gomes believes the city would be a "good solution".

The coronavirus pandemic brought top-level sport in Europe to a halt, with the final stages of the Champions League and Europa League pushed back indefinitely.

UEFA wants to complete both competitions once domestic leagues have been concluded, meaning the remaining fixtures could potentially resume in August.

Last week, reports began to emerge suggesting Istanbul would be unable to cover the cost of hosting the Champions League final without supporters being allowed to attend, and now UEFA is said to be considering alternative plans.

One apparent idea is for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final to be played at neutral venues in a single city and Lisbon is reportedly considered to be the strongest option, given Portugal's low coronavirus infection rate and the facilities of Benfica and Sporting CP.

Gomes agrees Lisbon would be an effective host, telling Stats Perform News: "For us Portuguese, I believe it is a good thing.

"After a lot of meetings [UEFA] understood it's maybe better to do it in one place rather than everybody travelling around Europe.

"[Lisbon] is a good option, and I'm not sure if they already decided a final decision, but it's true a lot of views and conversations are being held in order to maybe give Lisbon the final eight of the Champions League.

"I think it's good for football to find a solution in order to finish the games that are missing because everybody is waiting for Champions League games."

Both the Europa League and Champions League were suspended in March during the round-of-16.

Twelve teams remain in the Champions League with the competition halted during the middle of its first knockout stage.

Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta and RB Leipzig had all progressed to the quarter-final stage with four more ties yet to be decided.

In the remaining matches, Manchester City lead Real Madrid 2-1 heading into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium, while Chelsea have to overcome a three-goal deficit away at Bayern.

Juventus host Lyon in their second contest by a 1-0 margin, while Barcelona and Napoli will head into their decider at Camp Nou tied at one-apiece.

Tony Pulis believes Tottenham have to win trophies to keep Harry Kane but feels no man is better equipped than Jose Mourinho to mastermind such a breakthrough at the club.

At the end of March, England captain Kane said he would not stay with boyhood club Spurs "for the sake of it".

Those words reportedly set European football's elite on alert but, despite a difficult campaign for last season's Champions League finalists that saw the departure of boss Mauricio Pochettino in November, Pulis believes Kane is well placed to achieve his goals under Mourinho.

"Tottenham have got to start winning trophies. I don't think you can criticise Kane too much," the former Stoke City, Crystal Palace and West Brom manager told Stats Perform News.

"He's a top player at international and club level. Over the past three or four years with Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs have been a top team. If you'd said they wouldn't win anything three or four years ago I'd have been surprised - and I am.

"He'll want to win things, he'll want to be ambitious. They say he's really happy at Tottenham. It's a fabulous football club – the new stadium and training facilities are out of this world.

"But the boy wants to win. And he has a manager who wants to win as well.

"They most probably need the backing from Daniel Levy and the club in some way and it'll be difficult because of the financial crisis that has hit the world."

Even though Mourinho's stock has arguably fallen since his glory days in charge of Porto, Chelsea and Inter, Pulis still holds the Portuguese in the highest regard.

"Mourinho is a fantastic manager and his record shows that, given the tools, he can win football matches," he added.

"He needs time. The big problem in society today and especially in sport is that people think it will happen overnight.

"Fingers crossed they'll give him time there. If they do that and back him financially, he's proved he is one of the great managers over the past couple of decades.

"Mourinho has got as good a chance as any manager on the planet of getting success there."

Tim Howard will be the subject of a feature film, to which Amazon have acquired the rights. 

The film will focus on the former U.S. men's national team star's first season at Manchester United and living with Tourette syndrome.

Howard, who is currently a player, sporting director and minority owner of USL Championship side Memphis 901, spent four years as a Man Utd player after moving to Old Trafford from the MetroStars in 2003.

The goalkeeper replaced Fabien Barthez between the sticks for United and went on to make 44 appearances in all competitions in his first season as Sir Alex Ferguson’s team went on to claim the Premier League title and FA Cup.

The film’s producer, Mark Ciardi, originally hoped to start making the film 15 years ago, after he saw a 60 Minutes special on Howard in 2005.

Although there were several other filmmakers hoping to start a project with the shot-stopper, Howard opted to focus on his playing career instead of getting involved.

“I don’t think that would have been a smart thing to do on my end. I had a lot of my career ahead of me,” Howard said, according to Sports Business Journal. “I didn’t want to be a one-hit wonder, I wanted to work and get my feet under me.”

His agent, Dan Segal, added: “It was sort of a fairy tale story, and we got about half a dozen different movie producers reaching out at that point.”

The idea was revived last year when Ciardi reached out to Howard’s management and the two-time CONCACAF Gold Cup winner feels now is the right time to see it through.

“It’s a pretty cool story, if I do say so myself,” said Howard. “We’re far enough removed from that moment that we can capture it in that best light.”

Howard may have had a successful first year in Manchester, he was relegated to the bench the following term as Roy Carroll took over as first-choice.

He featured even less in 2005-06 as Edwin van der Sar was signed from Fulham.

Man Utd then loaned Howard to Everton in and he ended up joining the Toffees on a permanent basis, making over 400 appearances before he returned to the U.S. to join the Colorado Rapids in 2016.

Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Stanton Fredericks says his stint with Kaizer Chiefs between 2001 and 2004 was his most successful experience. 

The 41-year-old retired player said he played with some of the best players at Amakhosi, making mention of Doctor Khumalo, Brian Baloyi and Thabo Mooki who all made their names at the Naturena-based outfit. 

"I played with some big names [at Kaizer Chiefs]... Doctor Khumalo, Brian Baloyi, Thabo Mooki. I think it's safe to say it's my most successful stint in South African football," Fredericks told the South African Football Legends.   

Fredericks lifted 10 trophies with Amakhosi between 2001 and 2003 - winning all the domestic major trophies on offer several times in addition to the African Winners' Cup, two Vodacom Challenge titles and two Telkom Charity Cup titles. 

And he feels he found himself during his three-year stay with the Glamour Boys while adding that playing for Bidvest Wits was different from wearing the gold and black jersey.  

Fredericks believes he learned a lot at Chiefs that it helped him last for seven to eight years in Europe before ending his professional career where it started in South Africa. 

"I think in three years, I won like nine or 10 Cups. I think it's where I found myself as a football player," he said.  

"It's one thing playing for Wits and playing okay every third or fourth game but when you put on the gold and black [jersey], the microscope is on you - every game, you need to produce a certain level of football and [that] certainly helped me focus a little bit more. It started leading me to accept the criticism because as a human being and as a professional sportsperson if you can't accept the good and the bad, it's just going to get into you and you won't perform at your maximum. 

"I think it's a space where I really learned about myself; the mental strength that came into it but most of all, I played under coach Muhsin Ertugral; I think tactically, that's where my understanding of the game really grew and that put me in good stead to continue and play in Europe for seven to eight years," added Fredericks. 

Osita Okolo, the brother-in-law and agent of Lille striker Victor Osimhen, has not ruled out the possibility of the Nigerian joining Napoli.

Reports surfaced last week the 21-year-old had agreed a deal to join the Partenopei, but the player came out to debunk it as "fake news".

It still has not stopped Osimhen's name from circulating in the transfer rumour mill after scoring 13 goals in 27 Ligue 1 outings with Lille finishing just a point and place shy of Champions League qualification.

Okolo also affirmed no deal is in place for Osimhen to join Napoli, but he did not discard a potential deal happening in future. However, it will be up to Osimhen to decide.

“I can say that, for now, Osimhen hasn’t agreed anything with Napoli or another club. I can also deny that he dreams of going to the Premier League," Okolo told Naples-based station, Radio Marte.

“I don’t know why [the press] says certain things. Naples is a fantastic city and Napoli are a very good team.

“I’m always honoured whenever I hear these links, but for now there’s no deal in place, even if negotiations with them are ongoing.

“He wants to play regularly, we’re not going to repeat certain bad experiences from the past.

“The Napoli fans are fantastic, their stadium is beautiful. I can only speak well of Naples and its team.”

Okolo highlighted racism as a problem in Italy but did not see Napoli fans among them and as such would make a transfer for Osimhen a good choice.

“The real problem with Italy is racism," Okolo continued.

"I know it happens all over Europe, but in Italy it happens a bit more often compared to elsewhere.

“I know Napoli fans aren’t racist. I have the video of them wearing masks for Koulibaly.

“Although Napoli fans aren’t racist, many others are. Naples may be the right destination for Victor, but he still must make a decision.”

Osimhen joined Lille from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2019 and clocked a total of 3,012 competitive minutes on the pitch, scoring 18 goals including two in the Champions League which came against Chelsea and Valencia.

Former Egypt coach Bob Bradley has revealed the piece of advice that he believes helped improve Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah’s game and has elevated him to a world-class level.

The 62-year-old took charge of Egypt between 2011 and 2013, during which time Salah was a young star breaking into the team, still playing domestically at Al Mokawloon.

From there, he moved to Switzerland with Basel before spells with Chelsea, Fiorentina and Roma. It has been since moving to Liverpool in 2017 that the 27-year-old has really caught the eye, however, scoring 70 goals in 100 Premier League appearances, helping the club to the Champions League of 2019 and pushing them to the brink of a first domestic league title in a generation.

Bradley believes asking Salah to imitate Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, a six-time Ballon d’Or winner, when he was still refining his game, has been the secret to much of his subsequent success.

“Salah improved a lot since I left the Egyptian NT, he is a great player,” the American told Egyptian TV channel Sada El Balad.

“I told him to watch Messi closely, so he can improve his performance and he took my advice.

“Back then I tried to change his position to play deep as a striker, because he has the speed. He Is now one of the best players in the world.”

Salah and his Liverpool team-mates are gearing up to return to action in the middle of June following an unscheduled break in the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jurgen Klopp’s side need only six points to secure a first crown of the Premier League era, with their challenge recommencing against Stanley Park rivals Everton on June 21. After hosting Crystal Palace three days later, they go to Manchester City in a showdown between the top two, with the Reds already hoping to have lifted the lead by that point.

Salah has contributed 16 goals and six assists in 26 league appearances this season, while he finished with four goals and two decisive passes in the Champions League, a competition in which Liverpool’s defence was brought to a premature end as they lost out at home to Atletico Madrid after extra-time.

Akinkunmi Amoo has teamed up with Swedish elite division side Hammarby on a four-year-deal from Nigeria’s Sidos FC.

The midfielder who clocked 18 on Sunday will continue his progression with the Stockholm based outfit partly owned by football great Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Amoo is currently in Nigeria owing to the Covid-19 pandemic and he will join the Bajen as soon as the ban is lifted on air travel.

In a statement published on the club’s website on Monday, the move was sealed after the teenager chose the team ahead of other suitors and they have vowed to be patient with him.

“We have worked with Amoo, or "Akin" as he is called, for the past two years,” sports manager Jesper Jansson said.

“There has been some interest from other clubs, but during the time we have known each other we have built a strong relationship and we are very happy that Akin chose us.

“Our coaching staff, our players and not least Mikael Hjelmberg and Wadda Tamimi have been extremely involved in making Akin feel like part of the family at Årsta.

“With Akin, we get into an explosive, skilful and offensive player with a nice left foot. But we have to remember that he has just turned 18, so we should have patience and work together to further develop Akin's excellence.”

Hammarby’s CEO Henrik Kindlund also expressed his delight having the former Golden Eaglets’ star in their fold.

“We have had an agreement with Amoo and his family, that if he wants to choose us when he is 18, he is welcome to Hammarby,” said Kindlund.

“Now we warmly welcome him to Hammarby. Although we have a tough time in these corona times, we have felt that we need to stand by our word and that is why we have chosen to go ahead and sign an agreement with Amoo.

“In addition to the purely moral we have also spent a lot of time to follow and develop Amoo as a player, it would feel tough to throw that effort overboard now.”

With this move, he becomes the second African after Gabon international Serge-Junior Ngouali, in manager Stefan Billborn.

Amoo was part of Manu Garba’s Nigeria U17 squad for the 2019 Fifa World Cup in Brazil. Nigeria crashed out of the Round of 16 owing to a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands at Goiania’s Estadio Olimpico.

Medeama coach Samuel Boadu believes his club was on course to win the Ghana Premier League before the competition ground to a halt in March.

The elite domestic championship has been on hold since a national ban on public gatherings, including sporting and religious events, came into effect as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Medeama topped the league table at the time of the suspension but six lost points for fielding an ineligible player in a game has seen the side fall to sixth on the standings.

"Considering our peak and our energetic young players, we were surely going for the title," Boadu told Wontumi Radio.

"We possessed the ball more in our games and so if you look at our numbers, we are a team that scores a lot of goals.

“Should the green light be given for the resumption of the league, we are ready to go all out for the title.

"We had targeted to pick at least five points from our next three crucial away games at Kotoko, Accra Hearts of Oak and Ashantigold.

"This is the analysis we did if we really could win the league."

Medeama are searching for their first league title.

The championship was at the Matchweek 15 stage - with Aduana Stars leading the table - when the competition was brought to a halt.

At the time, a total of six cases had been recorded.

As of Monday, June 8, the West African nation has registered 9,910 cases involving 48 deaths and 3,645 recoveries. 

Globally, over 7,154,389 persons have been infected, and 407,715 lives lost resultantly.

The ban on football remains in place until at least July 31.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has set a June 30 deadline to make a final decision on the future of football in the country.

The football's governing body, through the Ghana Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS), made a proposal to the national government for a possible prompt return of football under conditions such as the playing of matches behind closed doors.

The request was, however, turned down.

Asante Kotoko and Hearts of Oak are the two of the most successful clubs in the history of the Premier League with 23 and 19 titles respectively. 

In the midst of media reports Bidvest Wits could be sold, coach Gavin Hunt says there is nothing that has been discussed but admits it’s a sad situation.

The Clever Boys are reportedly set to relocate to Limpopo province with media reports suggesting talks to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila’s management are close to securing the Braamfontein-based club’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) status.

However, Hunt has diverted questions of the matter to the club’s management, adding they will have to move on and become jobless should the sale go through.

“Look, I can’t comment or say anything about what is happening to the club. It’s not my place but that of Alan Fainman [Wits chairman],” Hunt said as quoted by Daily Sun.

“If that is the case then we will have to move on and be unemployed. It’s sad! Nothing has been discussed with us.

"We just read about it everywhere. Let’s hope we will finally be told something.”

It is reported by the website that TTM’s owner Mosala Mulaudzi has already confirmed to having sold his National First Division (NFD) club for a whopping R10 million and put up a deposit for a PSL club, which in this case is strongly believed to be Wits, for R20m.

On the other hand, media reports surfaced that the 2016/17 PSL champions are set to part ways with key players such as skipper Thulani Hlatshwayo, winger Deon Hotto, Gift Motupa and Phathutshedzo Nange who are rumoured to be heading to reigning PSL champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

Meanwhile, the former Ajax Cape Town defender and Bafana Bafana skipper has always been linked with a move to join Orlando Pirates whilst Hunt recently denied Motupa’s switch to Chloorkop.

According to the publication, former Jomo Cosmos midfielder Thabang Monare and left-back Sifiso Hlanti are both set to join the Sea Robbers.

Although Monare has been linked with a move to join Kaizer Chiefs in the past few transfer windows, it remains to be seen if their moves will eventually happen.

Everton centre-back Michael Keane has opened up about his battle with coronavirus.

The 27-year-old contracted the disease after the Premier League had been suspended and had to isolate as a result.

Keane has revealed that he had difficulty breathing and could not go for a run before he tested positive.

“I got the virus after we’d finished training but before the country went into lockdown," he told The Mirror.

“I went to play golf at Wentworth, felt ill driving home but my pals didn’t get it so I don’t really understand where I got it.

“I was in the shower and all of a sudden I felt like I was going to faint. It wasn’t something that I’d had before. I came out of the shower, I was soaking wet, just lay on the bed and I just needed to lie down.

“I didn’t think too much of it, I was OK but then I woke up the next day and I felt really off. I didn’t have a cough but felt lethargic, low on energy and then went to bed that night and had the sweats for two nights.

“I went out for a run, was going out for 20 minutes but had to stop after three and a half minutes because my chest wasn’t right, I was really heavily breathing and I had to stop and walk home.

“I knew at that point something was wrong. I told the physios and they sent me a test, it arrived six days later by which time I felt better but it still came up positive.

“Even when I felt better, it probably took two weeks for my chest to feel back to normal when I was running.”

The Premier League has been suspended since March but will return later this month, with Everton hosting Everton on June 21.

The England international says he is excited to start playing again after such a long wait.  

“Three months without football has felt like an eternity and I can’t wait to get back to playing for Everton because I’m not sure I’ve ever gone this long without playing or knowing when I would play again," he added.

“It’s been such a strange time as I had the virus myself early on, training at home in lockdown, watching Netflix and getting back to contact training with all the new protocols.

“It’s been such a long time and when it became obvious that we wouldn’t be going into training for a while, I turned my garage at home into a gym to keep myself fit.

“I’ve got a peloton bike in there, treadmill, weights and flooring and mirrors. It’s a good set-up and once it’s in place I had no excuse!

“You knew you had to put the work in, you can’t cut corners and, looking at the lads since we’ve been back, I think everyone’s done that.

“I watched lots of Netflix, Ozark, Money Heist and then Gangs of London on Sky.

“But I also got back in touch with my old youth team coach Paul McGuinness at Manchester United and I ended speaking to him four or five times on Zoom.

“He works for the FA now and he really helped me with a few things. We looked at some clips and talked about my footwork, how I can turn quicker and going through drills which I can use to improve that.”

AmaZulu striker Bonginkosi Ntuli says he is not thinking of leaving the Durban-based club, but his mission is to overtake Premier Soccer League (PSL) current top scorer Gabadinho Mhango of Orlando Pirates.

Despite the 2019/20 PSL season being halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Usuthu hitman has netted 12 goals so far and explains he has not received offers.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns striker also states he is happy at Usuthu and that playing regular football brings satisfaction as far as his career is concerned.

“It’s not something that I am currently thinking about [to leave AmaZulu]. It’s all about rumours, something that is reported in the media,” Ntuli told Isolezwe.

“There’s no club that has approached me in terms of offers. I am happy at AmaZulu and I am getting game time. So, there is no need to think of leaving the club or get a new team.”

The former Golden Arrows striker has been linked with a move to the Buccaneers and as things stand, the burly hitman is focusing on catching up with the Malawi international.

“Honestly, I want to catch up with him [Mhango]. I cannot hide it that it would be good to catch him,” he added.

“The time we were not training completely, I was focusing on doing well and I worked hard as I trained alone.

“There’s a field close to my home and I have been practising on hitting the target preparing to get ready when the games resume and that I maintain my sharpness.

“We are happy now that we are back to do things in a normal way and to do what we love. We just hope we will go back to training in the field.”

Ntuli has found the back of the net on 12 occasions for coach Ayanda Dlamini’s troops and was on target when they defeated Kaizer Chiefs back in March just before the season was indefinitely suspended.

Meanwhile, Dlamini will be pinning his hopes on the 29-year-old to lead his side to safety as they occupy 15th spot on the log table with 23 points from 24 matches so far.

Gareth Bale is the greatest athlete former Real Madrid medical chief Jesus Olmo has seen, with the Wales star “capable of excelling at practically any sport”.

After making a world-record move from Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013, the 30-year-old has split opinion in the Spanish capital, despite scoring 80 goals in 169 matches.

While agent Jonathan Barnett has often been forced to shield his charge from media and fan attacks, Olmo has sung the praises of the attacker, who he says is the most impressive player he has seen during a career in which he has worked with many leading stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Possibly the best athlete I’ve seen is Gareth Bale,” he told Ideal. “He’s a natural athlete capable of excelling at practically any sport. He has unusual genetics and athletic ability, and I would say technical ability as well.

“He’s the one who impressed me most in all aspects, although there is then performance, which comes about from different circumstances.”

Olmo has suggested that Madrid fans have not seen the best of the star because he has played through injuries.

“All athletes have their handicaps,” he said. “People only see when a player is injured, but there are footballers who play when they’ve got physical problems. 

“A good medical team ensure that you have the minimum possible chronic problems, but the only way to overcoming them is by working hard and very well in a target way. That requires effort and depends a lot on the player.

“Nothing detracts from a high-level athlete’s performance more than chronic pain. Solving a small tendon problem is the best thing you can do for a footballer.”

Olmo had a reputation of being a fiery character and he admits that he once clashed with Sergio Ramos.

“With Sergio, I had a unique relationship because we had a very great confrontation,” he admitted. “He’s a person, like me, who says things to your face. I did things he didn’t consider appropriate, and although I explained them to him, he defended his position with the utmost respect.

“I didn’t place myself at his command. My judgement must be my own.

“We had our differences, but from there our professional relationship was very good. 

“We respect each other a lot and he always trusted my judgement with his injuries and did what I told him. 

“I still have a very good relationship with him and he works with professionals very close to me. When I have to give him a hand, I'll give it to him.”

The merged entity of Kolkata clubs, ATK and Mohun Bagan will take part in the Indian Super League 2020-21 season as ATK Mohun Bagan, Goal can confirm.

The new entity, whose 80 per cent shares are owned by Sanjiv Goenka’s ATK and 20 per cent by Mohun Bagan, is already reserved with the Government of India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The new entity has been named as ATK Mohun Bagan Private Limited.

The status of the company has already been 'reserved' on the official site of the ministry which means it cannot be allocated to any other entity henceforth. The name has been approved and set 'reserved' for concerned parties and they can now move to further formalities.

The two clubs had decided to enter a merger back in January 2020 that would help Mohun Bagan enter the ISL from the 2020-21 season.

The new entity was supposed to come into existence on June 1, 2020, but due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and the resulting nationwide lockdown since March 25, the deal got delayed. With the new company already being reserved, an official announcement from both parties is expected soon.

While Mohun Bagan have won the league title for the fifth time in their history this year, ATK won their third ISL title beating Chennaiyin FC in the final back in March.

Other than participating in the ISL, the merged entity will also take part in the group stages of AFC Cup 2021 by using Mohun Bagan’s I-League 2019-20 champions’ slot.

Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari has paid tribute to Samuel Okwaraji’s mother who died at the age of 83 on Monday.

Lady Janet Okwaraji was a retired teacher, a school proprietress and a devout Christian before her death was confirmed by her eldest son, Patrick.

She lost her son Samuel, who was a Nigeria midfielder, during a Fifa World Cup qualifying match against Angola on August 12, 1989.

He tragically collapsed and passed away while in action for the Super Eagles at the age of 25.

A month ago, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare assured the Okwaraji's family of improved welfare packages from the government while the Nigeria Football Federation announced a monthly stipend of N30,000 for the matriarch and Rashidi Yekini's mother.

In a message released by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina, President Buhari praised Lady Janet for her resilience after the death of her son at the National Stadium in Lagos.

“President Muhammadu Buhari condoles with family of Lady Janet Okwaraji, a teacher and school proprietress, who passed on at 83, leaving a lasting memory of kindness, love and charity as a devout Christian,” the condolence note read.

“The President believes Lady Okwaraji, whose son, Samuel, died in August 1989 while playing for the Super Eagles in a World Cup qualifier, will always be remembered for the sacrifices of the family for the nation.

“President Buhari affirms that the matriarch of the Okwaraji family, like her son, defined simplicity, loyalty and patriotism in many ways as she remained steadfast, believing in Nigeria, despite the vicissitude of life.

“As a mother, who lost her son in an unexpected situation, the President believes Lady Janet deserved to be acknowledged for her resilience and nobility, despite the odds.

“President Buhari prays that the almighty God will grant her soul eternal rest, and comfort her loved ones.”

Uganda forward Hasifah Nassuna has claimed women's football in the country is still underrated.

The Uganda Christian University Lady Cardinals striker says the little attention women's football has attracted in Uganda is one of the reasons that make her unhappy.

“The fact that women's football is still underrated do make me feel bad. I feel like the coverage should be balanced. But often people believe football is meant for men,” Nassuna told Football256.

Nassuna also pointed out the death of her former UCU Lady Cardinal's coach Peter Ssebulime as another challenge which has had a negative impact on her. Ssebulime died in May 2019 from what was reported as kidney failure.

“Coach [Peter] Ssebulime’s death is the biggest challenge, I found it so hard to get back on track after him passing away, at some point, I felt life was meaningless not until they took me for counselling.

“I still have a feeling that if he was still alive, maybe some of us would be successful by now.

“The expensive injuries that also take longer to heal and keep me out of action [also] make me very sad.”

The star further expounded what she thinks are her achievements and how they have been beneficial to society.

“I’ve been able to inspire many girls out there, for me, it’s an achievement and the biggest,” Nassuna added.

“Then, of course, winning the Airtel Female Footballer of the year in 2016, the 2019 MVP and top scorer awards, and lastly winning the Elite League with two different clubs.”

The Crested Cranes' forward revealed how she has come to love Barcelona and Argentina's great Lionel Messi as she plans to play professional football, own an academy and an orphanage.

“[Lionel] Messi, for me has done incredible things on the pitch, he is a game-changer and you expect him to score any minute,” explained Nassuna.

“I think people should remember me according to how they feel they should, some wish you good and others bad. So, some people will appreciate what I did whereas others won’t, but I wish to be remembered for the good things.

“I want to play professional football. I see myself playing for a big club out there one day, then looking at my country, many kids out there are suffering without parents, so starting up an orphanage to look after those kids is also in the plan.

“Then lastly, I dream of owning a Soccer Academy to help promote and develop Ugandan football especially the female games.”

From the 2015 to 2018/19 seasons, Nassuna scored double-digit goals.

Plans have been put in place by the Italian FA (FIGC) in order to decide Serie A should the league be stopped again because of coronavirus.

Football in Italy was put on hold in March due to the outbreak of the illness, which infected close to 250,000 in the country and took the lives of almost 34,000, with the north of the country particularly hard hit.

With the infection increasingly under control - there were 280 new cases announced on Tuesday - Serie A is gearing up to begin again after a three-month break, but a contingency plan has been put in place to decide placings should it prove impossible for top-level football to continue.

If play stops before July 10, playoffs and playouts will be used, but if the game is forced to stop after that date, an algorithm will be used as a last resort to decide the standings.

Serie B will follow with the same formula, but it has been announced that Serie C has been definitively ended, leading to the promotion of Vicenza, Reggina and Monza.

“Football is the winner today, with regards to consistency,” FIGC President Gabriele Gravina told reporters after the meeting.

“From the outset, we all supported the need to stay in the international scene.

“Italy is one of the big five leagues in European football. We made the decision to finish our competitions and we’ll continue on this path.

“Today, football has shown consistency. I’m convinced there will be great togetherness and that we’ll coordinate like we’ve always done with all our stakeholders, including Lega Serie A, which doesn’t come out as the loser in all of this.

“In the event of a stop, we’ve planned a new format with playoffs and playouts, like UEFA asked for.

“The pitch aside, there’s no better solution than to contest playoffs and playouts.

“A mini-tournament is always better than an algorithm, which has been clarified anyway: it’s a weighted average that takes into account the weight derived from the average number of points picked up at home and away from home, multiplied by the remaining games.

“Lega Serie A has approved and accepted it, even though we hope we won’t need it.”

Serie A will begin again on Saturday, June 20 with Torino hosting Parma, but professional football will return on Friday, June 12 as Juventus as AC Milan meet in the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg, while Napoli host Inter 24 hours later.

Currently, Juve lead the standings by a single point over Lazio with 12 games remaining.