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Spanish Reto Iberdrola outfit Racing Santander have completed the signing of Ghana striker Princella Adubea for the 2020-21 season.

The Cantabria-based outfit secured the Black Queens striker as a free agent after she parted ways with Spanish Primera Iberdrola side Sporting Huelva following the expiration of her contract.

She enjoyed an impressive spell with Sporting, featuring in 21 matches and scoring once, against Madrid CFF, before the Spanish league cancellation due to the coronavirus pandemic in May. 

Thursday's announcement will make the Ghanaian the second African on the books of the club, after Equatorial Guinea's Oluwatobiloba Olarenwaju contract extension two days ago.

She also becomes the seventh acquisition of Cristian Toro's team after Emily Burns, Mo Reira, Elexa Bahr, Gloria Illamayor, Irantzu Ibarrola, and Diana Farias ahead of the new league campaign.

Despite escaping relegation thanks to the league's cancellation, Racing are bolstering their ranks to avoid another disastrous outing, having finished bottom with 33 points from 42 games last season.

The striker helped Ghana to qualify for their fifth U-20 Women's World Cup in 2018, and finished as joint top scorer with 10 goals.

She starred for Ampem Darkoa in Ghana, where she won the Premier League and FA Cup golden boot three times, scoring 38 goals in the two seasons before her 11-month injury layoff in 2018, and was also part of the Black Queens squad that finished as runners up at the 2020 Turkish Women's Cup held in March.

Since arriving in Santander, she has started training with Racing and will be aiming to help her new side to top flight promotion this term.

Arturo Vidal has called on Barcelona to make a decision regarding Quique Setien’s future, saying uncertainty surrounding the club’s current boss is doing nobody any favours.

It has been suggested that the Blaugrana will soon be severing ties with a coach they only appointed in January.

After two-time La Liga title winner Ernesto Valverde was relieved of his duties, Setien was asked to fill one of the most demanding roles in world football. He has struggled to deliver on expectation, with the domestic crown stolen away from Camp Nou by Clasico rivals Real Madrid.

Questions are also being asked of Barca’s ability to mount a serious challenge for Champions League with elite European competition set to resume in August.

With Setien seemingly lacking the trust of those around him in Catalunya, a parting of ways may soon become inevitable. If that is to be the case then Vidal wants a definitive call to be made, allowing proper planning to take place on and off the field.

The Chilean midfielder told Win Sport TV: “With Setien we haven't been able to work much. The change was abrupt and we have tried to adapt.

“We're trying to adapt to this situation and when the season finishes, the club must choose its future well. They have to decide whether the same coach will stay on, whether they are going to bring in new players, if the same ones are going to continue.”

Vidal is among those linked with a move elsewhere being made. The former Juventus star has been rumoured for a second stint in Italy at Inter, while a return to his roots in South America has also been mooted amid talk of interest from Argentine giants Boca Juniors.

Vidal is, however, tied to Barcelona for another 12 months and claims to have received no offers.

He said: “I have not received anything, I have a contract until 2021. This year I feel very confident, because I was able to score many goals. I like to be important in the teams I go to.”

Vidal added on whether a move to Colombia may appeal to him at some stage: “If it happens in the future, it would be spectacular, but I am 33 years old and I must live day by day. I do not want to move too fast, I just hope to continue playing.”

FC Porto and Nigeria defender Chidozie Awaziem has announced the birth of his first child on Wednesday evening.  

The 23-year-old centre-back has taken to the social media to express his delight with the arrival of his daughter.   

The former El-Kanemi Warriors defender posted an image of himself, where he was carrying his baby, who he has named Christel.  

“I can't explain the way I feel right now, thank you God for giving me Christel, Latest dad in town,” Awaziem posted on Instagram.

Awaziem joined Porto youth team in 2014 after leaving Nigerian side El-Kanemi Warriors and was promoted to the reserved team a year later.

The defender made his competitive debut with the Portuguese side against Feirense in 2016 and has only played 10 league games for the Blue and whites, having spent most of his time on loan.

For the 2017-18 season, Awaziem was on loan with French Ligue 1 side Nantes and featured in 22 games for the Canaries before his departure.

After a spell with Turkish side Caykur Rizespor, the defender teamed up with Spanish club Leganes last summer and featured prominently for the side.

Awaziem made 29 appearances across all competitions for the Cucumber Growers, including 26 in La Liga but his effort was not enough to help Javier Aguirre’s men from avoiding relegation.   

The 23-year-old has now returned to Porto and will hope to be part of Sergio Conceicao’s side for the 2020-21 campaign.

Awaziem has been capped 17 times by Nigeria at senior level and was part of Gernot Rohr’s team that finished third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has urged UEFA to move the club's Champions League clash away to Barcelona amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in Spain.

The two clubs played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their last 16 encounter at Stadio San Paolo back in February, with an Antoine Griezmann effort cancelling out Dries Mertens' opener.

The reverse fixture at Camp Nou was suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus outbreak, which saw all major leagues across Europe shut down for three months.

The Bundesliga was first to return at the end of May, before La Liga, Serie A and the Premier League all followed suit in June as the number of Covid-19 cases across the continent began to drop.

UEFA also announced that the Champions League would be returning in August, with a new format introduced which will see the quarter-finals and semi-finals played as one-off matches in Lisbon, Portugal.

However, the remaining round of 16 fixtures will still be played in the original venues, and as it stands, Barca will play host to Napoli on August 8 at an empty Camp Nou.

Due to the continued threat of coronavirus, all remaining games in the competition will be played behind closed doors, but there are still concerns over the safety of players and staff.

A spike in Covid-19 cases has been recorded in Spain's north-eastern Catalonia region, and health authorities have instructed people to remain in their homes for 15 days to contain the spread.

De Laurentiis believes Napoli's meeting with Barca should take place outside of Spain due to the increased risk of infection, as he told Sky Italia: “The match against Barcelona will always be a great match. This summer we played two, then we had a third in the first leg of the last 16 in the Champions League. Now, we will play a fourth.

“We hear doubts and fears coming from Spain. UEFA is indifferent, there is no one who knows how to run the shop.

“If they have decided that the Champions League is done in Portugal and the Europa League in Germany, I think we should play the return leg in Portugal or Germany.

“I don’t understand why we must stay in a city that has major problems.”

An Employment and Labour court has frozen three Football Kenya Federation (FKF) effective immediately over failure to pay former Harambee Stars coach Bobby Williamson his compensation for wrongful dismissal amounting to the excess of Ksh 57 million.

The case was presented before Justice Byram Ongaya after the Federation failed to clear the fine imposed on them by the same court. It is for this reason, Williamson representatives returned to court seeking justice.

It is for this reason the Federation has once again made the headlines for the wrong reasons.

"It is hereby ordered that an ex-parte order nisi against the garnishee herein attaching forthwith all the funds held in a bank account numbers... due to the judgement debtor to satisfy the balance of decretal sum being Ksh 57,371,363.33/=..." read part of the ruling obtained by Goal.

This basically means FKF will not have access to their accounts until the fine is settled or reach an agreement on how to settle the matter soonest possible.

On October 25, 2019, the FKF was ordered by the High Court to pay former Harambee Stars coach Bobby Williamson Sh55m for wrongful dismissal.

The Scot was appointed Harambee Stars coach in August 2014 by former president Sam Nyamweya, taking over from Algerian Adel Amrouche who was by then suspended by Confederation of African Football (Caf) for alleged unsporting behaviour.

However, his term came to an abrupt end when he was fired by Nyamweya's successor Nick Mwendwa in 2016.

"I remember meeting the president [Mwendwa] once, after elections, and he told me he had a lot to think about," Williamson told Goal in an earlier interview.

"A bit later, I discovered via the press that I had been replaced. No phone call, no letter, nothing and I found that disrespectful. I don't think they had been in that position before and their decision was down to naivety.

"It hurt more when I tried to reach them but received no response."

Fifa also ordered FKF to pay Algerian Adel Amrouche Ksh 108 million for wrongful dismissal.

Unlike Amrouche, Williamson opted to settle the matter in the country.

"I opted against taking Kenya to Fifa because I did not want the country to be sanctioned and players missing out on tournaments."

Efforts to reach Mwendwa and FKF CEO Barry Otieno were unsuccessful as our calls went unanswered. 

Baroka FC have confirmed the acquisition of Lungelo Nguse from Bizana Pondo Chiefs in the Eastern Cape. 

The striker has penned a three-year deal with Bakgaga Ba Mpahlele and will be eligible to make his professional debut for the club at the start of the next season. 

Nguse has already been training with Baroka in preparation for the upcoming campaign. 

Baroka took to their social media platforms on Thursday afternoon to announce the deal.

Nguse is nicknamed Mbesuma because of his goalscoring prowess and Baroka would hope to see him reach his full potential under the tutelage of Dylan Kerr. 

Pondo Chiefs also confirmed the deal with Baroka and wished 'Mbesuma' well at the club. 

"Bizana Pondo Chiefs have agreed a deal with Baroka FC for the transfer of Lungelo Mbesuma Nguse. Club-to-Club deal between the Lions of Skoomplaas and Bakgakga ba-Mphahlele is done," reads the statement.  

"Mbesuma joins Bakgaga on a three-year deal and he is ready for PSL challenge and is excited to be joining Baroka." 

"We, Bizana Pondo Chiefs FC, would like to wish Mbesuma all the best for his continued success in football."

Meanwhile, the Polokwane-based outfit also announced they have promoted five players from their MultiChoice Diski Challenge (MDC) team. 

They are Bernard Bobete, Nimrod Mpe, Tshego Molapo, Job Maphutha and Mogale Thuso. 

The move comes eight days before the return the competitive football in South Africa.

Baroka are one of the first teams to promote players from their MDC team after the PSL's decision to allow all the 32 teams to use them for the remainder of the season should the need arise.  

Football has been suspended since mid-March but the league and its board of governors resolved to resume the season on August 8. 

Baroka are 13th on the PSL log with 23 points from 24 league games. 

Lazio director Igli Tare remains coy on the club’s reported interest in David Silva, but left the door open for the Spaniard to take on a “different experience” in Italy once he severs ties with Manchester City.

The World Cup-winning midfielder is approaching the end of his contract at the Etihad Stadium. Silva will be leaving City once their participation in the 2019-20 Champions League comes to a close, with the 34-year-old becoming a free agent.

Various landing spots have been mooted for the modern day great, from MLS to La Liga. Serie A is also considered to be an option for the talented playmaker, with any number of sides willing to buy into his undoubted ability.

Lazio are said to have registered their interest, with the Roma-based outfit piecing together plans for the summer transfer window.

Tare is reluctant to be drawn on the rumours suggesting that a deal could be done at some stage, but he is not ruling anything out either.

He told Sky Sport Italia when quizzed on the Silva speculation: “I don’t know where these stories come from. He’s a great player, of course, and I have heard from some mutual friends that he would like a different experience after 10 years in England, but there’s a big difference between saying something and making it happen.”

For now, Lazio are more concerned with enhancing those already at their disposal. That includes Golden Shoe winner Ciro Immobile, with the 30-year-old frontman – who netted 35 Serie A goals in 2019-20 – considered to be integral to the club’s plans.

Tare added: “We will build Lazio around Immobile because he has a long contract and is an important figure in this club. He’s had an exceptional season, but the team played for and with him too.

“Lazio are in the Champions League after 13 years, now we are studying initiatives to bring the club even higher with Immobile a key figure.”

Lazio still have one game left to play this season and, despite stumbling out of the blocks on the back of the restart in mid-June, are guaranteed to secure a top-four finish as they sit 11 points clear of arch rivals Roma in fifth.

Jurgen Klopp and Andy Robertson have discussed their experiences of mental health challenges, revealing anguish over loved relatives not living to witness their greatest achievements.

Liverpool manager Klopp and his star left-back have taken part in the #SoundOfSupport series for the Heads Up campaign, which Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, is spearheading.

Scotland international Robertson, now a Champions League and Premier League winner with the Reds, recalled the difficulties he encountered as a teenager being released by Celtic and the struggle of losing his aunt, a prominent supporter of his when growing up.

Speaking of his Celtic exit, Robertson said: "I was a normal 15-year-old lad so there were probably a few tears, but my mum and dad got me my favourite curry that night.

"My auntie came up to the house and she told Mum: 'I'm telling you, he'll make it as a footballer.' That's something that's always stayed with me.

"When I was at Dundee United, on Christmas Day, sadly she passed away. She was one that always believed I was something special even when probably nobody believed it when I was younger.

"That is something that does bug me a little bit, that she's not seen me lifting the Champions League, lifting the Premier League and things like that."

That prompted Klopp to recall a similar experience when he lost his father shortly before becoming a manager.

"My dad never saw me as a manager. He died four months before I became a manager," the former Borussia Dortmund boss said. "He pushed me through my [playing] career pretty much, with really harsh criticism and stuff like this, but now my real career, he never saw. That's hard from time to time."

The series is attempting to use the reach of football to get people to open up about their mental health, an issue particularly prominent over the past few months with the coronavirus pandemic consigning people to spend large periods of time at their homes.

"Uncertain I think, for all of us," Robertson said when asked about how he coped with lockdown. "We have parents that are older, we have family that are in the so-called bracket of high risk. I think football kind of took a step to one side, but we were all wanting the season to end."

Klopp replied: "There were moments in the lockdown when we thought it is a proper setback from all of our dreams. So it was a setback but it was a setback for all of us together, and we could calm each other down.

"[It] helps if you don't feel all the burden on your own shoulders. If you have a group of friends or a group of colleagues and you can create an atmosphere like this, that helps. I think there is no problem big enough or small enough that you cannot talk about it."

Robertson spoke about how his own experiences were exacerbated once he made it in the game.

"When I started making it professional that's when I struggled the most," he said.

"I was down in Hull on my own and people thought 'okay, he's a Premier League footballer, he's playing for Hull, he's getting a good wage', so then people would stop asking 'how are you?'. I used to be one who blocked everything up and thought 'my problems are my problems'.

"Now I feel so much better. I remember speaking to [my partner] Rach a year ago about something daft, something that was playing on my mind and after a 10-minute conversation with her I felt everything was off [my shoulders] and thought, 'yeah, I should do this a bit more often'."

Manchester City duo Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden, and Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard, appeared in separate videos for the campaign.

Germany international Gundogan spoke about the feeling of isolation during lockdown away from his family.

"For me growing up, the most important thing was always family. They were kind of like the psychologists for myself. [Now] I am in a different country, I don't know many people apart from the people from the club," he said.

"I have one friend over here who I saw during lockdown. The fact that I have spent a lot of time on my own and without family and friends during lockdown just showed me how important it is to have your loved ones close to you."

Lingard, who appeared alongside TV and radio presenter Maya Jama, revealed family issues had affected his performances on the pitch.

"Last season, I was going through some things off the field with my family so it was difficult for me to perform on the field," Lingard said.

"I'm very family orientated and my mum was going through some things last year with depression. So, in the meantime, I had to look after my little brother and sister who are 12 and 15. I was still performing at the same time.

"You just get to that point where you're like, I've got to actually say something. I spoke to my family and stuff like that. It felt so much better."

Jurgen Klopp’s message to fans and media upon taking the reins at Liverpool was “cocky”, admits Ray Houghton, but the German has gone on to deliver “a phenomenal four-and-a-half seasons.”

The charismatic German coach was asked to fill the post at Anfield in October 2015. Klopp accepted the challenge and made it clear from his first day in the job that the ambition of all of those working under him was to deliver major silverware – including the Premier League title.

Many scoffed at that suggestion, but a 30-year wait for top-flight glory has come to a close on Merseyside.

Houghton is among those to have hailed Klopp for taking the Reds this far, with the former Borussia Dortmund boss succeeding where many before him have failed.

“It’s been a phenomenal four-and-a-half seasons under Jurgen,” former Liverpool midfielder Houghton, who won two league titles in his playing days, told talkSPORT.

“There were plenty of managers before him that I’m sure came with the ambition to win the league, and it didn’t quite work out for them, but they weren’t as bold as him. You look at one of the first team talks that he gave to the press and he turned around and said: ‘I’m going to win the league’.

“Everyone looked at him and thought ‘you’re a bit cocky aren’t you, you haven’t won it for 26 years’, but he was true to his word. He believed in this team, he believed in the Liverpool supporters, he knew what they wanted and he delivered.

“Of course you take losses along the way. They lost the League Cup, they lost the Europa League, they lost the Champions League to Real Madrid.

“When you keep getting whacked you need to get yourself off the canvas and come back – and that’s what they have done. Won the Champions League and now this season are Premier League champions.

“It’s been a phenomenal rise in the last four-and-a-half years consistency-wise, the will to win and the players that he has assembled.

“Recruitment is one of the precious things to get right in football and tell me a player that he has brought in who hasn’t really done it? [Naby] Keita, if you’re being really picky. Everyone else who has come in has done a job and they have worked as a unit.

“You have got [Mohamed] Salah, you’ve got [Sadio] Mane, you’ve got [Roberto] Firmino - they are the ones that are the game changers and match winners - but there is so much in midfield and defence that they do so well, and that’s the reason why they have been so consistent.”

Obafemi Martins made his first start since his return to Shanghai Shenhua in their 3-2 victory over Shenzhen in Thursday’s Chinese Super League game.

The 35-year-old made his long-awaited return to football when he came off the bench for the Flower of Shanghai in their defeat to Guangzhou Evergrand on Sunday.

The Nigeria international did enough in the encounter to earn a starting role against the Youth Army, pairing Baojie Zhu in the attack.

Mingjian Zhao opened the scoring for the Flower of Shanghai as early as the 10th minute of the game after he was set up by Xinli Peng.

Baojie Zhu doubled the lead three minutes into the second half and John Mary reduced his side’s deficit in the 53rd minute.

Kim scored the third goal for the hosts moments after the hour mark, converting from the penalty spot, which was enough to help Choi Kang-hee’s men seal their first win of the season, despite a late-minute strike from Mary.

Martins struck two shots, completed one dribble and had a 65% successful pass rate in the encounter before he was replaced in the 55th minute by Shin-Wook Kim.

The Super Eagles striker has been without a club since 2018 when he left the Flower of Shanghai after suffering a hamstring injury.

The forward, however, rejoined the Hongkou Football Stadium outfit after recovering from the injury as a direct replacement for his compatriot Odion Ighalo, who teamed up with Manchester United on loan until January 2021.

In his first stint with Shanghai Shenhua, Martins scored 19 league goals in 40 appearances and played a prominent role as the club won the 2017 Chinese FA Cup.

The forward will hope to open his goal account this season when the Flower of Shanghai take on Shandong Luneng Taishan in their next league game on August 5.

Martins has 18 goals in 42 appearances for the Super Eagles since he made his debut at the age of 19 in 2004.

The Swiss special prosecutor has opened criminal proceedings against FIFA president Gianni Infantino relating to dealings with the country's attorney general Michael Lauber.

Lauber offered to resign from his position last week after a court claimed he covered up undisclosed meetings with the head of football's governing body and lied to supervisors while his office probed alleged corruption relating to FIFA.

Stefan Keller was appointed as special prosecutor to review criminal complaints against Infantino, Lauber and other individuals. Proceedings have consequently commenced against Infantino and the chief public prosecutor of Upper Valais, Rinaldo Arnold.

Keller has also requested permission to open proceedings against Lauber.

A statement from the Swiss Federal Council said Keller had “reached the conclusion that, in connection with the meetings between Attorney General Lauber and FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the chief public prosecutor of the Upper Valais, there are indications of criminal conduct”.

Both Infantino and Lauber have denied any wrongdoing.

The Federal Council statement added: "The presumption of innocence applies to attorney general Michael Lauber, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and chief public prosecutor Rinaldo Arnold. The special federal public prosecutor is independent in his activities."

The allegations against Infantino and Arnold “concern abuse of public office, breach of official secrecy, assisting offenders and incitement to these acts”, the statement said.

Responding to Thursday's news, Infantino said: "People remember well where FIFA was as an institution back in 2015, and how substantial judicial intervention was actually required to help restore the credibility of the organisation.

"As President of FIFA, it has been my aim from day one, and it remains my aim, to assist the authorities with investigating past wrongdoings at FIFA. FIFA officials have met with prosecutors in other jurisdictions across the world for exactly these purposes.

"People have been convicted and sentenced, thanks to FIFA’s cooperation, and especially in the United States of America, where our cooperation has resulted in over 40 criminal convictions. Therefore, I remain fully supportive of the judicial process, and FIFA remains willing to fully cooperate with the Swiss authorities for these purposes."

A statement from the governing body itself read: "FIFA acknowledges the decision of the Swiss Special Federal Public Prosecutor in opening an investigation regarding the meetings involving the FIFA president and the Swiss attorney general.

"FIFA, including the FIFA President, remains at the disposal of the Swiss authorities and will, as we have always done, cooperate fully with this investigation."

Last month, Infantino said: "To meet with the head prosecutor or attorney general of Switzerland is perfectly legitimate and it’s perfectly legal."

Infantino became FIFA president in 2016, after his predecessor Sepp Blatter was forced to resign the year before over corruption allegations. In December 2015, Blatter was banned from all football-related activities for eight years, later reduced to six on appeal.

Speaking in 2016 after his appointment as Blatter’s successor at a FIFA Congress meeting, Infantino said: "I cannot express my feelings in this moment. We will restore the image and the respect of FIFA and everyone in the world will applaud us. We are finally going to ensure that we can once again focus on the beautiful game of football."

Infantino, who previously worked as secretary general of UEFA, was subsequently reelected to his post at FIFA in June 2019, and in January of this year was elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Avram Grant joked he would have been "sent to Siberia" by Roman Abramovich had he led Chelsea to a fourth-placed finish, but the former Blues boss is thrilled for Frank Lampard.

Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Wolves on the final day of the season ensured Lampard's side will be playing in the Champions League next term.

The Blues now have the FA Cup final against Arsenal to focus on before they face Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, though the Bundesliga winners hold a 3-0 aggregate lead.

In his sole season at the club in 2007-08, Grant guided Chelsea to a second-placed finish in the Premier League, while the Blues lost to Tottenham in the EFL Cup final and then succumbed to Manchester United on penalties to miss out on Champions League success.

Grant was sacked soon after that Champions League finale, and though he is thrilled that Lampard has taken Chelsea to the top four this season, he pointed out Abramovich did not give him such leniency 12 years ago.

"I think it's a good season, especially compared to how it began, without being allowed to buy players," Grant told Stats Perform News.

"Compared to the requirement of Roman Abramovich, if I told him some years ago that fourth place would be good for him, probably he would send me to Siberia, but because of the situation before, I think it's a good place. For Frank, I think it's a big achievement.

"It's his first year as a coach in the Premier League. Of course, he was a player with a lot of experience, but you cannot compare a player to a manager, and I think he's managed the team very well.

"A lot of young players and he knew how to play them, how to give them a rest and when to push them. It's a good base for the future, I was very pleased with his performance."

Grant also believes Lampard always had the right mentality as a player to become a top-level coach, with the former midfielder one of a number of players in the Chelsea squad of 2007-08 who showed such promise.

"I was sure, because he was always a leader. When you spoke with him, he had a different view about football," Grant said.

"In my team at Chelsea there was a lot of leaders. I thought [Michael] Ballack would be a good coach, Didier [Drogba], John Terry, because there was a good personality and a lot of knowledge about football.

"Of course, having the knowledge is not the same, you have to pass the knowledge to players, you have to deal with the owner, the media, you have to deal with the supporters, but at the end of the day, you depend on the performance on the pitch – it's results, especially at the top."

Public health concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic mean that the 2020-21 Champions League campaign has been pushed back by a number of months.

The final of the 2019-20 edition will be played at the end of August and the extraordinary nature of the Covid-19 crisis means that there is some crossover in the season calendars.

So when does next season's Champions League begin and which teams have booked their places in the group stage of the competition?

Goal brings you all the details about the next edition of UEFA's premier club competition.

Contents

When does the Champions League 2020-21 start?

Champions League 2020-21 kicks off on August 8 with the preliminary qualifying rounds and the group stage will begin two months later on October 20.

The qualification stage - which encompasses a total of five rounds - will conclude with the play-off round, with those games set for September 22/23 and September 29/30.

After the preliminary qualifying round, teams will pass through the first, second and third qualifying rounds before advancing to the play-off round, from which six teams will progress to the group stage.

With the qualifying rounds commencing in August, that means we will have the unusual situation of the 2019-20 and the 2020-21 Champions League seasons running at the same time.

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Which teams have qualified for the Champions League 2020-21 group stage?

The bulk of the teams are confirmed for the Champions League group stage. A total of 26 teams automatically qualify, with the remaining six coming through the play-off round.

A number of teams are already sure of their seeding pots, with the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Juventus among those in pot one. Borussia Dortmund will be in pot two and Lazio in pot three. However as it stands the majority of seeding pots remain subject to change.

The only remaining automatic qualifiers to be determined are the winners of the Champions League and the winners of the Europa League.

If the winners of the 2019-20 Champions League have already qualified for the group stage through their domestic league, then Ajax will assume that berth as champions of the 11th-ranked association (Netherlands).

In the event that the 2019-20 Europa League winners have already qualified, Rennes will be elevated to the group stage as the third-placed team of the fifth-ranked association (France).

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When is the draw for the Champions League 2020-21 group stage?

The draw for the 2020-21 Champions League group stage is scheduled to be held on Thursday October 1 in Athens.

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Champions League 2020-21 group stage teams by country

Teams from Spain, England, Italy and Germany dominate the Champions League group stage, accounting for at least 16 of the 32 participants (four automatic qualifiers from each league). 

France and Russia have fewer automatic qualifiers (two each), with Portugal, Belgium, Ukraine and Turkey having one each.

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Who won the Champions League 2019-20?

The 2019-20 Champions League is still ongoing, with 12 teams still in with a chance to win the trophy. The final will be played on August 23, 2020.

The routes to the final have been plotted out though, so we have an idea of which teams will play each other in each stage.

On one side of the draw, a finalist will come from this group of teams: Real Madrid, Man City, Lyon, Juventus, Napoli, Barcelona, Chelsea or Bayern Munich.

One of these teams will take the second finalist's berth: RB Leipzig, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta or PSG.

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A consortium led by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) has pulled out of their bid to buy Newcastle United.

The proposed £300 million ($390m) purchase of the Premier League club, backed by the PIF, whose chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been withdrawn largely due to the protracted nature of negotiations.

A statement initially carried by Sky Sports News on behalf of the PIF, PCP Capital Partners and Reuben Brothers confirmed: "With a deep appreciation for the Newcastle community and the significance of its football club, we have come to the decision to withdraw our interest in acquiring Newcastle United Football Club.

"We do so with regret, as we were excited and fully committed to invest in the great city of Newcastle and believe we could have returned the club to the position of its history, tradition and fans' merit.

"Unfortunately, the prolonged process under the current circumstances coupled with global uncertainty has rendered the potential investment no longer commercially viable.

"To that end, we feel a responsibility to the fans to explain the lack of alternatives from an investment perspective.

"As an autonomous and purely commercial investor, our focus was on building long-term value for the club, its fans and the community as we remained committed to collaboration, practicality and proactivity through a difficult period of global uncertainty and significant challenges for the fans and the club.

"Ultimately, during the unforeseeably prolonged process, the commercial agreement between the Investment Group and the club's owners expired and our investment thesis could not be sustained, particularly with no clarity as to the circumstances under which the next season will start and the new norms that will arise for matches, training and other activities.

"As often occurs with proposed investments in uncertain periods, time itself became an enemy of the transaction, particularly during this difficult phase marked by the many real challenges facing us all from Covid-19.

"We feel great compassion for the Newcastle United fans, with whom we shared a great commitment to help Newcastle United harness its tremendous potential and build upon its impressive and historic legacy while working closely with the local community.

"We would like to say that we truly appreciated your incredible expressions of support and your patience throughout this process. We are sorry it is not to be. We wish the team and everyone associated with it much good luck and success."

Talk of the takeover has rumbled on for some months but the process has been far from smooth.

There has been opposition to the deal from human rights campaigners concerned about Saudi Arabia's welfare practices, while matters were complicated further when the World Trade Organization published a report that found representatives of the Kingdom had facilitated the breach of piracy laws through broadcasting network beoutQ.

BeoutQ has been accused of illegally showing live sport, including Premier League games, with broadcast rights in the Middle East belonging to Qatar-based beIN Sports.

København manager Stale Solbakken has praised Dame N'Doye as one of the greatest players ever to have played for the club.

The Senegal international ended his second stint with the side after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with the Telia Parke outfit.  

The 35-year-old forward returned to the Danish club in the summer of 2018 as a free agent after leaving Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor.   

During his two stints with the side, the striker racked up 118 goals in 218 appearances across all competitions, despite a serious injury which limited his appearances to 14 in the 2019-20 campaign.

Solbakken has praised the contribution of the former Lokomotiv Moscow striker for København and explained how the club made frantic effort to tie him to a new contract.

"N'Doye is without a doubt the best striker in the history of the club and the Superliga, and he writes himself in the history books as one of the greatest ever at FCK. There can be no two opinions about that," Solbakken told the club website.

"We also had a desire to keep him in the club for another year despite his serious injuries, but he has declined the offer of the contract extension we had presented. We offered both a short-term deal so he could play against Basaksehir and also an extension until next summer.

"It is clear that the serious injuries and his age have meant that we have had to be responsible in relation to the finances of the contract, but we stretched ourselves as far as we possibly could in the current situation and we have made two good and fair deals, we believe.

 "We are sad that we have not been able to reach an agreement, but we have been through a lot together and we part as friends with lots of respect for each other.

"There were some who questioned us when we brought N'Doye back to FCK a few years ago, but he has shown that he is a player at the highest international level when he is injury-free. At the same time he is a leader by virtue of his strength and mentality, and we will miss him at the club, but the door will always be open for him.

"Now that we won't have N'Doye among the forward options, we now have a situation where the likes of Jonas Wind, Michael Santos and Mikkel Kaufmann can play as pure strikers, while Mohamed Daramy and Viktor Fischer can also play in forward positions.

"We must now analyse how that formation can work, and whether we need to adjust further there."

N'Doye, who has 26 caps for Senegal, has previously featured for Panathinaikos, Lokomotiv Moscow and Hull City among others.

The PSL has finalised and released a full fixture list for the remaining matches of the season. 

As previously confirmed, the Nedbank Cup semi-finals will be played on August 8 with league matches followed three days later. 

The final of the Nedbank Cup will be played on Tuesday, September 8, just three days after the completion of league matches. 

The league is yet to release kick-off times for both the semi-finals and final matches of the Nedbank Cup. 

This means final round of league matches will be played on September 5 with the final two rounds of matches taking place at the same time as this has been the case in previous years. 

According to the fixture list, Mamelodi Sundowns will get league matches underway with a home fixture against Orlando Pirates on August 11. The match is scheduled for 18h00 at Dobsonville Stadium. 

The match will be followed a day later by another mouthwatering clash between log leaders Kaizer Chiefs and Bidvest Wits at Orlando Stadium. Kick-off for that match is also 18h00. 

Amakhosi and Wits will be facing each other for the time this season, and the return leg is set to take place on August 30 at FNB Stadium; the Students' new home for the remainder of the campaign.

Apart from the abovementioned fixtures which will certainly draw a lot of attention from football fans across the country, all eyes will be on the match between Chiefs and Sundowns. 

The two teams have already met this season with the Soweto giants getting the better of Sundowns away from home in 2019. 

They will again renew their rivalry for the second time this season with the return leg of the season scheduled for August 27 at Orlando Stadium.  

Sundowns, who have a game in hand, are second on the PSL standings and four points behind Amakhosi who have been at the top of the log since August. 

The clash at Orlando Stadium is considered a title decider given how impressive both teams have been so far this season.

According to the PSL, the first match of the relegation/promotion play-offs will be played on September 6 with the final match pencilled for September 21.    

It’s never an easy task trying to second-guess a Pep Guardiola team, owing to the Manchester City manager’s propensity to spring the odd surprise in his selection from time to time.

This was a source of frustration for fantasy managers intermittently during the concluded season as, upon selecting Raheem Sterling, chasing his best goal return in the Premier League, or Kevin De Bruyne, desperate to supplant Thierry Henry’s assist record (he equalled it on the final day) in their fantasy teams were then left exasperated by the City trainer’s rotation.

Even though the aforementioned point feels like a deviation from the argument at hand, it is an indicator of just how unpredictable the former Barcelona boss can be with his starting picks. Still, regardless of how unsure the casual observer can be, assumptions can be drawn from whoever Pep selects from the off.

It is for this reason Riyad Mahrez, one of City’s top performers in 2019/20 ought to be worried for his place when the Manchester outfit host the 13-time European champions Real Madrid in the second-leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep largely rotated his side following their domestic restart in June, wisely giving every member of the squad minutes on the pitch, enough game time to stay match fit whilst resting them strategically to avoid burnout in the process. It worked to an extent as the Citizens finished top of the post-lockdown Prem table with eight wins from 10 after the restart, scoring a staggering 34 times and conceding just four.

Mahrez, for his part, scored four times and set up one in the last six weeks despite Pep’s tendency to tweak his XI, but there was a feeling the Algeria winger would be called on for the really important games of their season.

He featured from the start in their comfortable 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final success over Newcastle United and having been retained for the semi-final defeat by Arsenal, both line-ups gave an insight into what the City boss considered his best team for the important games.

The only changes at Wembley saw Ederson, the club’s number one, replace Claudio Bravo, while Eric Garcia, an injury returnee, replaced the unreliable Nicolas Otamendi at the back. The Brazil goalkeeper was always going to feature against Real at the Etihad, so the one outfield change reflected the consistency of Pep’s thinking for crunch games.

However, since that 2-0 defeat by Arsenal, Mahrez has been left out from the XI against Watford and on the final day at home to Norwich City.

In isolation, this may be ignored and brushed off as the Barca legend tinkering with his side as usual, yet, two of the players excluded against the relegated teams have been conspicuous.

The Algeria attacker, after underperforming against Mikel Arteta’s side and previously in the Newcastle fixture, didn’t start at Vicarage Road or in their last match of the season on Sunday and was replaced by the precociously talented Phil Foden in both games. Perhaps an even more noticeable absentee was Benjamin Mendy, whose tendency to blow hot and cold has been a source of frustration for Cityzens since 2017 and especially this season.

Interestingly, Guardiola didn’t turn to Oleksandr Zinchenko, whose form has been sketchy as well, rather opting for Joao Cancelo in their last two fixtures.

Indeed, the decision to leave out Mahrez and Mendy since the Arsenal loss has been magnified by the little rotation that’s taken place in other areas of the pitch.

While it would be unfair to wholly blame the FA Cup loss on both players when the team generally performed poorly, the North African was particularly sterile in possession at the Home of Football and the Frenchman’s failure to step up with the rest of the defenders meant Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was played onside for the Gunners’ second goal.

The left-back also allowed Nicolas Pepe cut in on his stronger foot to cross for the Gabon star’s opener, so the choice to drop two of the side’s major under-performers since that defeat has been seismic.

Putting trust in the ever-improving Foden at Mahrez’s expense and not resorting to the off-form Zinchenko has equally been notable especially with Zinedine Zidane’s side on the horizon.

Whether those changes provide the perfect insight into Guardiola’s thinking before they play Los Blancos or whether the move to utilise the young Englishman and Portuguese full-back out of position was done to jolt a reaction out of the African champion and world champion remains to be seen.

For Mahrez, his impact in the first meeting at Santiago Bernabeu was crucial to securing a huge 2-1 advantage, while his ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat will be important to claim the club’s Holy Grail and end Guardiola’s nine-year wait for another UCL win.

The coach will know this, too, and he’ll hope his maverick Algerian can return to his best as Man City chase European success after their domestic failures this season.

Mesut Ozil's agent says there is a "90 per cent chance" that he will leave Arsenal in 2021, but has ruled out the possibility of the German midfielder being sold this summer.

Ozil was frozen out of Arsenal's squad by Unai Emery in the first half of the season, but found himself swiftly restored to the starting XI under his successor Mikel Arteta, who took the top job at Emirates Stadium in December.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus outbreak disrupted the 31-year-old's progress, and Arteta decided to shuffle his pack following the three-month lockdown.

Ozil has not featured in any of Arsenal's 12 fixtures since last month's Premier League restart, with his future at the Emirates once again being called into question now that the transfer market is open for business.

Arteta has insisted that a mercurial performer has been left out for purely tactical reasons, and that there is a still a place at the club for a player of his quality.

Despite the Spaniard's endorsement, Arsenal have been tipped to cash in on man currently earning a reported £350,000 per-week in wages, amid rumours of interest from Fenerbahce and a number of clubs in MLS.

Ozil's current contract is not due to expire until next year, and the Gunners have offered little indication that they will be prepared to extend his stay in north London.

However, Erkut Sogut does not believe his client will be making his way through the Emirates exits prematurely, as he told Turkish publication Fanatik: “I do not think there will be a change in the case of Mesut Ozil until the summer of 2021.

“He has a contract. There is no change. He will remain in Arsenal.”

Sogut went on to admit that there is little chance of Ozil remaining at Arsenal beyond 2021, while citing a number of possible next destinations for the playmaker.

The Arsenal outcast's agent added: “90 per cent [he] will leave Arsenal in 2021. Mesut to Asia, America or Turkey? Yes, maybe.”

Ozil has racked up 254 appearances for the Gunners since joining the club from Real Madrid in 2013, scoring 44 goals and laying on 77 assists.

The former Germany international has also picked up three FA Cup winners' medals during that time, but is unlikely to feature when Arsenal attempt to win the trophy again in a final meeting with Chelsea at Wembley this weekend.

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Sthembiso Ngcobo says playing at Orlando Stadium used by bitter rivals, Orlando Pirates, will not affect the Premier Soccer League (PSL) log leaders.

The Soweto-based stadium has been chosen as Amakhosi’s home ground when the 2019/20 PSL season gets underway next month.

Gauteng clubs were not given their normal home grounds to avoid having an advantage over their PSL counterparts from other provinces.

‘Mapholoba’ also believes coach Ernst Middendorp’s troops have to ensure they lift a trophy and avoid being seen as a generation that has failed to bring silverware at Naturena.

“I don’t see it as a disadvantage at all. In fact, I think it is a good thing for them. Imagine them taking photos inside that change room after they have won the league,” Ngcobo told Phakaaathi.

“The players will want to have that memory so this should push them to work even harder to get the league.”

The former Free State Stars, AmaZulu and Bidvest Wits hitman has urged the current generation to focus on their own race and not look at the reigning PSL champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who are four points behind but with a game in hand.

“It is uncommon for the club to be without a trophy for so long and the players know that it will forever reflect badly on their generation if they don’t win anything,” he added.

“They have a serious chance this time around and they must not let it slip.

"I know Sundowns are more experienced but if they focus on their own race, they can do it.”

Meanwhile, Amakhosi have 48 points at the summit after playing 22 matches compared to 21 matches for coach Pitso Mosimanes’ troops when the season was halted in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Soweto giants are set to face Gavin Hunt’s Clever Boys in the league on two occasions as they look to end the trophy drought they have endured since the 2014/15 campaign.

Chiefs will host Wits, Stellenbosch, the Brazilians as well as Chippa United at Orlando Stadium but the Chilli Boys were also allocated Orlando Stadium as their home venue.

With Sundowns set to face Wits in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals next weekend, their league match against the Buccaneers will be staged at Dobsonville Stadium, a home ground they share with Highlands Park for the remainder of the season.