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Premier League outfit Kelantan have been deducted three points for failing to stick to their debt payment plan, announced the Malaysian FA (FAM) on Monday, August 3.

The punishment was handed by the association's First Instance Body (FIB) meeting that was chaired by Sheikh Mohd Nasir Sheikh Mohd Sharif on the same day.

According to a statement by FAM, the Red Warriors have paid the first and second installments of their wage debts to former players and officials, on January 31 and February 29, 2020 respectively. But they failed to meet the April 30 deadline for the third installment. 

"However, after taking into account the current situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO), the FIB has decided to extend the time until July 30 for FA to settle the outstanding salary arrears and allowances of officers and players.

"Nevertheless, no payments were made by Kelantan until July 30. Kelantan then sent a letter to FAM dated July 30, requesting an extension until the end of the 2020 season.

"In this regard, the FIB has decided to stick to the of July 30 deadline as stated on July 8 and an e-mail reminder dated 27 July 2020 to Kelantan to settle the outstanding salary and allowances of its officers and players.

"FAM will inform the Malaysian Football League (MFL) for the execution of the three-point deduction. The FIB has given Kelantan a deadline until August 31 to settle the outstanding salaries of players and officers in order to meet the club licensing requirements for 2020. If they fail, they will not obtain a license this year to compete in the 2021 Malaysian League," wrote its general-secretary Stuart Ramalingam.

The Red Warriors currently sit in seventh place in the standings, on four points (before deduction) after three matches.

Stuart also provided an update on other Malaysian teams with arrears.

PDRM FA and Melaka United have reportedly kept to their payment plans, while Sarawak only have arrears with the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia.

Dipendu Biswas has had a glorious career as a footballer and is one of the few players who has represented all three giants of Kolkata football, i.e. Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting.

Biswas still holds the record of being only the second Indian player to have scored more than 250 goals in domestic football. Legendary footballer Chuni Goswami, who passed away earlier this year, was the first to achieve this feat.

After retiring as a footballer, Biswas has been associated with Mohammedan Sporting Club. He has been working as the club’s technical director for the past few years.

In 2020, Biswas though will be seen in a completely different role at the club as he was recently elected as the Football Secretary of Mohammedan.

Biswas spoke about the challenges of being an administrator and how different the role is from being a footballer or a technical director.

“As Football Secretary of the club, I now have full authority over the selection of players in the squad. We have created a subcommittee for football. Along with our Secretary Wasim Akram, who is a very close friend, we will try to make the best possible decisions for the club,” said Biswas.

Consistency has been a major issue for the Black Panthers in the past two decades. They have been relegated on multiple occasions from the I-League and has been extremely inconsistent.

The former India international footballer revealed that their first and foremost target will be to qualify for the I-League this year and thereafter, in a few years time, gain promotion to the Indian Super League (ISL) - the country's top tier.

Mohammedan are in the final stage of the second division I-League this season and have a shot at promotion before the upcoming season.

He said, “We have already signed Willis Plaza who according to me was the best foreign striker in I-League last season. We also signed Eze Kingsley and we are close to making few more Indian signings in the coming days. We also managed to hold on to most of our Indian players from last season.

“Our first target is to qualify for the I-League next season and after that our next aim is to achieve promotion to the ISL in the next five seasons. ISL is the top tier league of Indian football at the moment so that has to be our ultimate aim. But before entering the ISL we need to make sure that we consistently play in the I-League for the next few years.”

Biswas also suggested that they are hopeful of ending the financial troubles of the club as several investors have shown interest in getting associated with the club.

“Many people have already shown their interest to get associated with the club financially. Hopefully, something good will turn up very soon. We want to create a strong infrastructure in the club,” said the Mohammedan official.

The footballer turned politician also revealed that the club has extensive plans for improving their youth system. They have initiated a process to start a new academy for the club in Kolkata.

“Our Secretary Wasim (Akram) was in charge of the youth development of the club till now so he has a very good idea about it. Our target is to make a strong setup for youth programs. We have already bought land in Kolkata where we will set up an academy for 100 candidates. The academy will have every single facility. Also, it will have a clubhouse which the members of Mohammedan Sporting can avail at any time for leisure activities. But of course, the primary purpose of the project is to solidify our youth program,” said the former East Bengal striker.

Former Dempo SC midfielder Peter Carvalho may be one of the most underrated players of his time. He spent almost a decade years with the Goan giants, serving the club with exemplary commitment.

However, not many are aware could have well started his senior playing career with Goan rivals Sporting Clube de Goa.

Carvalho did eventually turn up for the Flaming Oranje in 2017, 16 years after attending trials at the club that was then recently taken over from Cidade de Goa in 1999 by Sporting Goa's current owner Peter Vaz.

"He (Carvalho) attended a trial with us in the year 2001 and Peter (Vaz) wanted to sign him," Sporting Goa official Angelo Albuquerque revealed to Goal. "He was around 20 years old at that time. This boy used to come all the way from Quepem. He used to wake up at 5 am and set out on a milk van to Margao and then caught a bus to reach in time for our practice sessions at Campal at 7:30 am.

"Just because of the traveling distance (approximately 50 kms one way) and since we did not have any accommodation system back then, we didn't sign him up and then he went to Raia [Sporting Club]. Otherwise, he would have started his career with us (Sporting Goa)."

At the age of 39, Carvalho was still among the fittest players in the Goan Pro League.

With regard to Carvalho's last stint with Sporting Goa before the Coronavirus pandemic struck, Albuquerque stated, "He is physically strong and never misses practice. In the two years he was with us, he missed only one practice session. He has played all these years only because of his discipline. As a player, youngsters should look up to him - his discipline, the way he takes care of himself."

After Raia Sporting Club, he joined Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) in 2004 before joining National Football League (NFL) side Fransa-Pax the following season but the outfit who would disband in 2006 after club owner Micky Pacheco decided to pull out his team mid-way through the 2005-06 NFL (now I-League) season.

That in turn opened the door for his move to Dempo with then coach of the Golden Eagles, Armando Colaco, luring him in with a three-year contract in the summer of 2006. Carvalho spent the next 10 years at the club winning the Durand Cup in his first year, a cherished semi-finals appearance in the 2008 AFC Cup, a couple of Indian Super Cup trophies (2008, 2010) and four of Dempo's five NFL/I-League titles among his major honours.

"He is a very simple and humble person and hardly spoke much even during team meetings. He was extremely punctual and disciplined during practices and he is a player that would play for the team anywhere as per requirements," Colaco told Goal.

"I made use of him in so many different positions and I'm glad (I did). If he remains physically fit, he can play for another two years because he has the experience on his side. His maturity will help him. I really appreciate and admire him for what he has done at Dempo."

It's no surprise that Carvalho also spoke highly of his former coach at Dempo, someone who helped him build his career.

"Armando was the most inspiring coach I have ever met in my life. The way he guided me is why I had such a fruitful career in football," he expressed to Goal.

Although he only got a look into the national team set-up during a few friendlies under the regime of Armando Colaco as the India coach, at the state level, Peter Carvalho won the 2005 Santosh Trophy with Goa and at the age of 36 captained the side that lost the 2017 Santosh Trophy final played in Goa 1-0 to West Bengal.

This was when, in 2017, he earned himself a move to Sporting Clube de Goa from FC Bardez to ply his trade in the Goa Pro League and almost won back-to-back titles. Their bid for a second consecutive title was halted by FC Goa's developmental side in 2018-19 season.

In between, after becoming the highest scoring midfielder for Dempo in the 2012-13 I-League, Carvalho was loaned out on successive seasons to Indian Super League (ISL) clubs FC Goa (2014) and Kerala Blasters (2015).

"The first time in my career I got the opportunity to share the room with someone like Zico and Robert Pires (at FC Goa). I got to learn a lot from them. At Kerala (Blasters), I suffered a MCL (Medial Collateral Ligament) injury to my knee," he recalled.

In fact, Carvalho still intends to play for as long as he can.

"There were a lot of good youngsters at Sporting. Keeping up with the pace was something I found a bit challenging but I still had it in me. I still want to play," he now insists.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had to cancel all leagues in the previous season, as the Coronavirus pandemic started to spread across the country. 

The second division I-League which saw 17 teams participate was cancelled even before the group stages could be completed. 

ARA FC, were topping the charts in group C with 14 points from seven games. But due to the pandemic, they have to start from a clean slate in a format that would be decided by the AIFF. 

"We had faced a lot of losses because of the cancellation of the tournament. Everything went in vain. We have been practicing since December and then midway through the tournament, it got stopped. We had to pay salaries, training costs, and incur other expenses as usual. So it was really difficult for us. Therefore, we were sceptical about participating in the tournament," stated Vikram Patel, owner of ARA FC, to Goal. 

It was just a couple of days ago that the team management confirmed to AIFF about their wish to participate after a lot of deliberation. They wanted to give another shot at qualification for I-League as they believe that they have the squad which can make it through. 

Syed Shoaib Ahmed and Dieye Hamidou were in fine form as they struck seven and six goals respectively and Patel confirmed that both the players will continue to feature for them. 

"We are in talks with all our players including Shoaib and Hamidou. We will try to make new signings as soon as possible and send them fresh contracts as we hope to start training by mid-August. We will field the strongest outfit possible. Because if we qualify (for I-League) we have to carry the same players in I-league at least for the first few matches as the league will start in December and the transfer window will start in January. It might be difficult for us to sign players in the summer transfer window.

"So we are planning accordingly. But while recruiting any more foreign players we will be hiring players who are stuck in India, otherwise, there will be visa and transport problems," commented the businessman. 

Patel hopes that AIFF will help them out with the steep cost of testing the players during the tournament. Additionally, he has urged the federation for extra funds since they have already lost a lot of money in the previous season. 

"We are in discussion with AIFF for a certain sum of money as a subsidy that should ideally cover our transportation and hotel costs. Moreover, the Covid-19 testing is also a costly affair. Ideally, they should bear the cost. Otherwise, we have to source it from the insurance that we include in the player's contract."

He also assured that there will be strict protocols when the players arrive in Ahmedabad for training. 

"We will take full precautions while training. There will be a seven-day isolation period when the players arrive. Then their movements will be restricted. We don't want one player to go out and get Covid. The whole team will suffer. We have our own residential space, they will be staying there. It will be sanitised regularly."

The team had good momentum before the pandemic played the spoilsport. The strikers were in a good rhythm and now coach Vivek Nagul will have to ensure that his men have shaken off the pandemic blues once they restart their quest for a spot in the I-League.  was in awas in awas in awas in a

Mikel Arteta has challenged Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to stay at Arsenal and become a club great.

Aubameyang scored both goals - as he did in the semi-final win over Manchester City - as Arsenal completed a stirring 2-1 FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea on Saturday.

The former Borussia Dortmund forward has 70 goals in all competitions since joining the Gunners in January 2018, but his future is the subject of mounting speculation.

Aubameyang is out of contract next year, although Arteta has repeatedly expressed confidence the Gabon international is ready to remain at Emirates Stadium.

After his superb winning goal downed London rivals Chelsea, he was challenged by his head coach to place himself alongside the likes of Ian Wright and Thierry Henry in Arsenal history.

"It's the most difficult thing in football, that's for sure, and he makes it simple – look at the second goal he scored," Arteta said.

"We always had incredible strikers at this football club and Auba deserves to be named and compared with the big names.

"By winning trophies he will be closer to that and the longer he stays there as well.

"Hopefully we can have him for more time."

Arteta also made a point of praising Aubameyang's work ethic – the captain leading by example in a squad where the likes of Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi have fallen shy of their boss' exacting standards.

"The biggest problem as well was probably to convince [Aubameyang] to work the way he is working," Arteta added.

"He was going to get more rewarded, more respected and then that respect goes from respect to admiration – admiration from his team-mates, the people who work with him and the fans.

"I think now, the way he is conducting himself on and off the field, he has got that."

Arsenal's FA Cup triumph helped the club forget their struggling Premier League campaign, which saw Arteta's side finish eighth - a whopping 10 points outside the top four.

However the cup victory means the Gunners now qualify for the Europa League group stages - meaning Tottenham now have to qualify for the competition and Wolves are likely to miss out on Europe completely, unless they win this season's version to qualify for the Champions League.

William Troost-Ekong was in action as Udinese secured a 1-0 victory over Sassuolo in their last Serie A game for the 2019-20 season on Sunday.

The Super Eagles centre-back played a prominent role as Luca Gotti’s men return to winning ways at Stadio Mapei after losing against Lecce last time out.  

Troost-Ekong was handed a starting role in the encounter forming a three-man defence along with Samir and Sebastien De Maio.

The 26-year-old was rock solid for the White and Blacks, making four clearances, two interceptions and had a 77% successful pass rate to help his side keep a clean sheet in the encounter.

Stefano Okaka Chuka scored the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute after he was set up by Kevin Lasagna to ensure Udinese clinched all three points.

Troost-Ekong featured for the entirety of the game while Ivory Coast international Seko Fofana was a second-half substitute, replacing Marvin Zeegelaar.

The victory helped the White and Blacks to end the 2019-20 season on the 13th spot on the league table with 45 points from 38 games.

Troost-Ekong joined Udinese in the summer of 2018 from Bursaspor and has been a key member of the side since his arrival and this season he made 30 league appearances.

The 26-year-old defender started his career with Fulham academy before teaming up with Tottenham Hotspur youth set up.

The Super Eagles centre-back moved to the Netherlands to begin his senior career, joining Groningen in 2013.

 Troost-Ekong then signed for Belgian First Division A side Gent in 2017, where he spent two years, including a loan spell at Haugesund.

His impressive defensive performances for Turkish side Bursaspor caught the attention of Udinese, who secure his signature in 2017 and made 35 league appearances for the side in his debut season as they finished 12th in the Serie A.

Troost-Ekong is currently the Super Eagles vice-captain and has 42 caps for the West Africans since he played his first game against Chad in 2015 in an Africa Cup f Nations qualifying game. 

The defender was part of Gernot Rohr’s side that finished third at the 2019 Afcon in Egypt and will hope to continue his solid defensive showings during the World Cup and Afcon qualifiers. 

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain should be considered the two favourites for this year's Champions League, according to Arsene Wenger.

European football’s premier knockout competition resumes this week five months after it was halted at the last 16 stage because of the coronavirus pandemic.

There are still four last-16 second leg ties to be completed, including Manchester City’s clash with Real Madrid at Etihad Stadium on Friday, before the action then moves to Lisbon for an eight-team knockout tournament, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals taking place over one leg ahead of the final on Sunday August 23.

City hold a 2-1 lead over Los Blancos after the first leg at Santiago Bernabeu back in February. PSG meanwhile have already secured their place in the last eight as they managed to beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on aggregate before the Covid-19 shutdown.

Thomas Tuchel’s side take on surprise package Atalanta at Benfica’s Estadio Da Luz on Wednesday August 12, with the winners facing RB Leipzig or Atletico Madrid in the last four.

The French champions, like Manchester City, have never won the Champions League, with the owners of both clubs desperate to secure the famous trophy as tangible reward for their significant investment.

Wenger, who is currently FIFA's head of football development, believes both sides should be considered frontrunners for this year’s prize, ahead of the likes of Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

“When you are playing a match against Atalanta or Atletico Madrid, anything can happen. But for me, Manchester City and PSG are the two favourites in terms of their potential,” Wenger told Europe 1.

Despite tipping them for European glory, Wenger feels the PSG squad is actually weaker than it was a few years ago, though he feels the standard of competition has also dipped in that time. 

“I feel they are a little bit less strong than three or four years ago,” he added. “In terms of their holistic set-up, they were maybe a bit more complete three to four years ago, in all positions. 

“The competition was stronger as well. But I think that there has been a general decline in the quality of European football at the very, very, very highest level and they are still amongst the two or three best in Europe.

“We shouldn’t be looking for false reasons why PSG have not yet won the Champions League. Even Real Madrid didn’t win it sometimes during 10 to 15 years, then they won it three times in a row.”

Pierre-Francois Aubameyang has lauded his son, Pierre-Emerick for fulfilling his promise of guiding Arsenal to FA Cup glory against Chelsea.

Aubameyang scored two goals as Mikel Arteta’s men fought from behind to defeat their London rivals Chelsea 2-1 in Sunday’s final at Wembley Stadium.

After he was brought down in the 18-yard box by Cesar Azpilicueta, the 31-year-old converted from the penalty spot midway through the first-half to cancel out Christian Pulisic's opener.

Some minutes after the hour-mark, Aubameyang fired the Gunners ahead with a deft chip over goalkeeper Willy Caballero.

The goals were the Gabonese's third brace in his last four outings for Arteta's side, and he ended the 2019-20 campaign as Arsenal top scorer with 29 goals across all competitions.

Saturday's triumph secured Aubameyang's first title in England since his permanent signing from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.

Pleased by his son’s heroics at Wembley, Aubameyang’s father who played 80 international games for Gabon during his career said the African country and his family are proud of him.

"You are amazing, you promised it to me and you did it," he wrote on Instagram.

"All the credit goes to you my son, your mother, the whole family and I are proud of you. What an honour for our Gabon."

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has also followed in his father's footsteps, by turning out for the Panthers at the senior level despite being born in France and playing for the French U21 team initially.

The 2015 African Footballer of the Year is currently Gabon's all-time top scorer with 25 goals after 61 appearances since his debut outing in 2009.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he's open to coaching again one day but only under conditions he deems as "optimal".

Wenger departed the Gunners after 22 years in 2018 and is currently working as FIFA's new Chief of Global Football Development. 

While eager to make the most of his new position, the Frenchman admits he's missing being a manager and concedes he could make a return if the right position presents itself. 

"Every day, I want to train, I've been doing this all my life," Wenger told Europe 1. 

"I'm 70 years old, I gave a lot. Should I play Russian roulette a bit, even when it comes to my health? I can't do things by halves, so I ask myself this question."

Asked what it would take for him to manage again, Wenger replied: "It will be in conditions that I consider optimal. Otherwise, I will not do it."  

Wenger officially joined FIFA in November last year with the former Arsenal manager refuting reports at the time that Bayern Munich wanted him to replace Niko Kovac. 

Though still getting used to his new role and eager to make an impact, Wenger hinted he's not a massive fan of being stuck inside when he previously conducted much of his work out on the pitch. 

"I smelled the grass every morning, and today I am more in muffled, administrative environments, and in offices. So obviously, I feel a bit of an intruder in there," he said. 

"I want to create the most efficient analysis center in the world at FIFA. I know it is very ambitious, but you will see that at the World Cup in 2022 we will produce match analySes which will be extremely efficient.

"I'm in the process of hiring a lot of people at this level right now. And I think there is still a lot of progress to be made in the way we see football." 

The 70-year-old recently declared Paris-Saint Germain and Manchester City as his favourites to take out this season's Champions League when it resumes this week.

Both sides must still navigate the second legs of their last-16 ties with PSG trailing Lyon 1-0 and City holding a 2-1 lead over Real Madrid. 

Tottenham forward Troy Parrott wants his loan spell at Millwall to be his catalyst for success in the same way that club-mate Harry Kane flourished after time at the Den.

Before breaking into the Spurs side, Kane enjoyed a 27-game loan deal with the Lions, during which he scored on nine occasions.

Although he would not break into the side at White Hart Lane immediately on his return, it set him up for a career that has seen him develop into an England star and one of the game’s deadliest attackers.

Now 18-year-old Republic of Ireland international Parrott wants to enjoy a similar trajectory after agreeing to a one-year loan move following a season in which he featured only four times under Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Hopefully I have a good experience and follow in the footsteps he [Kane] did – going back and playing in the Premier League,” he said. “Hopefully I can really buy into it for the season I’m here.”

Parrott’s hopes are up after speaking with manager Gary Rowett, who led his side to eighth in the standings, missing out on the playoffs by just a couple of points.

“I spoke to Gary and straight away I felt I had a good connection with him. I feel like I’m going to enjoy the way he plays and coaches. Just missing out on the play-offs, it shows how good the team is,” the Dublin-born forward noted.

“Hopefully I can help us push for the play-offs, or even promotion.”

Tottenham are said to be seeking back-up for Kane in the centre-forward role, with Mourinho seeking to take advantage of Watford’s relegation by reportedly looking at Troy Deeney. 

Meanwhile, Callum Wilson of another relegated side, Bournemouth, is a player associated with the north London outfit. 

Spurs endured a frustrating 2019-20 season, and while they improved to sixth after flirting with the relegation places following a poor start to the campaign that saw Mauricio Pochettino sacked, a sixth-placed finish synonymous with a spot in the Europa League next term was all they could muster.

Yanga SC's strengthening mission continued with the club completing the signings of Waziri Junior and Yassin Mustapha on Sunday.

Junior is the first striker Yanga have signed in the ongoing transfer window after the Tanzanian had a promising season with relegated Mbao FC.

He has signed a two-year deal, and is expected to represent competition for David Molinga and Ditram Nchimbi.

Junior scored 13 goals in the Mainland Premier League and two in the relegation/promotion play-offs, which they lost to Ihefu FC.

Yanga had initially planned to have Junior sign his deal in Dar es Salaam, but when they got wind that Azam FC were trailing the forward, the club’s treasurer Simon Patrick travelled to the forward's residence and duly secured his signature.

His arrival is set to cast more doubt on Gnamien Yikpe’s future at Yanga with the Ivorian struggling since his January arrival from Gor Mahia.

Yanga have struggled to find a prolific goalscorer, and their experiment with Juma Balinya – a 2018/19 Ugandan Premier League top scorer with 19 goals – did not work before they signed Yikpe.

Meanwhile, left-back Mustapha has signed from Polisi Tanzania for two years, and becomes Yanga's fourth new signing of the window.

He is expected to fight for first-team positions with Adeyum Saleh, who was signed in January from JKT Tanzania.

Saleh was preferred in league games more than his rival Jaffery Mohamed, and Mustafa’s arrival is set to give the incoming coach a larger pool of selection for that position.

Timu Ya Wananchi had confirmed the acquisitions of Peter Mauya from Kagera Sugar and Bakari Mwamnyeto from Coastal Union.

Finally, Kagera Sugar have moved with speed to tie down head coach Mecky Maxime with a new contract to prevent him from moving to Yanga.

The record league champions had already approached the tactician with an aim of making him an assistant coach.

Yanga also had made their intention of signing full-back David Luhende and goalkeeper Ramadhan Chalamanda from the Sugar Millers known.

The two have been given new contracts by Kagera Sugar in a bid to keep ambitious Yanga away.

“It is true the coach [Mecky Maxime] and the players had offers from elsewhere but we gave them new contracts and they will be part of the team for the next two seasons,” Kagera Sugar’s General-Secretary Ally Said told Mwanaspoti.

“Awesu Awesu [who has joined Azam] and Mauya had better offers that we could not match and that is why we let them go.”

The Tanzanian transfer window will shut at the end of August.

Ugandan Premier League side Busoga United have publicly acknowledged that they owe players dues and have assured all concerned parties that a solution could soon be reached.

The top tier side was reacting to misleading reports in a section of the media as well as social media which could have negatively impacted the club.

The Jinja-based team have insisted that they are doing as much as they can to settle players' dues soonest.

"We greatly appreciate and recognize the immense contribution and extra efforts of our players in helping us finish the UPL 2019/20 season in record position [4th]," Busoga said in a statement obtained by Goal. "We indeed owe players dues and share their frustration over delay.

"It's a scary time just like other clubs or businesses, Covid-19 has hit us hard but we are establishing new avenues for raising finances," the statement continued. "We are committed to ensuring players’ arrears are cleared and confident that this will be handled in the best way possible.

"Players arrears are currently the club’s first obligation and management is fighting tooth and nail to raise funds needed to settle the outstanding dues."

The club has also appreciated the conduct of the players during these tough times, commending them for remaining professional. 

"Our players have exhibited utmost patience despite the very odd times and we greatly appreciate them," the statement read. "We have kept close contact with our players more than ever before and confident that they trust our effort.

"Our players are professional enough and aware of the proper channels to voice their concern and belief in dialogue. 

"We wish to protect our players from all allegations and false prophecies. It is our moments of struggle that define us, how we handle them is what matters! We are FAMILY that shall remain stronger together." 

Covid-19 led to the nullification of the 2019/20 Ugandan Premier League by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations with 80 percent of the matches being played.

At the time, Vipers SC were leading the chase with 54 points after 25 matches, four more than second-placed KCCA FC, who were the defending champions.

While the Venoms will play in the Caf Champions League, KCCA will represent Uganda in the Caf Confederation Cup next season.

Ghanaian wonderkid Jeremie Frimpong was among the goals as defending champions Celtic started the new Scottish Premiership season with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Hamilton Academical on Sunday.

The teenage right-back doubled Celtic's lead in the 31st minute, 11 minutes after Odsonne Edouard opened the scoring at Celtic Park.

The 19-year-old, who was born to Ghanaian parents in the Netherlands, was in action for the entire duration as Neil Lennon's started their league title defence on a commanding note.

Edouard completed his hat-trick in the second half while 86th-minute substitute Patryk Klimala completed the rout for the hosts on the stroke of full-time.

Ivory Coast Ismaila Soro was an unused substitute for Celtic while Zimbabwe's David Moyo played from start to finish for Hamilton Academical.

After developing through the ranks at Manchester City, Frimpong completed a four-year move to Celtic in September 2019.

During his debut campaign in Scotland, he played 18 games in all competitions with two goals to his name in the process.

Frimpong has played for the Dutch youth teams on the international scene and he is eyeing an opportunity to play for the Oranje at the senior level even though he is eligible to represent either the Black Stars or England.

“There is interest in me from Ghana but right now I want to play for Holland [Netherlands] although I won’t write off Ghana,” he said. "I could play for England as well. If that came about it would be between those three but I don’t have Scottish connections.

“I fully believe I can play in that company [Dutch national team]. It would be exciting to be a part of that. They play a lot of young players as well who are really good. The Dutch are building.

“Back in the day they were great and they are keeping it up. I’d love to be a part of it. I’d like to follow Virgil [van Dijk]. There’s a pathway. You get chances here [Celtic].”

Sunday’s commanding victory shot Celtic to the summit of the Premiership table with a superior goal difference of +4.

Frimpong will be hoping to maintain his fine performance when the Bhoys visit Kilmarnock for the next league outing on August 9.

The World Freestyle Association will announce the Top-8 of the ongoing South African Freestyle Championship 2020 on Monday, 3 August.

The 2020 South African Freestyle Championship is currently underway virtually, and after announcing the Top-16 just last week, the judges will have to scrutinise the performances of some of the top freestylers in the country and trim down the list to eight. 

Defending Champion and favourite, Sipho “Six” Busakwe was up against Ozwin Edwards, while 2018 champ Rishaad Ebrahim also faced a tricky customer in Mzwandile Mbatha.

The rest of the Round of 16 match-up were as follows: 

- Rishaad Ebrahim vs Mzwandile Mbatha
- Josias Bingo vs Shane Nahamuja
- Adian Freestyle vs Zenande Sineke
- Lesego Toshiba vs Emilio Nahamuja
- Shaker Mashudu vs Bafana
- Sipho Busakwe vs Ozwin Edwards
- Jabu Mdaka vs Shoti Kubheka
- Success Teme vs Kyle Loogi

Don’t forget to stick around and check out the latest info about the 2020 Championship on Goal.com.

There are prizes to be won. 

Anam Imo made her first start of the 2019-20 season as she featured in Rosengard's 2-1 win over Faith Micheal's Pitea on Sunday.

The Super Falcons striker, who joined Rosengard from Nigerian side Nasarawa Amazons in April 2019, helped them to the 2019 Swedish Damallsvenskan title, scoring five goals in 17 games.

The Nigeria international has featured in all seven matches of the champions this season, a;though she came off the bench on each occasion.

Impressed by her showing, coach Jonas Eidevall responded by thrusting Imo into his starting line-up, the Nigerian replacing the team's joint top scorer Anna Anvegard in Rosengard's front two.

The hosts made an impressive start to the contest, as Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd opened the scoring for the holders against the 2018 winners just 13 minutes into the encounter at Malmo IP.

Mimmi Larsson netted seven minutes later to double the lead, and Josefin Johansson's second-half strike for the visitors could not deny the hosts, who held on to claim the three points.

Imo featured from the start to the finish in Rosengard's win, while compatriot Micheal lasted the duration of the encounter but could not help Pitea avoid their third defeat of the season.

The result saw hosts Rosengard open a two-point lead at the top of the log with 19 points from eight matches, while visitors Pitea are fifth with 11 points from the same number of games.

In their next outings, Rosengard will travel to face 10th-placed IK Uppsala on August 7, while Pitea welcome last season runners up Goteborg and Swedish-born Nigerian Evelyn Ijeh the next day.

Simba SC midfielder Clatous Chama has taken to his Twitter account to taunt rivals after the Tanzanian giants won the FA Cup on Sunday.

It was Wekundu Wa Msimbazi's third trophy this season and the Zambian playmaker couldn't resist the opportunity to lay a jibe on supporters of rival clubs.

"Treble masters!" the 29-year-old Chama tweeted on Sunday evening.

"Community Shield, Premier League, [FA Cup]. How do you sleep when you know you are not a Simba SC fan? It is hard."

The taunt, seemingly, is directed towards bitter rivals Yanga SC who finished the season empty-handed. The closest they came was the semi-finals of the FA Cup but fell 4-1 to their bitter rivals Simba.

For the Msimbazi-based side, the journey for success began at the beginning of the season when they defeated Azam FC 4-2 in the Community Shield which launched the 2019/20 season.

Simba had won the league while the Chamazi-based side won the FA Cup respectively in the previous season to set up the traditional curtain-raiser.

The second title for Sven Vandenbroeck's charges came in the Tanzania Mainland League. Simba went on to finish the season with 88 points after taking 27 wins, seven draws and just four losses.

On Sunday, they completed the treble after defeating Namungo FC 2-1 at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Sumbawanga.

Captain John Bocco and Man of the Match Luis Miquissone provided the vital goals that ensured the Dar es Salaam side head back home as the champions.

After 35 minutes of failed attempts to break an otherwise tight Namungo backline, Simba finally got a hard-fought opener through Miquissone’s strike.

The Mozambican, who has proved to be an undroppable figure for Vandenbroeck, scored an important goal and further showed why his January signing was a masterstroke.

Shomari Kapombe delivered a swinging cross into the penalty box, but Bocco was denied the opportunity to strike as the opponents swarmed around him. However, as Namungo focused on Bocco, the ball fell into Miquissone’s path and the winger slotted home.

Bocco added the second goal four minutes after Miquissone had registered the opener, heading into the net and ensured Simba went into the break with a healthy 2-0 lead.

Ghana's Alfred Duncan and Ivory Coast's Christian Kouame scored a goal each as Fiorentina ended their 2019-20 Serie A season with a 3-1 win against SPAL.

Duncan broke the deadlock at the Stadio Paolo Mazza in the 30th minute with his maiden goal for the Violets since his loan signing from Sassuolo in January.

Nine minutes later, Marco D'Alessandro equalised for SPAL as both teams headed into the interval with a 1-1 draw.

Both teams were tied for the majority of the second 45 minutes until Christian Kouame, who came on as a 55th-minute substitute for Kevin Agudelo, fired Fiorentina ahead in the 89th minute.

Eric Pulgar assisted the Ivorian forward in breaking his duck for Giuseppe Iachini's side with his first since his loan signing from Genoa in January.

A few minutes later, Pulgar wrapped up the victory for the visitors with his strike from the penalty spot in the stoppage-time.

Duncan was replaced by Christian Dalle Mura in the 95th minute, while Burkina Faso's Bryan Dabo, Algeria's Mohamed Fares and Senegal goalkeeper Demba Thiam could not stop SPAL from dropping to the Serie B.

They finished the campaign at the bottom of the Italian top flight table with 20 points from 38 matches, while Fiorentina secured the 10th spot with 49 points after the same number of games.

A ruptured cruciate ligament injury picked up during the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Egypt back in November delayed Kouame's debut for the Violets until July.

He made his long-awaited return to action in the goalless draw against Cagliari on July 8 and went on to play six more games.

It remains to be seen if Fiorentina will activate the option to sign Kouame permanently in the coming days. Meanwhile, they have the obligation to sign Duncan on a permanent deal after signing him temporarily earlier this year.

Mesut Ozil is “not bothered” about Arsenal and showed his selfishness by going to Turkey instead of joining in with the team’s FA Cup celebrations, according to Perry Groves.

The Gunners lifted the trophy for the 14th time in their history after a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, with two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cancelling out an early strike from Christian Pulisic.

The players, management and staff continued their celebrations well after the final whistle, but midfielder Ozil was not present.

The Germany international was not even in the country, having been granted permission to travel to Turkey after he had been informed he would not be in Mikel Arteta’s matchday squad.

Ozil posted an image of Aubameyang lifting the trophy on Instagram with the caption “great job my boys" shortly after the final whistle. But that was not enough to pacify former Gunners forward Groves, who is furious at what he perceives is a lack of respect shown by Ozil for his team-mates.

“That just sums him up all over. He’s not bothered about Arsenal, he’s just bothered about himself,” he told TalkSPORT.

“I wouldn’t want my teammates to think that I was that selfish. So it just means that he knows he’s done with Arsenal.

“[If I was his teammate] I wouldn’t even… Don’t text or WhatsApp me, do you know what I mean?

“If you’re not really bothered, don’t pretend you are.”

Ozil has not played a single minute of competitive action since English football resumed in June, suggesting he has no future under Mikel Arteta.

But with the 31-year-old earning a reported £350,000 per week, the club will be keen to move the player as soon as possible rather than have such an expensive asset sitting in the stands.

Ozil has been heavily linked with Fenerbahce in recent weeks, with a number of MLS clubs also reportedly keeping a close eye on his situation.

However, Ozil’s agent Erkut Sogut revealed last week that he expects the player to see out the remaining year of his contract in north London and become a free agent in the summer of 2021.

Victor Moses has shifted his focus to the Europa League after helping Inter Milan finish as Serie A runners-up in the 2019-20 season.  

The former Nigeria international reunited with manager Antonio Conte at the San Siro in January from Premier League side Chelsea after ending his 18-month loan with Turkish Super Lig club Fenerbahce.

The wing-back previously starred under the Italian tactician at Stamford Bridge, where they helped the Blues clinch the Premier League and FA Cup titles, and now has the opportunity to add an Europa League winner's medal to his collection, having won the competition with Chelsea seven years ago.

“Good 2-0 win, Thanks to all of our amazing fans for your support this season! Moses posted on Instagram. "All focus on the Europa League now,”

Moses made his 12th league appearance as Inter secured victory over Atalanta in their last Serie A game of the season on Saturday.

The victory ensured the Black and Blues ended the campaign behind Juventus and secure a place in next year’s Champions League.

Moses has made a key contribution since joining the San Siro outfit, providing five assists in 17 appearances across all competitions, and may well be in action again when Inter take on Getafe in the Round of 16 second leg on Wednesday.

Moses rose through the ranks in Crystal Palace and made his debut for the side against Cardiff City at the age of 16. He went on to make 58 appearances for the senior team, scoring 11 league goals.

The versatile forward then left for Wigan Athletic in 2010 and his dazzling performances caught the attention of Chelsea, who signed him in 2012.

Inter is the fifth club Moses will be playing for since he joined the Blues, having also previously had loan spells at Liverpool, Stoke City, West Ham United and Fenerbahce.

Moses was part of the Super Eagles team that won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa under the guidance of Stephen Keshi.

The forward, who had 38 caps and 12 goals for Nigeria, retired from international duty after the 2018 World Cup in Russia.