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Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Keylor Navas looks almost certain to miss his side's Champions League semi-final against RB Leipzig on Tuesday after he again missed training with a hamstring injury.

The Costa Rica international pulled up injured in the closing stages of PSG’s dramatic 2-1 quarter-final win over Atalanta on Wednesday and had to be replaced by Sergio Rico.

A scan later revealed he had suffered a torn hamstring , meaning the 33-year-old faced a race against time if he was to participate in their last-four clash against Leipzig.

The PSG medical staff monitored Navas over the weekend but he played no part in their training session on Sunday afternoon. And with just 48 hours until kick-off in Lisbon, the former Real Madrid player now has precious little time to prove his fitness.

If Navas is sidelined, then that will mean a rare start for 26-year-old Rico.

The Spaniard has made just six appearances for the club this season after joining on a season-long loan from Sevilla, having spent the previous campaign on loan at Fulham.

Rico signed a short-term contract extension in June to cover the remaining weeks of the extended 2019-20 season, though it remains to be seen whether he will still be at the Parc des Princes next term.

Former Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye also missed Sunday's training session with a minor injury but the 30-year-old is expected to be fit for Tuesday’s game.

Thiago Silva is also expected to play despite picking up a minor hamstring injury during the Atalanta game, while Kylian Mbappe’s lively 30-minute cameo against the Serie A side suggests his recovery from an ankle injury is progressing well.

Thomas Tuchel’s side reached their first Champions League semi-final in 25 years in the most dramatic of circumstances against Atalanta.

Trailing 1-0 going into stoppage-time, the Ligue 1 side equalised through Marquinhos before substitute Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting converted Mbappe’s pass for a 93rd-minute winner.

It will be their first appearance in the last four of the competition since 1995, when they were beaten 3-0 on aggregate by AC Milan.

Premier Soccer League (PSL) action continued on Sunday afternoon in Johannesburg where the relegation-threatened Black Leopards welcomed Maritzburg United at FNB Stadium.

Ahead of this clash, Lidoda Duvha had their own internal problems where they recently parted ways with coach Allan Clark and star player Lesedi Kapinga, who joined Mamelodi Sundowns.

The two notable changes have left the club crippled and the fans are concerned especially looking at the fact they occupy the bottom of the table.

In the second clash of the day, Bloemfontein Celtic faced reigning MTN8 champions SuperSport United at Bidvest Stadium.

The two teams had contrasting ambitions where coach John Maduka was looking to build from their Nedbank Cup win over Baroka last weekend whilst chasing a spot in the top eight.

On the part of coach Kaitano Tembo, Matsatsantsa are aiming for a spot in the top three but facing a team that has already tasted action since the restart posed some challenges for the side.

Black Leopards 3-2 Maritzburg United

The two teams took time to go all out in their attacks as they spent the first 10 minutes measuring each other out at the 2010 Fifa World Cup hosting venue.

However, coach Morgan Shivambu’s troops were the first to threaten the final third when Edwin Gyimah saw his header bouncing off the crossbar, with goalkeeper Richard Ofori beaten.

The Venda-based club could broke the deadlock through Mwape Musonda's finish from close range, after capitalized from Ofori’s poor handling in the 20th minute.

Leopards doubled their lead in the 30th minute when Lifa Hlongwane benefitted from Musonda’s saved effort on the edge of the penalty area to easily pass the ball into an empty net.

However, Keagan Buchanan pulled one back for the Team of Choice four minutes later with a superb finish from a free-kick, beating keeper King Ndlovu on his right corner.

The Telkom Knockout Cup losing finalists managed to level the matters when Mxolisi Kunene unleashed a powerful shot that sailed into the roof of the net, beating the Lidoda Duvha keeper, to make the score 2-2.

Following their return from the interval, MultiChoice Diski product Tiklas Thutlwa saw his brilliant header beating the Ghana international keeper from the near post, making it 3-2 for Leopards.

Despite efforts to get a late goal from the KwaZulu-Natal side, Leopards held on to their slender lead and eventually walked away with the full three points.

Resulting from the win, Lidoda Duvha remain at the bottom with 23 points from 25 matches and the Team of Choice has 39 points and are sixth on the table.

SuperSport United 1-1 Bloemfontein Celtic

The two sides had a scrappy affair at the beginning with tackles flying high in the opening 10 minutes until the 18th minute when Bradley Grobler showed his intentions, but his strike hit the crossbar.

However, against the run of play, Celtic was the first to draw blood through defender Mzwanele Mahashe, who managed to finish his initial header from a corner kick in the 32nd minute, to make it 1-0 to the visitors.

After their return from the dressing room, Tembo introduced striker Thamsanqa Gabuza for Kudakwashe Mahachi and the change immediately yielded the desired results.

Gabuza won a set-piece in a promising area, leading to midfielder Teboho Mokoena’s brilliant free-kick which left goalkeeper Sipho Chaine stranded to make it 1-1.

There were no clear cut chances in the dying stages of the contest and it ended in a 1-1 draw.

In the end, both teams walked away with a point apiece, leaving the hosts with five games remaining and in fourth position with 41 points whilst the Free State-based club has 29 points at and are 11th after 24 games.

South Africa international Percy Tau made a dream start to life at his new club RSC Anderlecht. 

The 26-year-old forward scored for the Belgian football powerhouse as they secured a 3-1 victory over Sint-Truidense in a First Division A clash on Sunday evening.

Tau was on his competitive debut for the Purple and White having recently joined the club on a season-long loan deal from Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion.

The speedy player was introduced in the 64th minute with Anderlecht leading 2-0 against the Canaries inside an empty Lotto Park with First Division A matches being played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the visitors pulled one back through Belgium-born Congolese striker Nelson Balongo with two minutes left on the clock.

Tau had other ideas as the former Witbank Spurs player sealed the hosts' 3-1 win with a late goal in stoppage time.

DR Congo-born Landry Dimata and Bohdan Mykhaylichenko scored the other two goals for the nine-time Belgian Cup champions.

The victory took the Purple and White to the third spot on the league standings having accumulated four points from their first two matches this season.

Anderlecht decided to sign Tau after the team failed to qualify for this season's Uefa competitions having finished eighth on the 2019/20 First Division A standings.

The campaign had been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic and Tau's former team, Club Brugge were handed the league title.

Tau played 18 matches in the league for Brugge while on loan from Brighton, who signed him from Mamelodi Sundowns at the beginning of the 2018/19 season.

The left-footed player hit the back of the net three times and registered four assists for Brugge and he left the club with a league winners' medal.

Anderlecht, who are coached by Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany, will be hoping that Tau inspires them to their maiden league title since 2017.

The Purple and While are the most successful Belgian team having won a record 34 league trophies. 

Anderlecht are Tau's third Belgian club since he left Sundowns having also spent some time with Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on loan from Brighton during the 2018/19 campaign.

Former AS Roma defender Mehdi Benatia has revealed he tried to influence Hakim Ziyech to join the Giallorossi but the Ajax player ultimately settled for Chelsea.

The 27-year-old Morocco international has been one of the most highly-rated players in the world thanks to his stunning performances for Ajax, part of which sent them to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018-19, seeing off the likes of European giants in Real Madrid and Juventus before bowing out to Tottenham Hotspur.

Ziyech will begin a new chapter in West London with Chelsea paying a reported €40 million for his services.

Before making the move to Stamford Bridge, Benatia had been in talks with Edin Dzeko and former Roma director and club icon Francesco Totti, in order to bring Ziyech to the Sadio Olimpico.

According to Benatia, Totti was willing to get a deal done but Roma chairman James Pallotta did not approve of it.

“I had tried to get him to come to Roma, and he would’ve run to join this club," Benatia told La Gazzetta dello Sport magazine Sportweek as per Football Italia.

“I spoke to Francesco Totti and Edin Dzeko, telling them that this is the man they want. As a director, Francesco did everything he could to get the deal concluded, but Pallotta said it would be ‘an excessive expense’ and nothing ever came of it.”

Benatia also spoke of another high-rated Moroccan in Achraf Hakimi, who joined Inter Milan in a five-year deal worth €40 million from Real Madrid.

He spent the last two seasons at Borussia Dortmund and largely impressed, playing 73 times in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing 17 assists.

Benatia believes Hakimi can compete with Liverpool youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is currently regarded as the best right-back in the world.

“Hakimi is probably the jewel in the crown of this generation of Moroccan players. He is already one of the five best wing-backs in Europe, while in a couple of years, he’ll be contending Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool for first place,” Benatia continued.

“Hakimi called me before he signed for Inter. I told him Italy was the best move he could possibly make.

“It was also perfect, as Inter will help him to grow tactically. Everyone wanted him, from PSG to Bayern Munich, but he can refine his talent and become a more complete player in Italy, especially with a coach like Antonio Conte.”

Benatia is presently on the books of Al-Duhail in Qatar and having played for three Italian clubs in Udinese, Roma and Juventus, the 33-year-old ex-Morocco captain has admitted that when his contract with the Doha-based team expires in January 2021, his best destination for a European return would be Italy again.

"In January my contract with Al-Duhail, the club in Qatar where I'm staying, expires. I could stay here, but also return to Europe and in this case, Italy would be my favourite destination,” he stated.

Former Cameroon forward Eugene Ekeke feels that ex-coach Paul Le Guen destabilised his squad by stripping Rigobert Song of the captain's armband and handing it over to Samuel Eto'o.

After taking over as Indomitable Lions coach in July 2009, Le Guen’s first major change in the team was appointing a new captain, ending Song’s long reign as leader of the players.

Song’s last major tournament wearing the Cameroon armband was the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ghana, his fifth as skipper, before playing under the leadership of Eto’o at the 2010 Afcon and the Fifa World Cup the same year.

Ekeke feels discord between generations of Cameroon national teams has always existed but the crop that won the 2000 Olympics goal medal had more internal strife.

Although Song was not part of the team in Sydney, Ekeke mentions him as belonging to that generation of players whose cracks he says were widened by Le Guen’s captaincy switch.

“Everything can be sorted out and I think Samuel Eto’o has a big role to play in bringing peace. We are a family. If I have the chance to see him, I will tell him,” Ekeke told Radio Sport Info.

“There is this inter-generational conflict to settle but also these clashes between own teammates of the 2000 generation. Sincerely, we must settle all that. The removal of the armband from Rigobert Song [distabilised Cameroon].

“This was the root of all evil. Paul Le Guen deeply destabilised this generation because Samuel Eto’o did not need an armband. In any case, we have to transcend all that and get back together.”

With Song retiring from international football in 2010, Eto’o went on to further captain Cameroon at the 2014 World Cup but just like his predecessor, he could not help the Indomitable Lions match the 1990 team that reached the quarter-finals of the global football tournament.

Ekeke was part of the history-making 1990 World Cup squad and feels that his generation deserves more recognition than the 2000 Olympics gold medallists.

“The 2000 generation brought a lot to Cameroon... This generation put Cameroon back on the African scene after a long crossing of the desert. But this generation must recognise that Italy 1990 was something else,” said Ekeke.

“In 1990, I repeat, the context was particular. It’s a fact, don’t pretend it’s not the truth! The 2000 generation was not in the same mood as us.”

Regional league side Nebbi Central has maintained they have not sold defender Jerry Jakisa to Premier League side Onduparaka FC.

The Caterpillars announced they have acquired the services of Jakisa in a deal that will see him remain at the club until 2022, but Nebbi Central have now protested that announcement.

“Following Onduparaka’s confirmation of Jerry’s [Jakisa] alleged signing on their official social media platforms, we would like to clarify as follow,” Nebbi Central is quoted as saying by Sports Nation.

“As the player’s current club, we don’t know of any such deal and we have only come to learn about it on social media.

“We urge Onduparaka to act in a way that reflects their status as a professional entity.”

Nebbi Central have now demanded an apology from the Arua club before they enter into any talks concerning the future of Jakisa.

“We, therefore, demand an apology from Onduparaka for damaging our name before any round table discussion can be held,” the club’s statement added.

“The player in question will also be subjected to our internal disciplinary processes.”

According to Onduparaka, Jakisa signed a two-year deal and consequently became the second player they have brought on board in the ongoing transfer window.

Bonny Musema is the first player Onduparaka confirmed.

Jakisa previously played for Nyamityobora FC before he left in 2019 for Nebbi Central.

Onduparaka also have appointed head coach Viali Bainomugisha and he will be deputised by Wamboya Mubaraka, with Ibrahim Kongo taking charge of the goalkeeper coaching roles.

Hassan Muhamood has already left Onduparaka and Ezra Bida could join rivals Kyetume FC.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) has released guidelines and a deadline for the registration of youth football academies.

The registration exercise is core to the strategic Fufa plan for the development and professionalising of football in Uganda.

According to a document signed by Fufa’s deputy CEO in charge of football, Decolas Kizza, professional clubs in the UPL and in Big League are expected to submit applications by August 21.

Academies owned by Fufa registered clubs will submit their prayers directly while their private counterparts will first comply with Uganda Youth Football Association guidelines.

Registered Fufa academies will be allowed to conduct training, developing and organising football competitions comprising of young players from a minimum age of six years to 18 years.

The academies will be required to share data of their players in order to be registered in the Fufa master player database and each player issued with an identity unique number.

Bernardo Silva has branded some Liverpool fans “pathetic” after they mocked Manchester City’s Champions League defeat on social media.

The Portugal midfielder could only watch from the substitutes' bench on Saturday as City suffered a shock 3-1 defeat by French side Lyon in the quarter-finals in Lisbon.

It caps a hugely disappointing few months for Pep Guardiola’s side, who finished 18 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League and were beaten by Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final.

It means they end the 2019-20 campaign with just the Carabao Cup to their name, one year after winning the domestic treble.

With the season now over and thoughts already heading towards the new campaign, Silva posted a message to City supporters on Twitter  on Sunday afternoon.

"The 2019/2020 season has ended for us in a very disappointing way,” he wrote. “To all the fans, we’re sorry for this frustrating season. The only thing we can promise is that in 2020/2021 we’ll fight a lot to do much better and get back to winning important things for you guys.”

A number of City fans replied with messages of support, but he was also mocked by supporters of other teams, most notably Liverpool.

The two clubs have developed a rivalry over recent seasons after Liverpool knocked City out of the Champions League in 2018, before City pipped the Merseysiders to the title by just a point on the final day of the 2018-19 season.

Reds fans, though, were quick to remind Bernardo that the Premier League title is now back at Anfield after a 30-year wait, while they also lifted the Champions League for the sixth time in the club’s history last season — something City or Bernardo have never done.

Less than an hour after posting the original message, Bernardo hit back with a second tweet taking aim at Reds supporters: "And to all Liverpool fans that have nothing else to do than to come to a Man City player account, I’m also sorry for you but for the wrong reasons..pathetic.

"Go celebrate your titles, or try to find a partner, drink a beer with a friend, read a book..so many options!”

AmaZulu FC caretaker coach Ayanda Dlamini has stressed the importance of having Moeneeb Josephs in his technical team.

Joseph is currently serving as the third-choice goalkeeper and assistant coach under Dlamini at the KwaZulu-Natal giants 

The duo has been tasked with ensuring that AmaZulu retain their status in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) with head coach Jozef Vukusic having been placed on special leave since March.

Dlamini explained that he enjoys working with Josephs, who is the oldest player in the South African top-flight having celebrated his 40th birthday in May.

"We all know what kind of a person Moeneeb is, he is a good guy, always a crazy character. I'm very happy to work with him," Dlamini told the media.

Josephs is an accomplished player, having won the PSL title with both Bidvest Wits and Orlando Pirates, and he also played for Bafana Bafana at the 2010 Fifa World Cup finals.

Dlamini, who is a retired striker, revealed that the man nicknamed 'Slim Kat' (Clever Cat) has a good working relationship with the players, having joined the club from Wits before the start of the 2018/19 campaign.

"He is that guy who can get the best out of the players by talking to them, being around them and they understand him very well and like to work with him too," he added. 

"I think he is that guy I really enjoy working with and he is playing a really big role at AmaZulu."

Dlamini took charge of his second match as Usuthu interim coach on Saturday and the league encounter against Baroka FC ended in a goalless draw at Lucas Moripe Stadium.

Prior to the clash, the former Bloemfontein Celtic striker had guided AmaZulu to a surprise 1-0 win over PSL title contenders Kaizer Chiefs in March.

Usuthu are currently placed 14th on the league standings - a point above the relegation zone with five matches left this season.

The Durban-based side will be in action on Friday, August 21 when they lock horns with a Wits at the 2010 Fifa World Cup final venue, FNB Stadium.

Ghanaian defender Abdul Mumin believes he made the right decision by joining Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes.

The centre-back was announced as the latest acquisition of the Primeira Liga outfit, penning a four year deal.

He transferred as a free agent, having left Danish fold Nordsjaelland at the end of last season, and becomes the third Ghanaian at Guimaraes, joining Alhassan Wakaso and Joseph Amoah.

"Vitoria has a history of developing players, it is a club with a very high standard and that is why it is the ideal club for me and for me to continue to grow as a player," Mumin told Vitoria's official website.

“The years I spent in Denmark were very good, they gave me a lot of experience. I fulfilled the goals I had for myself and it was time to take a step forward. Vitoria is that step without a doubt, and I feel that I take it at the right moment, I am prepared.

"I spoke to Wakaso, who told me the best of this club. I expect a very good atmosphere, I felt this in the games I’ve seen from Vitoria."

Mumin is expected to meet his new teammates for the first time on Monday when Guimaraes begin pre-season preparations for the 2020-21 league season.

“I am looking forward [forward to the new season starting on Monday], I confess. I want to start as soon as possible, I feel it will be a great season for us," he continued.

“I am a central defender who likes to play. Having the ball is important to me and defensively I am strict, I know that this is essential in a great team."

Mumin left Ghanaian side Right to Dream Academy for associate club Nordsjaelland in 2016. In 2018, he was farmed out for a loan spell with Danish lower division side HB Koge, where he made 13 league outings.

Last season, he featured in 26 league matches for the Wild Tigers, starting 19 of the matches.

The 22-year-old has not been capped by Ghana, a status he will hope to change during his time with Vitoria. 

Kai Havertz has the creativity to succeed in the Premier League, according to Lukas Podolski, but the ex-Germany international says the Chelsea target still has a long way to go to thrive at the top of English football.

The 21-year-old is at the top of the Blues' wish list as Frank Lampard looks to bolster his young squad following a top-four finish and an FA Cup final appearance last season.

Havertz has yielded prolific results for Leverkusen since he made his senior debut in 2016, becoming the youngest player to clock up 100 games in the Bundesliga and having netted 46 goals across all competitions, with a string of caps for Joachim Low's national side also duly picked up since 2018.

Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro admitted that the attacking midfielder was ready to "make the next step" in his career earlier this week and Chelsea have long been among the favourites to secure his services.

Asked on whether he feels Havertz can further bolster his reputation with a move to English football, former Arsenal man Podolski highlighted both the player's strengths and weaknesses and how his own experiences informed his opinion of the Premier League — but not before cracking wise about his former club's rivalry with Leverkusen.

"Why are you asking me about a Leverkusen player?" the 35-year-old joked to The Athletic. "I’m [a] Cologne [man] and they are our rivals along with Gladbach and Dusseldorf.

"[But] he’s a great talent. On the ball he is so creative, but he’s still young — let’s see if he can fit into the Premier League. I think he is still missing some strength and power, but he should taste the drink of the Premier League and see if he likes it.

"I did, but I knew I would like it. I’m strong, I have a good shot, I’m from the street, I’m like a pitbull. I knew I could deal with the Premier League with the long balls, the physical side and the referees. It was perfect for me and we had a good team and atmosphere at Arsenal."

Podolski played in the Gunners' 2014 FA Cup final victory over Hull City at Wembley, just weeks before he helped his nation to World Cup glory in Brazil.

Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng said he was blown away by Alphonso Davies' display against Barcelona, particularly the Canadian's solo run to set up his side's fifth goal of the evening. 

The Bundesliga champions blew away Barca on Friday in the Champions League quarter-final, scoring goal after goal in an incredible 8-2 win.

Davies, who has developed into one of the world's top left-backs at age 19, blew past Nelson Semedo on the left wing before pulling back for Joshua Kimmich to tap home and make it 5-2 in the 63rd minute.

Kimmich said after the game he was "almost ashamed of how happy I was after the goal, because it was 99 per cent, of course, [Davies'] goal."

Speaking ahead of Wednesday's semi-final match against Lyon, Boateng added to the chorus of praise for his team's young star.

"I just say wow about his solo [run]!" Boateng said. "That was world class. About his development? I don't think there are such young talents often. He's exploded, I'm happy.

"He's also super likeable off the pitch and a down-to-earth boy. He still has so much potential. We can still expect a lot from him, he will be even better."

Bayern's destruction of Barca led many to compare it to another infamous one-sided match that Boateng took part in: Germany's 7-1 humiliation of Brazil in the 2014 World Cup semi-final. 

Boateng, however, has underlined the differences between the two matches. 

"I think they were two different games," the 31-year-old said. "The game against Brazil was different, we didn't control as much as we did against Barcelona.

"We got a boost in confidence after the game against Brazil, but afterwards you saw that the final against Argentina was different. It wasn't a particularly nice game for the spectators, there were few chances.

"We have to know now that the next game is always the most difficult. Lyon is not in the semi-finals for nothing."

Boateng added that he's happy to see two German teams and two French sides in the Champions League semi-finals, but cautioned against drawing any major conclusions with PSG and RB Leipzig set to face off in the other final-four tie. 

"It's a snapshot, you can't always explain it," the defender said. "You can't say that another league is suddenly weaker. But I believe that it is an indication that good work is being done in Germany. Not only here, but also in Leipzig, Dortmund or Leverkusen, for example. That makes me happy.

"I'm also happy for the French league. It shows that there is not only PSG. But you mustn't forget that the English and Spanish clubs have always been in the semi-finals or finals in recent years. That's why I wouldn't speak of a new era."

Kenya international Joash Onyango has revealed some details of how he ended up signing for Mainland Premier League champions Simba SC.

The burly defender was unveiled as a Simba player on Friday, just a few days after he had tabled a transfer request to leave Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Gor Mahia.

Onyango, who penned a two-year contract and also features for Kenya’s national team, has now come out to explain how he was lured to sign for Wekundu wa Msimbazi by another Kenyan in Francis Kahata, whom he played with at K’Ogalo.

“I kept talking to Francis [Kahata] since the time Simba showed keen interest in my services and he really played a major role for me to move here,” Onyango is quoted by Sokaletu.

“I had also wanted to come to Tanzania for a new challenge because I had played for four years at Gor Mahia and that was a bit a long time to be at one club, so I wanted to move out and test another challenge.

“I was talking to [Kahata] on a daily basis and he kept telling me if you come [to Simba] everything will be fine, he asked me to sign the deal and come play for Simba and that is how I ended up being a Simba player.”

In addition, the 27-year-old confirmed Simba rivals Young Africans (Yanga SC) had also sought his services before he ended up signing for the champions.

“Before I signed for Simba, Yanga were also trailing me, they even talked to my agent but it did not go far, I only took seriously the deal from Simba and signed it and left out Yanga," he concluded.

Onyango’s move from Gor Mahia to Simba brings the number of players to four who have left the Kenyan champions for their Tanzanian counterparts. Others are Kahata, Meddie Kagere, and Dan Sserunkuma.

Onyango, nicknamed 'Berlin Wall' due to his defensive performances, had established himself as one of the outstanding defenders in the KPL while serving the Green Army.

He never looked back since he became a regular first-team member for Gor Mahia when Musa Mohamed left for KF Tirana of Albania in 2018, and his outstanding partnership with Harun Shakava and later on Charles Momanyi saw him consequently appointed the K’Ogalo’s assistant captain.

Xherdan Shaqiri says he has no plans to quit Liverpool this summer, despite what he describes as a "frustrating" season in 2019-20.

The Swiss forward struggled for regular first-team football at Anfield as he failed to dislodge the likes of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane from Jurgen Klopp’s first-choice side.

His cause was also not helped by a series of niggling injuries, which restricted him to just 11 appearances in all competitions.

That led to speculation the former Bayern Munich player, who joined the Reds from Stoke in 2018, could look for a move this summer.

Shaqiri, though, insists he is fully focused on maintaining his fitness and earning significant minutes like he did during the 2018-19 campaign.

"Always if you are injured or if you are not playing, you're frustrated,” he told the club’s website.

“But I'm looking forward to this season and trying to help the team all the time, so I have the chance to play like the first season.

"As a team, I just want us to achieve a lot of things. I think we have a lot of good players in our team, everyone can play and we try to make it very difficult for the coach as always.

"I'm trying to give my best too and to help the team to win games, titles – that's the most important thing for me.”

Shaqiri and the rest of his Liverpool team-mates are back in pre-season training less than three weeks after the previous campaign concluded.

The coronavirus shutdown has played havoc with the football calendar, meaning there is now less than a month before the Reds kick off the defence of their Premier League title.

The Merseysiders ended a 30-year wait to become champions of England once again in 2019-20, and Shaqiri believes the squad is good enough to win successive titles for the first time since they won three in a row in the early 1980s.

"Everybody is excited to play again and to defend the season we had last season,” he added.

"It's very difficult but we try to achieve again a lot of things and we want to win a lot of games.

"We have the capacity, we have the team who is still hungry and wants to win many titles.

"To win the title last season was unbelievable, something different after 30 years for the fans and for us too.

"We are really excited and we always want to win every game but we know it's going to also be difficult. The other teams also want to win, so I think it's going to be an exciting season."

Uchenna Kanu continued her rich goalscoring form after netting a brace and Ebere Orji provided a late assist in Linkopings' 3-1 win over Uppsala in a Swedish Damallsvenskan game on Sunday.

Olof Unogard were smarting from Wednesday's 7-1 humiliation at Rosengard, where Kanu registered the visitors' solitary goal and they aimed to end their three-match losing streak against Uppsala.

This time, the Nigerian striker almost fired the hosts in front but her efforts went wide in the ninth minute but eventually, she broke the deadlock to put them ahead in the 21st minute.

She twice came close to increase the tally for Linkopings in the 31st and 44th minute but could not find breakthroughs before the break.

After the break, Nilla Fischer and Lina Hurtig missed the chance to score in the 47th and 53rd minutes, respectively, from corners until Kanu bagged her first Damallsvenskan brace on the hour mark.

With seven minutes left, Unogard brought in Orji to replace two-goal hero Kanu and the former made an instant impact as she assisted Hurtig to net the third for Linkopings a minute later.

Despite Beata Olsson pulled one back inside injury time for the visitors but the hosts held their nerve to preserve the two-goal lead and celebrated their first win in four successive matches.

Kanu’s goal tally for Linkopings now stands at five coupled with one assist in 11 outings in nine starts in the ongoing campaign. 

Kanu's Nigerian compatriot Orji bagged her second assist of the season to add to her five goals for Unogard's team in 11 appearances this term.
 
The result saw Linkopings move up to fourth on the Damallsvenskan log with 19 points from 11 matches and they will travel to face rock-bottom Vaxjo in their next fixture on August 23.

Arsenal managing director Vinai Venkatesham has admitted that he is "impatient" for the club to compete for trophies at home and abroad after he succeeded Raul Sanllehi as head of football at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners have streamlined their operations amid the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in a reshuffle from top to bottom that saw former Barcelona director Sanllehi the latest non-playing face to leave in the wake of the news that 55 staff would be let go.

His previous role has been absorbed by Venkatesham, whom the club confirmed would lead them off the field going forward as they look to build on Mikel Arteta's first campaign in charge in north London.

The Spaniard saw success in his maiden term at the helm with an FA Cup triumph over rivals Chelsea, but there has been little escaping the fact that without that win at Wembley, Arsenal would be preparing for a season without European football after finishing eighth in the Premier League.

Now, with a Europa League group stage berth confirmed, Venkatesham has turned his attention towards restoring his club's status as a powerhouse of the English game, pledging to match the dreams of supporters who long for a return to the glory days experienced under Arsene Wenger.

"We are fortunate to be followed all around the world by hundreds of millions of passionate fans and we have an extraordinary history of success," he told the club's official website. 

"Our fans expect and our fans demand that this football club wins trophies and is at the top of the game both here in England, but also in Europe.

"What fuels me is delivering on the expectations and delivering in regard to what our fans demand of us."

Venkatesham acknowledged that the club's 2019-20 campaign was broadly a mixed bag despite their FA Cup result, but feels that they are now firmly on the right path.

"We started last season full of expectations, we looked forward and we looked upwards and unfortunately it's not worked out in the way that we wanted it to," he added.

"We obviously changed coach in the middle of the season, which obviously was not part of the plan, and then we've had the coronavirus hit us and hit everybody this spring.

"But despite all of the challenges this season has thrown at us, our squad and our players and our football staff kept fighting and they kept fighting all the way to the end.

"I think we can look forward with some real optimism. I think, in Mikel Arteta, we have an absolutely fantastic, dynamic head coach, and if we look at our academy, I think we're in really, really strong hands with Per Mertesacker.
 
"We did not achieve our expectations last season and we need to do better and we need to improve. But I think we're absolutely on a positive trajectory and we're on the right path. The message really is [that] we need to improve. We're really focused on where we need to improve and there's lots of things that we need to do.

"We are impatient. We know we're not where we want to be and we are impatient, because we want to get to where we want to be, as quickly as we possibly can. I think the key message for our fans is that we all want exactly the same thing.

"We all want Arsenal Football Club to be back where it belongs, competing for and winning the biggest trophies in the game. That's what fuels us, that's what our focus is and we ultimately want to do that so our fans all across the world are proud of their football club."

Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer says he is not thinking about playing in Caf inter-club competitions next season, but is simply focusing on the “most important” task of winning their next games.

Pirates, who are 10 points behind log leaders Kaizer Chiefs, could earn a Caf Champions League berth if they finish the season in position two.

But they face a stern challenge for that spot from second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns who have played two games less and are four points better than the Buccaneers.

Having been eliminated from the Nedbank Cup, there is still an opportunity for Caf Confederation Cup football for Zinnbauer and his men if they finish in third position, but SuperSport United, Bidvest Wits or Maritzburg United can stop them.

“We don’t speak about next season,” Zinnbauer told the media.

“What we do now is we have a game in every two days and the last two games two points [earned] and not enough. We can speak about the next game and the next game we want three points. That is 100 percent sure what we want and we work on it, then we have to see what will come.

“But you see Wits have less games like us...We don’t speak about the next season. We do what we can. What is most important for me is three points in the next game.”

The last time Pirates participated in Africa was during the 2018/2019 season when they reached the group stages of the Caf Champions League under Milutin Sredojevic.

Now with Zinnbauer in charge, their return to continental club competitions could be complicated as they have failed to win their two league games since the Premier Soccer League (PSL) season restarted.

The 0-0 draws against Sundowns and Wits marked their return to football but saw Bucs extending their winless run to four league matches.

Having also failed to score in their last four games, Zinnbauer would be hoping that his team now makes the most of their five remaining matches, starting against relegation-threatened Baroka on Tuesday.

Simba SC fans can now breathe a sigh of relief after their coach landed back in Dar es Salaam ahead of the new Mainland Premier League campaign.

The Belgian coach, who guided the Wekundu wa Msimbazi to two titles – the league and FA Cup – had cast doubt over his future after the final game of the season when he said he was not sure whether he will be in charge of the giants for the new season.

“I don't know with me or without me,” Vandenbroeck answered reporters when asked whether he will be with the team for the campaign or not.

“There is no meaning, everyone reads newspapers, everyone listens to rumours even me, so we will see what happens. I will go on holiday in two days with a big smile with whatever happens.”

Vandenbroeck then went further to explain the need to ensure the team is united ahead of the next campaign.

“But there is one big challenge, you cannot talk about the Champions League [first],” Vandenbroeck added during the interview conducted after beating Namungo FC 2-1 to win the domestic cup. “We first have tours to play. 

“I think the first big challenge is to unify everyone in the club. To unify for the one and the same challenge that is to make this team better. If you can do that, you will succeed, if you don't succeed as a club, to unify everyone, it is going to be difficult.”

The doubts are now over after the 40-year-old tactician was pictured on Sunday arriving at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam where he was received by Simba chairman Mohammed Dewji.

Dewji then went to his social media pages to welcome the coach by stating: “Iron is back! Welcome back, coach! The battle starts now.”

The Belgian took over from countryman Patrick Aussems who was fired late in 2019 after falling out with the club's management.

Simba have actively been involved in the transfer market as they target to do well in the Caf Champions League where they will be taking part for the third season in a row.

Tanzania Mainland League champions Simba SC have completed the signing of striker Chris Mugalu.

Wekundu wa Msimbazi have been desperate in bolstering their attacking department to be effective in the continental assignments. The move has been confirmed on the team's official social media.

"Our scouts and technical bench including our colleagues from Zambia and Congo have come to an agreement that for Simba to be competitive in the Caf Champions League they have to sign a quality striker like Chris Mugalu," Simba posted on their Facebook page.

"[Milutin Sredojevic] who is Zambia head coach has also expressed satisfaction by the signing of the player, and he is confident the team will have a say in the continent."

The East Africa team has revealed the qualities the former Lusaka Dynamos player possesses.

"He is a top striker in Africa, a fighter in and outside the 18-yard area. By his signing, you will understand our focus.

"With [John] Bocco, [Meddie] Kagere and Mugalu, we have no challenge domestically."  

Last season, Simba were eliminated from Africa's elite competition in the early stages, and this time around they want to get into the latter stages of the competition.

The 21-time league champions managed to secure the services Ibrahim Ame from another top-tier side Coastal Union.

Ame has signed a three-year deal from Coastal Union of Tanga. He is signing for the club which is expected to fight for starting places with Pascal Wawa, Erasto Nyoni and Kennedy Juma who were in perfect form in the season that saw Wekundu wa Msimbazi sweep three titles.

Apart from Wawa, Nyoni, and Juma, the Tanzanian star will have to edge competition from his fellow new signing Joash Onyango of Kenya.

Onyango was an undisputed number one choice for coaches who have worked with him at Gor Mahia since 2018 and that means Ame will need to work extra hard if he has to establish himself as one of the first team choices for coach Sven Vandenbroeck.

"He is a complete defender, and unfortunately, many people might not know him but the technical bench asked the club officials to sign him," Simba said as they announced Ame as their sixth signing of the ongoing transfer window.

"Do you know why the technical bench desired to sign him? He is a fighter, good in aerial balls as well as ground balls and has the best quality of a defender.

"He is courageous and that is a trait a good defender must possess. Welcome, Ame to the champions of the country. You have chosen the best place where you are guaranteed monthly salaries and of course, trophies."

Former Chelsea player Salomon Kalou ha stated he would try to convince his Ivory Coast teammate and former Arsenal player Gervinho in joining Brazilian outfit Botafogo.

Kalou joined the Rio de Janeiro side after his contract with Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin had expired. He had been with the German capital team since 2014 and scored 53 goals, providing 16 assists in 173 competitive appearances.

Kalou was officially unveiled by Botafogo on Saturday with the Brazilian Serie A finally kicking off after football in South America’s largest country had been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gervinho is currently on the books of Italian Serie A side, Parma.

“I believe that by bringing certain players, you can attract others to have an interest in the club. I think Botafogo is in the right direction and this will attract more players, foreign players, and I hope to help Gervinho come, who knows, next year, why not? It's a possibility he plays at the club and I will advise him to do it too.” Kalou told FogaoNET.

Prior to the announcement of Kalou’s capture, the 35-year-old had joked in a tweet that he had landed in Gervinho’s second country as his nickname is synonymous with Brazilians.

“My brother Gervinho, I am in front of you in our second country. The Elephants of the Ivory Coast know Gervinho-Kalhuno,” he captioned.

Kalou believes he is fit and can still play an important role at the age of 35 when most footballers would be thinking of retiring.

“I think age is just a number. I feel fit, I feel young and I have had no injuries in my career,” he continued.

“I prepare well mentally and physically every day. I believe that playing in Brazil is a good opportunity for me

“My motivation is to play football, good football. Or as they say in Brazil: play nice! I try to play with joy, in a big club, with a big crowd. And I really hope that we can do something together. My goal is to play at Botafogo.”

Kalou also cited former AC Milan midfielder and Cameroon manager Clarence Seedorf as a reason for joining Botafogo. The ex-Netherlands international wrapped up his playing career with the Fogao in 2013, playing 59 times, scoring 17 goals and providing 14 assists.

“Botafogo is one of the biggest clubs in Brazil. Clarence Seedorf played at the club. I've played in the Netherlands and I know a lot about Seedorf. He's a big influence for young players,” Kalou said.

“Knowing that Seedorf already played for Botafogo was a motivation when the club showed interest in me. Clarence Seedorf played at Botafogo for two seasons and had an excellent pass.”