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South African Football Association (Safa) chief medical officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya says the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season can go ahead, saying the referees are fully prepared to get back to action.

Ngwenya was speaking after the current campaign was halted in March because of the coronavirus pandemic and the football governing body has confirmed the officials would only be ready by the first week of August.

In addition, Ngwenya also confirmed they have not received confirmation on the proposed date of the first weekend of August.

“We’re now awaiting confirmation on our proposed date of the 1st of August,” Ngwenya told the media as quoted by Daily Sun.

“Although we haven’t received confirmation, we have already started preparing as we know the games are going to happen and need to make sure we’re ready when that time comes.

“We don’t want to be in a situation where we have to rush things through and look disorganized. We’re confident the date will come. Hence the process has started.

“We know that teams have already started preparing. It’s realistic that we’ll resume on 1 August.

“Our officials will be ready to officiate. They’ll go into the bio bubble camp two days before the actual start date.”

Although the PSL has been keen on resuming the season on July 18, they are expected to finally announce the restart date tomorrow after its Board of Governors (BoG) meeting which is scheduled to get underway on Monday.

On the other hand, Ngwenya also revealed that while Gauteng might not seem to be an ideal province for the bio bubble camp,  given the fact that it’s the hot spot for the virus, the experienced doctor is of the view that there’ll be no issues regarding safety.

“Indeed, it’s true that perhaps if we (Safa) had been part of the decision-making team regarding where the camp should be, we would have emphasized what the Joint Liaison Committee document is saying,” he added.

“The document states that the area shouldn’t be an epicentre or hot spot for the virus. But what we’ve received from the NSL is that choosing for the venue was done before Gauteng became an epicentre.

“But the comfort that we get from the whole situation is that going to the biologically safe environment will eliminate the risks as the virus is not airborne. This is an area that is Covid-19-free, and those who are going in will have been tested twice.”

Kenyan players Jesse Were and John Makwatta are among the players shortlisted for signing by Young Africans (Yanga SC) ahead of the new season.

According to Hersi Said, who works for GSM, the company bankrolling Yanga, the club will sign at least seven new players to prepare for the next season.

Hersi has also confirmed the new players will start arriving at Yanga from August 1, a few days after the conclusion of the 2019-20 Mainland Premier League season.

The players being targeted by Yanga include Harambee Stars strikers, Were and Makwatta, both who play for Zesco United in Zambia, and according to Sokaletu, only one player will be allowed to sign for the team.

The other targets include Heritier Makambo (Horoya AC), Sogne Yacouba, Michael Sarpong (free agents), winger Tuisila Kisinda (AS Vita), Ally Niyonzima and Eric Rutanga (Rayon Sports), Yassin Moustapha (Polisi Tanzania), and Kibwana Shomari (Mtibwa Sugar).

Meanwhile, Yanga will not break camp when the season comes to an end on Sunday but they will move to camp to start pre-season training for the new season.

A source within the club has confirmed they want to have a long pre-season training so that the coach can have a good time with the players.

“We will not break camp, we will proceed to camp after our final match on Sunday and start pre-season training, we want our plans to have consistency and know each other well, we will not break camp,” the source is quoted by Sokaletu.

“We also want to make sure that we do away with all the players who have not helped us this season, we might be forced to do away with at least 10 players or so, we are waiting for the coach to give us the way forward on this matter.

“We also want to make sure that every position as three players, so as to have a strong squad, we are eager to win trophies, and next season we want to fight and get a trophy or two.”

Yanga will finish the season with an away match against Lipuli FC on Sunday.

Willy Caballero has been selected ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga to start Chelsea's crunch Premier League clash with Wolves at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues need one point to be sure of Champions League football next season, with third-placed Manchester United and fifth-placed Leicester City playing each other.

Frank Lampard has opted for a change in goal, however, with regular understudy Caballero preferred to Kepa.

The Spain international's performances have come in for frequent scrutiny this season and he endured a torrid outing during the 5-3 midweek defeat at champions Liverpool.

“Just a choice, Kepa's had some difficult times so I am playing Willy,” Lampard told Sky Sports.

Indeed, Arrizabalaga has never been far from the headlines after moving to London, with the 25-year-old famously disobeying former boss Maurizio Sarri during last season's Carabao Cup final, refusing the come off the pitch despite the Italian boss tried to replace him.

The shot-stopper has been linked with a move away from Chelsea throughout this season, with the Blues keen on Atletico Madrid's ever-reliable Jan Oblak, who would command €120 million (£110m/$137.5m) fee as per his release clause.

Lampard had previously challenged Kepa to up his game, telling a press conference: “I think clearly you want them to be talented, to keep balls out of the net. It's old-school but it’s the first and foremost job in what a goalkeeper should keep closest to their heart. 

“The idea of clean sheets, it’s not always culpable on them, of course, for a 'keeper to have a real desire and talent to produce that. 

“But in the modern day they are even more involved than ever. To use their feet, to be a personality, all-round ability which you see with the top level goalkeepers in the world.

“We were fortunate to see at Chelsea that we had ones we can certainly say were part of huge eras for the club. That has to be Kepa’s desire, to be that person for this club and be a goalkeeper in his own right to say that he’s a huge part of a successful team.

“It’s not just on Kepa, of course, but in his own way that is what he has to believe and work towards.”

Kepa has made 33 Premier League appearances this season, having been previously dropped to the bench for a run of four league matches in February, when Caballero was preferred.

The 38-year-old Argentina international failed to keep a clean sheet during that period and has not featured in the Premier League since, although he has played four of Chelsea's five games en route to the FA Cup final.

Frank Lampard’s fall-out with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will do him good in the long run, according to Harry Redknapp.

The Chelsea manager had a war of words with his Liverpool counterpart following the Blues’ 5-3 defeat at Anfield in midweek, which leaves their Champions League hopes hanging in the balance going into the final day of the season.

It was a fixture in which the Blues rallied from 3-0 and 4-1 down to get back to 4-3 but ultimately saw slip away from them due to an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain goal six minutes from time.

Lampard swore at Klopp as he branded the Liverpool backroom staff as “arrogant”, while the German claimed the Chelsea boss has a “lot to learn”.

Redknapp, whose managerial career spanned between 1983 and 2017 and saw him take charge of the likes of West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham, believes that his nephew will learn from the experience.

“Frank has been around professional football since he was a toddler. He doesn’t need advice from anyone, although I’ve lots of respect for Klopp,” Redknapp told The Sun.

“Frank is very calm usually, he doesn’t tend to get involved in things like this. For him to react like that, it must have been something to really wind him up.

“Frank respects Jurgen. And I know he will just want to shake hands on it if he can and move on.

“You don’t play so long at the very top and then become a Premier League manager so quickly if you don’t have brains.

“It would be good for them just to put it behind them.

"Their paths will cross and it doesn’t help either of them if they can’t just see it as one of those moments when tempers are frayed.”

Chelsea’s record goalscorer has enjoyed a promising start in the dugout at Stamford Bridge as he had to cope with a transfer ban last summer, which left him with a young squad.

He has taken charge of the Blues 52 times, winning on 28 occasions and suffering only 16 losses. Two of those defeats have come against Klopp’s Liverpool, with the Reds securing a 2-1 victory in September before their high-scoring success at Anfield on Wednesday.

Azam FC failed to capitalize on their advantage in the race for a top two finish after being held to a 2-2 draw by Tanzania Prisons.

The 2013/14 champions needed a win in their final match of the season away to Tanzania Prisons to finish above Timu ya Wananchi, Yanga SC.

The Chamazi-based side did well to get an opening goal after just seven minutes on the clock when Jumanne Fadhili turned the ball into his net to hand the Azam a deserved lead and cool the pressure from a few travelling fans.

However, Abdallah Kheri returned the favour in the 17th minute after also scoring an own goal owing to the pressure applied on the defence and sent the teams to level terms.

The administrative side went ahead for the first time in the game just five minutes to the break. Vedastus Mwisambi capitalized on poor defending to ensure the fans have something to celebrate on the stroke of half-time. 

Never Tigere scored the equalizer in the 57th minute to ensure the FA Cup holders got a point on the road.

It was a result which worked in favour of Yanga SC who defeated Lipuli FC by a solitary goal to finish second on the table.

The 27-time champions needed a 39th-minute strike by David Molinga to defeat the Shinyanga-based side. The Jangwani-based side broke from their half and the Congolese was freed from the right flank.

He managed to hold his marker before shooting past the goalkeeper to take the team's tally of the season to 72 points from 38 matches played, two more than Azam.

Champions Simba SC needed a John Bocco brace to defeat their hosts Polisi Tanzania 2-1 to complete the season on 88 points.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi skipper needed just two minutes to get onto the score sheet. 

However, Polisi were awarded a penalty in the 31st minute and Marcel Kaheza held his cool to convert it.

Bocco completed his brace just before the break to ensure the Dar es Salaam-based side finished the league with maximum points.

Marouane Fellaini enjoyed a stunning start to the 2020 Chinese Super League season with a quick-fire hat-trick of headers to help Shandong Luneng to an opening-day victory. 

Fellaini, 32, opted to join the side from Manchester United at the start of 2019 after five-and-a-half seasons with the Red Devils. 

But the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China, halted the 2020 campaign for six months as the nation battled the illness, leaving the midfielder out of action.

Fellaini was one of thousands to catch the virus in the country back in March, but made a full recovery and recently completed a spell of isolation having returned to China following a trip to Dubai. 

"The time has come for me to thank from the bottom of my heart, the medical staff of the hospital, their nursing staff as well as my club and its medical staff for taking such good care of me with so much kindness and for ensuring my comfort whilst there," he wrote upon being discharged from the facility in April.

"The hardest part is behind me! Let's keep fighting, it's important!"

The Super League was finally able to kick off this weekend, with the top flight condensed into two groups in order to fit the season into the reduced time-frame. 

And Shandong and Fellaini started in style with a 3-2 victory away to Dalian Pro, in which the former United star scored all three of his side's goals within the space of eight minutes - and, even more impressively, netting each with his head. 

Known for his prowess in the air, the towering midfielder opened his account in the 79th minute to put Shandong within reach at 2-1 down, with Dalian, coached by Rafa Benitez, having raced into a two-goal lead earlier with strikes from ex-Newcastle striker Salomon Rondon and Marcus Danielson. 

He then struck again four minutes later to level the match before completing Shandong's comeback in the 86th minute, ensuring the visitors would leave with all three points. 

Despite the prolonged interruption to the Super League, Fellaini looks keen to pick up where he left off prior to the pandemic after enjoying an impressive debut season in China. 

In 2019 the midfielder scored 13 goals in 34 appearances for Shandong in all competitions, including eight league strikes as the side finished fifth overall. 

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal for Arsenal in Sunday’s Premier League clash against Watford was the Gunners’ earliest English top-flight strike since Marc Overmars in 1999.

With just five minutes into the clash against Hayden Mullins, the Gabon international beat goalkeeper Ben Foster from the penalty spot after defender Craig Dawson crashed into French international Alexandre Lacazette.

That strike ensured that the Gunners’ captain moved closer to the ex-Arsenal star’s feat achieved in April 1999 when he scored against Middlesbrough after just four minutes.

Auba assisted Kieran Tierney for his goal in the 24th minute as he touched the ball into the Scotland international’s path while trying to control Nicholas Pepe’s cross.

In a productive evening for the forward, who is among the contenders for the Golden Boot, he completed his brace in the 33rd minute with his overhead kick beating Foster at his near post.

That means the former Borussia Dortmund star has now scored 13 English elite division goals in his last 11 appearances against sides starting the day in the relegation zone.

The visitors pulled one back from the penalty spot through captain Troy Deeney, who beat Emiliano Martinez from the penalty mark, after David Luiz caught Danny Welbeck with a late challenge when the striker went to get on the end of Abdoulaye Doucoure’s cross.

Should Mikel Arteta’s men hold on to their two-goal advantage and secure maximum points against the Hornets, they will end the season in ninth position should Burnley fail to defeat Brighton and Hove Albion.

Yves Bissouma scored his first Premier League goal for Brighton & Hove Albion against Burnley on Sunday in the final day of the Premier League season.

The 23-year-old was handed his 14th league start and 21st appearance for the Seagulls and delivered an impressive performance at Turf Moor.

The central midfielder started the game in front of the back-four along with Dale Stephens and wasted no time in opening the scoring in the encounter.

The midfielder found the back of the net, curling a fine effort from outside the box which gave goalkeeper Nick Pope no chance in the 20th minute.

Bissouma, who joined the Seagulls in the summer of 2018 from French side LOSC Lille, thus, became the 12th Mali international to score in the English top flight, following in the footsteps of the likes of Modibo Maiga, Bakary Sako and Sambia Diakite.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United striker Freddie Kanoute is Mali's highest scorer in the Prem, having netted 43 times across his stints with the two London heavyweights.

The midfielder started his career from his home country with Majestic SC academy in 2009 before teaming up with AS Real Bamako in 2014.

Bissouma then moved abroad two years later when he teamed up with Lille youth team and signed his first professional contract with the French club in 2016.

The 23-year-old is a key member of the Mali national team and has three goals in 16 appearances for the West African country.

David Luiz has set an unwanted Premier League record after conceding his fifth penalty of the season during Arsenal's game against Watford on Sunday.

Arsenal largely cruised throughout the first half of the match, the team's final game of the Premier League campaign, putting together a 3-0 lead through 33 minutes.

Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang was responsible for two of those goals, with the first coming just five minutes into the game, while Kieran Tierney scored his first Premier League goal for the club in between the forward's two finishes.

However, just before half-time, Watford netted a goal of their own, with Luiz the culprit after conceding a penalty, which Troy Deeney dispatched, bringing the score back to 3-1.

The penalty came after the Brazilian defender brought down former Arsenal attacker Danny Welbeck in the box, prompting referee Mike Dean to point to the spot.

Luiz's latest incident saw him concede his fifth penalty of the season, which sets the Premier League record for most given away in a single campaign.

The former Chelsea defender was previously one of seven players to have conceded four in a season alongside Ken Monkou, Luc Nijholt, Claus Lundekvam, Ibrahima Sonko, Gary Caldwell and Jose Fonte.

Now, Luiz has the record all to himself, having conceded his second penalty since the Premier League's restart, with the first coming in an error-filled display against Manchester City.

On that day, Luiz scored an own goal, conceded a penalty and was sent off as part of a one-man horror show that prompted plenty of criticism for the veteran defender.

Just one week after that display, though, Luiz saw his contract with Arsenal renewed, as the defender has signed a one-year extension to keep him at the club.

In the weeks since, Luiz had put together a series of stronger performances, having taken the blame for that initial Manchester City disaster.

The 33-year-old was virtually faultless in the FA Cup semi-final , as the Gunners took down Manchester City to book their spot in the final. 

Luiz has featured 41 times for the Gunners this season, having joined the club from Chelsea last summer.

A total of 32 of those 41 appearances have come in the Premier League, with Luiz scoring twice during the league season this campaign. 

Luiz and Arsenal will take on Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

Dwight Gayle scored after just 25 seconds for Newcastle United against Liverpool on Sunday, making Premier League history.

A much-changed Liverpool side were caught dozing as Gayle ran onto Jonjo Shelvey's quick free-kick and squeezed a finish past Alisson for a goal that was awarded following a lengthy VAR review.

The swift strike was the earliest Liverpool have ever conceded in the Premier League.

And Gayle's effort - his fifth league goal against the Reds - also marked the fastest goal on the final day of any Premier League season.

Champions Liverpool started with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all on the bench, making this only the second time since the former's 2017 arrival they have all been missing from a Jurgen Klopp league XI.

Though Liverpool made six alterations from the team that defeat Chelsea 5-3 on Wednesday, the former Borussia Dortmund boss was adamant before kick-off that he wanted to see his side win the match.

“It’s easy for me to find plenty of reasons why you should win a football game. Again, the things around are different, I said that already before the Chelsea game,” he told the club’s official website .

“Chelsea played for everything, you saw that, and I wanted to see us fight like we play for everything. And that was exactly the case. The boys were incredible in that game. Something like that I would expect today as well, the boys love football and love hard work. If they put that in, we can be good; if not, then we still have a chance because we don’t know exactly what Newcastle are doing.

“Newcastle played already a while like this, like we do if you want, because they are safe for weeks or months already. They have a good team.

“I know Steve [Bruce] has a few injury problems, I think in defence. But offensively, that’s proper quality. That’s what we prepare for, so that we are really ready.”

Liverpool recovered after the concession of that opening goal, with Virgil van Dijk hitting back before the break as they went in at the interval 1-1 at St James’ Park.

The Tanzania Mainland Premier League season of 2019/20 concluded with Singida United, Ndanda FC, Alliance FC, and Lipuli FC getting relegated.

Singida United had already been relegated before the conclusion of the season as they were at the bottom of the 20-team table with just 18 points.

Lipuli needed a final day victory but they did not manage it and was sent down as a result, while Alliance's win against Namungo was not enough to save them.

Meanwhile, Mbeya City and Mbao will have to successfully engage in play-offs if they are to retain their Premier League statuses.

A last day 2-0 defeat at home against Biashara United just confirmed Singida United’s relegation to the second-tier and they go down with a whooping -50 goal difference.

Deogratius Munish scored a 20th-minute opener for Biashara United while a David Nartey 27th own goal just made the matters worse for Singida United as they went on to lose the game on their own turf.

Ndanda were relegated after they came second last with 41 points losing their season final match to Mbao.

Jordan John’s 66th-minute goal and another from Wazir Junior is all that Mbao needed to ensure they picked up the victory.

Mtibwa Sugar were victors after they registered a 2-1 win over Ruvu Shooting at home. Boban Zilintusa earned a brace as Sadat Mohamed scored the only goal for the visitors.

Mohamed opened the score for Ruvu Shooting in the 35th minute but a second-half comeback by Mbao saw them equalise in the 51st minute and picked up the winning goal in the 65th minute.

Mtibwa Sugar end the season with 45 points and at position 14 while Ruvu Shooting are 12th with two more points than the Sugar Millers.

Namungo, who were long-time challengers for the second spot that has finally been taken by Yanga SC, lost to Alliance.

The 2020/21 Caf Confederation Cup participants went down 3-2 against their hosts and have now finished the season a distant fourth with 64 points, six fewer than the third-placed Azam FC.

Martin Kigi, who has been a key scorer for Alliance since the league resumed, scored the first-minute opener for the home side before Blaise Bigirimana equalised seven minutes later.

Israel Patrick struck to help Alliance regain their lead in the 25th minute before Namungo equalised once more in the 61st minute through Frank Mkumbo’s effort.

Alliance went ahead again four minutes after Mkumbo’s equaliser when Juma Nyangi scored.

Meanwhile, Coastal Union were defeated 1-0 by JKT Tanzania with the only goal being registered by Najim Magulu in the 79th minute.

Finally, Mwadui picked up a 2-1 win against Kagera Sugar as Wallace Kiango scored a brace, with his first goal coming in the 13th minute before converting a 17th-minute penalty.

Nasoro Kapama scored the only goal for the Sugar Millers in the 68th minute.

The Tanzanian league was the second to resume in Africa following the coronavirus break after Burundi’s competition that has already ended.

Liverpool came from behind to conclude their successful 2019-20 Premier League campaign with a 3-1 win at Newcastle United on the final day, securing a club-record points tally.

The Reds have cruised to the title - their first in 30 years - but showed signs of a hangover from Wednesday's trophy celebrations as they trailed to Dwight Gayle's first-minute opener.

Although Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino all started from the bench, Jurgen Klopp's men recovered to turn the game on its head either side of half-time.

Virgil van Dijk equalised and Divock Origi then grabbed his first goal since December before Sadio Mane added late gloss to the scoreline as Liverpool finished the campaign with 99 points, their best ever top-flight haul and only one shy of Manchester City's 2017-18 record.

The surprise Gayle goal had seen Newcastle lead Liverpool early for the second time this season, with this 25-second effort the fastest the Reds have ever conceded in the Premier League.

Allan Saint-Maximin quickly won a foul on halfway and Jonjo Shelvey's free-kick sent Gayle clear to stab past Alisson, prompting a lengthy VAR review for a potential offside before the goal was given.

Liverpool's subsequent dominance initially spawned only a speculative Takumi Minamino effort, which Martin Dubravka saved well, before Alisson had to be alert to field an unorthodox Federico Fernandez drive at the other end.

But with the Reds' usual attacking stars watching on, Van Dijk stepped up and looped a towering header over Dubravka from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's right-wing cross.

Klopp readied Salah, Mane and Firmino as Liverpool made a slow start to the second half, yet the imminent changes provoked Origi to blast in the visitors' second, his shot passing through a crowd of bodies to deceive Dubravka and pick out the bottom-right corner.

The triple substitution followed regardless and Salah's first involvement saw a powerful strike bounce off the post, but it was Mane who provided the final flourish.

Cutting inside from the left in trademark fashion, the winger curled beyond Dubravka to end Liverpool's season in style.

What does it mean? Record-breaking campaign ends in fitting fashion

There has been plenty of attention given to the landmarks Liverpool have not matched this season, losing their unbeaten record to Watford and then slowing after the restart to miss out on the opportunity to earn 100 points.

But few Reds fans will be complaining as they reflect on the campaign and this‏ latest record - besting their 97 points last season and 98 in 1978-79 (when adjusted to three for a win) - provided an apt finale.

Back-up Origi ends goal drought

For close to an hour, Klopp's makeshift XI displayed the few shortcomings in this Liverpool squad. Without their star attacking trio, the champions rarely tested Dubravka.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was industrious, while Minamino is still finding his feet, but it fell to Origi - scoring just his sixth goal of the season - to really make a mark.

Early error provides scare

There have been a few too many defensive Liverpool mistakes since the title was wrapped up - including in the midweek 5-3 win over Chelsea. The latest saw Joe Gomez caught out of position as Gayle ran through.

Klopp will hope such lapses do not linger into next season.

What's next?

Neither side have FA Cup or European duties still to fulfil, meaning they can instead now look towards next season, with the Premier League returning on September 12.

Kevin De Bruyne has matched Thierry Henry's Premier League record for most assists in a single season. 

The Belgium star went into Sunday's clash against Norwich City needing just one more to meet the mark set by Arsenal's legend. 

And that assist, his 20th of 2019-20, came in the final minutes for Gabriel Jesus as Manchester City ran out 5-0 winners over already relegated Norwich City. 

More to Follow...

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson has won the Premier League Golden Glove award for 2019-20.

The award, given to the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets over the course of the season, was edged by the Manchester City goalkeeper, who registered 16 shut-outs.

Prior to the final day of the season, the Brazilian was tied with Burnley's Nick Pope on 15 clean sheets, but the Clarets drew 2-2 with Brighton as City overcame relegated Norwich 5-0.

Ederson missed out narrowly on the award last season, keeping 20 clean sheets but seeing the trophy go to his Brazilian compatriot Alisson, who kept 21.

The Liverpool stopper finished this season with 13 clean sheets, but may be left ruing the calf injury which kept him out of seven games between August and October.

Pope has made headlines for his superb performances throughout the season, and his final tally will no doubt help his cause as he looks to challenge for the No.1 shirt at international level.

England keeper Jordan Pickford has been coming under increasing pressure due to his inconsistent performances for Everton. With the Three Lions scheduled to return to international football in September, Gareth Southgate may find himself with a decision to make.

Sheffield United’s Dean Henderson, on loan from Manchester United, is also in the international conversation and finished just three clean sheets behind the winner on 13.

Elsewhere, Rui Patricio registered 13 shut-outs for Wolves, Kasper Schmeichel managed that number for Leicester, and David de Gea reached 12.

Since it was first awarded in 2004-05, the Golden Glove has only been won by keepers representing Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal and Manchester United.

The record of 24 clean sheets set by Petr Cech in 2004-05 still stands, with Alisson last season and Edwin van der Sar in 2008-09 coming closest with 21 apiece.

Cech and former City goalkeeper Joe Hart are the record holders of the Golden Glove, with each man having won it on four separate occasions.

Jamie Vardy has won the 2019-20 Premier League Golden Boot after scoring 23 goals for Leicester this season.

The 33-year-old beat Southampton’s Danny Ings, Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling to the top scorer award.

However, there was disappointment for Brendan Rodgers and his Foxes side on the final day of the season, as they missed out on Champions League qualification following a 1-0 loss to Manchester United.

Click here for the full breakdown of the top scorers in the 2019-20 Premier League!

This season was the most prolific of Vardy’s Premier League career since the title-winning season of 2015-16, when he notched 24 goals but missed out on the Golden Boot to Harry Kane, who scored 25.

After two goalless appearances as Leicester drew their first two games of the season, Vardy opened his account for the campaign in a 2-1 win over Sheffield United in August, following it up with a double against Bournemouth.

Eleven of his goals came in a remarkable eight-game spell between October and December.

He scored in eight consecutive games, including a hat-trick in the 9-0 demolition of Southampton and a brace against Aston Villa, as the Foxes won eight in a row.

Vardy missed just three Premier League games all season, and has scored four goals in nine appearances since the season resumed.

Ings' final total of 22 goals was the best he has recorded in his career, and only the second time he has reached double figures in the top flight.

Aubameyang finished matched last season's total of 22, and another prolific year leaves Arsenal fans still hoping for a contract extension.

Sterling's final tally of 20 is the best total of his career so far.

Salah, joint-winner of the Golden Boot last season with Aubameyang and Sadio Mane, finished the season with 19 goals - the lowest of his Liverpool career to date.

Vardy is the oldest player to win the Golden Boot since Teddy Sheringham, who also did so at the age of 33 for Tottenham in the 1992-93 season.

He is also only the second English player to do so this century, after Kane and Kevin Phillips.

Johnstone Omurwa has been one of the standout performers at the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) side Wazito FC.

The influence he has had on the squad has been visible to all, and this has endeared him to the fans. 

The former Mathare United defender has also commented on the poor start to the 2019/20 season by the 2018/19 National Super League (NSL) champions.

"Yes, initially the team struggled especially at the start of the season," Omurwa told Goal on Sunday.

"It is normal for a team to struggle and Wazito is not an exception."

Inconsistency in the top-tier coupled with inhouse wrangles led to the exit of coaches at the team. Fred Ambani and technical director Stanley Okumbi were the first on the list. Melis Medo took over but was fired after barely a month.

Frank Ouna, who has been hired to assist Stewart Hall, was also axed and all these affected the team. So what made the 21-year-old Omurwa stand tall?

"I could not sit down and watch the team struggle without giving my best. I had to stand out for the team and my teammates and ensure I give my best because it is my responsibility as a player," he continued.

"Despite all, we are still players and everyone has his ambitions.

"Again, by giving my best, you cannot know who is watching or what impact your dedication to the team could have. So I decided to keep on pushing consistently regardless of our struggles."

The Kenya U23 international also revealed why he continued to do his best for the side despite all the changes at the club over the last 12 months.

"And this being our full-time job, if you do not give your best, then you can easily be released," Omurwa continued.

"But if you give your best, there will be no worries. It is for this reason I have been ensuring my work rate is good, the same as the qualities I offer." 

His consistency and discipline have reportedly caught the eye of Angola giants Petro Atletico who are keen on signing the player.

The 15-time Girabola champions are keen on winning the title once again in the 2020/21 season after alst achieving the feat in 2009. 
  

Highlands Park have confirmed that an “unbelievable offer” has been tabled for the acquisition of their Premier Soccer League franchise and would give it a serious thought if it is “deliverable.”

Tim Sukazi, the owner of GladAfrica Championship side TS Galaxy, had been rumoured to be behind the push to buy Highlands Park but he has since denied interest in the team.

Highlands Park co-chairman Larry Brookstone says the club is not up for sale but they might be lured to consider an irresistible offer.

“First of all Highlands Park is not up for sale. We had an unsolicited offer on the club‚” said Brookstone as per Sowetan Live.

“And the offer we’ll consider if it’s deliverable. I think everybody in the world‚ if the offer is too good to believe‚ they’ll take it. If the guy can deliver this kind of money then‚ yes‚ we would consider it.”

Brookstone emphasised the magnitude of the offer but appeared to be questioning the feasibility of the amount of money involved.

He, however, admitted to concerns that news of a possible sale of the club could unsettle their players.

“This discussion ... I’m regretting that we even listened to this unsolicited offer‚ quite frankly‚ because there is this speculation and it unsettles my players and everyone around me," Brookstone said.

“It’s not concrete. The offer is unbelievable. If they can deliver it then we will consider it. I’ve got a house on Linksfield Ridge I’ve lived in for 32 years‚ and I can tell you if someone came with this sort of offer on my home I would also consider that.

“I’ll tell you that in a weeks’ time if you hear that I’ve sold the club‚ know for sure that a guy delivered on an unbelievable promise.

“Business is marginally down on very high turnover‚ dealing with public companies and massive corporations who are not affected by the [Covid-19] situation.”

Placed eighth on the PSL standings, Highlands Park are almost assured of top-flight league football next season.

SuperSport United midfielder Teboho Mokoena has admitted that he was looking to impress scouts at the 2020 Olympic Games.

The 23-year-old player played an instrumental role in helping South Africa qualify for the global competition as the team finished third at the 2019 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Egypt.

Mokoena netted South Africa's only goal in the group stage against Ivory Coast and they secured their place in the Olympic Games' Men's Football tournament after defeating Ghana on penalties in the third-place play-off match.

This year's Olympic Games were scheduled to take place in the Japanese capital city Tokyo between July and August 2020, but the competition has been postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I worked hard to help the team qualify for the Games. I wanted to go there and use the platform to market myself in front of European scouts," Mokoena told Daily Sun.

“I would love to see myself playing in Europe someday and was looking forward to being in Japan. I’ve been thinking about the Games a lot this week.”

Mokoena will be 24 years old by the time the tournament starts on July 22, but Fifa has extended the age limit to 24 from 23 following the Games’ postponement due to Covid-19.

“I’ll be gutted if I don’t go to the Games next year. It’s always been my dream to debut at the Olympic Games since we qualified," he continued.

“I’ll be sad if I don’t go and my best bet of going to Tokyo is to continue working very hard at club level and at Bafana Bafana."

The 2019/20 domestic season was also affected by Covid-19 as the campaign has been suspended since March.

Mokoena and his SuperSport teammates recently resumed training ahead of the PSL resumption and he explained that he is slowly getting used to training in a small group of five players.

“We just have to get used to the new reality, and the faster we get used to this kind of training, the better for us all," he added.

The City Press recently reported that PSL is considering cancelling the suspended season due to their stand-off with the South African Football Association (Safa) over when the campaign should resume.

However, Mokoena has pleaded with the PSL not to declare the season null and void with Matsatsantsa placed third on the league standings.

“As players and as a team, we prefer to finish the season and play 30 games,” the former South Africa under-20 international added.

“We didn’t come back to training for anything else, but finish the season. Finishing the season is a matter of principle. Every one of us wants to see where their teams will finish on the log.

“It’s only fair to finish the season in the field of play and not inside the boardroom. That’s my biggest wish and my plea to the powers that be."

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is pleased with the club’s midfield and singled out Joe Aribo for praise, after he scored again in a 2-0 friendly win over Coventry City on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Nigerian netted the opening goal at Ibrox in the 50th minute before Conor Goldman doubled the lead 17 minutes later. It was the second game in a row Aribo had scored in after netting in their 4-0 win over Motherwell last time out.

It marks a 100% end to Rangers’ pre-season games, keeping clean sheets in all of them. The Scottish Premiership is set to commence for the 2020-21 season on August 1 with the Gers travelling to Aberdeen.

“The midfield we are okay, we're looking strong. Joe Aribo's jumped out of the pack and being really really strong in his performances and we're creating and scoring goals in the final third,” Gerrard told Rangers TV after the match.

“Well, I think a lot of individuals look ready, both keepers have been fantastic, I think from a defensive unit point of view we're keeping clean sheets. I think Connor's showing real good leadership skills and really driving that backline to keep clean sheets

“I think we are looking strong in the full-back areas if you look at over the course of the pre-season. I thought they could have been a little bit better in terms of how they were playing when the ball came to them.

“The only thing I’m slightly concerned about is obviously our options in the number nine position and it's something we're trying to address and it's the reason why I had to be trying to be wise with Alfredo [Morelos] and get him off the pitch as soon as I could.”

Rangers recently signed Nigeria defender Leon Balogun from Wigan Athletic on a one-year deal with the option of extending it for another year.

Gerrard believes Balogun’s arrival will create competition for places at the back, something the Liverpool legend is keen to see.

“I'm delighted to get Balogun in because it's another real strong option for us and he'll challenge the people for the shirt and that's what I want,” the 40-year-old said.

“I want real competition for places because hopefully, that will bring the best and consistency out in individual players.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes the club's fans should show their support for Granit Xhaka when they are allowed back into matches, revealing he had to talk the midfielder out of leaving north London.

Xhaka reacted angrily to fans booing him when he was substituted during Arsenal's draw with Crystal Palace in the Premier League earlier this season.

Previous manager Unai Emery stripped Xhaka of the captaincy and dropped him from the starting XI, seemingly paving the way for the Swiss international to leave Arsenal, but since Arteta came in midway through the campaign, he has restored the defensive midfielder to the first team picture.

Ahead of Arsenal's final Premier League match of the elongated 2019-20 season, at home to Watford, Arteta spoke of Xhaka in glowing terms.

He said: "For a football player when you are on the pitch and you feel you have the fans supporting and you feel their love, it gives you an immense amount of energy and drive.

"Hopefully, he can enjoy that when the fans are back in our stadium. People know better than me what happened and how much it affected all sides when that issue occurred. When I arrived here I had a very high opinion of him and knew him really well."

Arteta admitted he was unsure of Xhaka when he first took over, having witnessed his fallout with Emery and the fans from afar, but had been quickly convinced of the Arsenal No.34's usefulness to his team.

"I had to convince him he had a future, he had a place here and he could enjoy his career and his family could be happy here," he said. "He is a player that when he commits he goes 100 per cent. He has worked really hard and he has won everybody’s trust again.

"I think he’s started to enjoy it again and, normally, when you have those two aspects together – that’s when players perform at the highest level."

Xhaka has played in 39 games for Arsenal this season in all competitions, playing in all but one of their league fixtures since New Year's Day.

Arsenal will finish in their lowest league position for 25 years regardless of their result against Watford on Sunday, but they could still qualify for Europe next season if they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final on August 1.