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Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi should follow Granit Xhaka's example if they want to save their Arsenal careers, Mikel Arteta has said.

Ostracised Gunners pair Ozil and Guendouzi have been left on the outside looking in as Arsenal have enjoyed a resurgence under Arteta, who has guided the club to six wins in their previous eight games.

That run included back-to-back victories over Premier League champions Liverpool and then Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals last week, with Xhaka inspirational in both games.

It is a far cry from early November - almost two months before Arteta arrived as head coach - when Xhaka's future at Emirates Stadium looked bleak after he was stripped of the captaincy having reacted angrily to fans who booed him when he was substituted.

"The challenge with Granit was to convince him that there was still a place for him here - that I had big belief in him and that things can turn around pretty quickly in this industry," Arteta told reporters ahead of Tuesday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa.

"He had to send the right messages. First of all, he had to believe that he could do it and if that was the case, we were going to support him all the way through.

"I'm really glad to hear and sense the reaction from the fans towards him, I think they can appreciate what he's done. That's in the past, there's a lot of positives to take from difficult situations and we all learn from that.

"He's a really good example for any player that is in a difficult moment that if you are willing, consistent and really want to do it generally, I think there's always a way back."

Ozil has not been involved since March, before competitions were halted because of the coronavirus pandemic, while fellow midfielder Guendouzi has not been seen in an Arsenal shirt since confronting Brighton and Hove Albion players in a 2-1 loss on June 20.

Asked whether Xhaka could be considered an example for those two in particular, Arteta replied: "That applies for any player, and any member of the staff.

"If you really show that then you're deciding to do the best, not for yourself, but for the team and for the club, I think everybody will welcome you.

"It's not just me that has to give the green light. It's everybody that has to be supportive and you need to feel as well that support from everybody because if not it's a very uncomfortable situation."

There is similar uncertainty about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's future with Arsenal, though not because he is unwanted by Arteta, who is confident the player will sign fresh terms.

The Gabon striker is out of contract at the end of next season and Arteta is keen for the 31-year-old's future to be resolved soon as he pushes on with transfer plans.

"With Auba, I think I've been very clear with what I want - the quicker we do it, for me personally, the better because the player will be more focused, more determined, more calm," he added. "But we have to respect the timings as well and the means that the football club has."

Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta has addressed the possibility of signing Manchester United winger Alexis Sanchez permanently at the end of the season, insisting the club "appreciate his quality".

Sanchez's career went off the rails somewhat when he moved to Old Trafford from Arsenal in an exchange deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan in January 2018.

The 31-year-old had proven himself as one of the best players in the Premier League during a four-year stint at Emirates Stadium, but was unable to reach the same heights in Manchester.

A modest return of five goals in his first 45 appearances for United saw him slip way down the squad pecking order, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ultimately decided to send him out on loan to Inter at the end of August.

The Chile international was hampered by a string of niggling injuries during in his first few months at San Siro, before the coronavirus outbreak wreaked havoc upon the Serie A schedule.

Sanchez used the time in lockdown to work on his fitness, and returned to action in June with a renewed sense of purpose.

Only Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has provided more assists than the former Arsenal star since the resumption of the season across all of Europe's major leagues, with Antonio Conte delighted to see the attacker rediscover his "hunger" in the final third.

After watching Sanchez score during a 4-0 win over SPAL on July 16, the Inter boss told reporters: "He is a rediscovered footballer, with the right hunger. He suffered a lot, he is now well, he is an extra weapon for us."

The Nerazzurri have yet to decide whether to submit a permanent offer for the United loanee, but Marotta is pleased with the impact he's had at San Siro in recent weeks.

When quizzed on Sanchez's future by Sky Italia, the Inter chief responded: "We are happy with what he is doing. We appreciate his quality and we will make appropriate evaluations. We want to raise the bar, building a mix of experienced players with a winning mentality and young prospects."

Sanchez will be back in contention for a place in Conte's starting XI when Inter take on Fiorentina at San Siro on Wednesday, as they look to close the gap on Serie A leaders Juventus.

SC Villa coach Edward Kaziba has admitted he has no power to stop the ongoing exodus of players from the Uganda Premier League (UPL) giants.

Villa, who last won the UPL title 16 years ago under coach Micho Sredojevic, are struggling to remain afloat for next season after losing some of their key players, with more also expected to leave before the transfer window shuts.

The most notable player to have left the club is young striker Charles Lwanga, who signed for former champions KCCA FC; Bashir Mutanda has asked for a release letter, with Ambrose Kirya, and forward David Owori also on their way out.

The club will also release Emmanuel Kalyowa and Yayo Lutimba after deciding against renewing the duo’s contracts.

It is a situation that has left coach Kaziba a worried man, insisting he has no power to stop the exit of players since the management does not have money to meet their demands.

“There are players leaving, that is true,” Kaziba is quoted by Daily Monitor, “They are leaving because their demands could not be met by the club.

“I don’t feel good about it [players leaving] but again we have to move on and so we have to get other players definitely.

“Definitely, it hurts but there are still some other good players at the club. It [losing his best players] does not fit into my ambitions for the club but it is something that I can’t do anything about.

“My bosses couldn’t come through on the players’ demands but at the end of the day, we have to work. I spoke to the players and they told me their side of the bargain, then I spoke to my bosses, they also told me their side and so we are in such a situation, which is not good really.”

Villa put up a good display in the last campaign after they managed to finish the season in the third position.

The season was ended by the Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) owing to the effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic with Vipers SC being declared the champions.

Bruno Fernandes has called for calm on the back of Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea, with the Portuguese pointing out that the Red Devils “were not the best before and are not the worst now”.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side wilted on the Wembley stage against Chelsea on Sunday.

Having entered that contest on a 19-game unbeaten run in all competitions, confidence was high inside the Old Trafford camp.

Solskjaer, however, made surprising tweaks to his system and starting line-up against the Blues, leading to a rather disjointed display.

Costly errors also undermined United’s efforts, with David de Gea failing to keep out efforts from Olivier Giroud and Mason Mount that he would have been expected to save.

United now have to dust themselves down for the resumption of their top-four bid in the Premier League.

One route to major silverware has been shut off, but they can still secure Champions League qualification and challenge for the Europa League crown in 2020. With that in mind, Fernandes has called for a sense of perspective.

The Portuguese has sparked a revival for the Red Devils, with his arrival in the January transfer window coinciding with an upturn in fortune, but he is fully aware that nothing has been achieved as yet.

Taking to Instagram after a 3-1 reversal against Chelsea, Fernandes said: “We were not the best before and we are not the worst now.

“We are really sad about the result and losing the chance to win the FA Cup, something we had hoped for. Now it is time to gather forces and fight for our goal in the Premier League.”

Fernandes did grab United’s consolation effort against Chelsea from the penalty spot – his ninth goal for the club through just 18 appearances.

Solskjaer will be hoping that there are more inspirational showings from him to come in what has become a vital run of games for the Red Devils.

They will be back in Premier League action on Wednesday when taking in a home date with former boss David Moyes and his West Ham side – with a window of opportunity having opened up there on the back of a 3-0 defeat for Leicester against Tottenham, that has United level on points and goal difference with the fourth-placed Foxes while holding a game in hand.

Andrew Robertson insists Liverpool are motivated to keep winning after their Premier League triumph.

Liverpool were crowned champions of England for the first time in 30 years on June 25, their coronation confirmed with seven games to spare following Manchester City's defeat at Chelsea.

Jurgen Klopp's men set new standards of excellence before coronavirus stopped play in March, winning 27 of their first 29 fixtures.

The Reds were on course to break City's all-time points record of 100, but their patchy form since the top-flight's resumption on June 17 has seen that opportunity slip away.

Liverpool have dropped points in three of their five outings since being named champions, and it has been suggested that their hunger for trophies will be diminished after picking up such an elusive piece of silverware.

However, Robertson says that no one in the current squad is content to rest on their laurels, and that sustained success is now the main goal for England's new top club.

The left-back told Premier League Productions : “It's about the feeling we had in the hotel when Chelsea beat Man City, it's about the feeling we had on the open-top bus when we beat Tottenham in the Champions League final - they're the feelings that, as a footballer, you can't get much better than and we want to hold on to them.

“We don't want it to be a one or two-times-off, we want that to become the normal, we want that winning feeling every single year and that's why after winning the Champions League we stayed so motivated to go and win the Premier League.

“Our motivation will be there again to go and win all the trophies put in front of us next season. Whether that happens, teams are getting better, everyone's making signings and trying to close the gap and I believe they will. Whether we're good enough we'll wait and see, but our motivation will be there. 

“Our motivation to win trophies for this club is always there. You carry a responsibility when you put on this shirt and we all know that, we all buy into it. With the manager we've got, he doesn't let us drop below 100 per cent. That will continue, so as soon as we do get to that point he'd be there to tell us otherwise and so would the captain.

“We've got really good characters in our squad that won't let our standards slip - not that we ever would think about it. Like I said, we've got a responsibility to try to bring trophies to this club. We've done well so far but it's about continuing that.”

David Luiz put in a “phenomenal” showing for Arsenal in their FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City, says Tony Adams, with the much-maligned Brazilian defender looking to “prove everybody wrong”.

The South American centre-half has come in for plenty of criticism during the 2019-20 campaign, especially since the Premier League restart in mid-June.

Arsenal opened the second part of a disrupted campaign with a heavy defeat away at City, with Luiz contributing significantly to that setback with a mistake for Raheem Sterling’s opener and collecting a red card.

He was, however, to make amends for that showing when lining up against the same opposition at Wembley on Saturday.

Luiz put in a commanding showing against Pep Guardiola’s FA Cup holders, with Mikel Arteta overcoming his managerial mentor as Arsenal ran out comfortable 2-0 winners on the day.

The Gunners saw their game plan work to perfection, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbing a well-taken brace.

At the opposite end of the field, Luiz and co put their bodies on the line to keep City at bay and prove that they can form a reliable back line despite the regular rounds of questions they have faced when it comes to defensive leaks in north London.

Former Arsenal captain Adams was among those left impressed by a much improved performance, telling Stadium Astro: “David Luiz was absolutely phenomenal and I’ve been very critical of him recently and I think a lot of people have been.

“So, give credit where credit’s due, he had the bit between his teeth. He wanted to prove everybody wrong.

“If there was a crowd in the audience, I don’t know if that’s helped him or not, I’m thinking it may have helped him because in recent weeks I think the Arsenal crowd would have been really on his back and I don’t know how he would’ve reacted with that, but he certainly reacted for me so well.

“For this game in particular I just thought he was awesome and I’m going to be shouting from the top of the world that he was outstanding, good performance.”

After helping Arsenal into a major final, Luiz expressed his delight at having silenced some of his critics in what has been a testing debut campaign at Emirates Stadium.

He said: “There was a lot of criticism of me, you can say that. It is part of the football, I understood during my career football is about surviving every day you are going to defend your team and other people are going to support their teams it is about surviving.

Nigeria midfielder Azubuike Okechukwu and Senegal striker Demba Ba have expressed their delight after winning the Turkish Super Lig title with Istanbul Basaksehir on Sunday.

The Fatih Terim Stadium outfit clinched the trophy for the first time in their history after defeating Kayserispor 1-0 at Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium.

Mahmut Tekdemir scored the only goal of the encounter in the 19th minute which was enough to seal the victory for Okan Buruk’s men despite Edin Visca’s missed penalty.

Okechukwu, joined Basaksehir last summer on loan from Egyptian side Pyramids FC and has made 31 appearances across all competitions for the club, including 17 in the Super Lig.

The 23-year-old midfielder was, however, not involved as they secured their 20th win of the season, against Kayserispor.

Ba, who has bagged 12 goals in the Turkish top-flight, featured for the duration of the game in his 39th appearance for the club this season.

Following the league’s success, Ba and Okechukwu have taken to social media to share their feelings. 

Okechukwu played for Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side Bayelsa United before joining Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor in 2015.

After three years at Malatya Arena, the midfielder left for Egypt in the summer of 2018 to team up with Pyramids FC.

Ba, meanwhile, joined Basaksehir last summer after terminating his contract with Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua.

The forward, who had 22 caps for Senegal, had previously featured for Premier League clubs Chelsea, Newcastle United and West Ham United.

The 35-year-old striker has also previously played for Mouscron, 1899 Hoffenheim and Turkish side Goztepe.

Ba and Okechukwu will hope to help Basaksehir finish the 2019-20 season with victory when they face Kasimpasa on July 25.

Manchester United target Jude Bellingham has completed his move to Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City.

Dortmund released a video confirming the news via their official Twitter account, with players and staff from across the club singing along to 'Hey Jude' by The Beatles to welcome their new arrival.

It has been reported that Bellingham committed to a five-year-contract at Westfalenstadion after a €25 million (£23m/$29m)) fee was agreed between BVB and Birmingham.

If these reports are correct, it would make the 17-year-old the most expensive teenager in European football, to cap a meteoric rise to prominence for the midfielder over the past 12 months.

Bellingham has scored four goals in 43 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham in 2019-20, and will likely make his final outing for the club when they come up against Derby on the final day of the 2019-20 EFL Championship season.

United and Bayern Munich were also strongly linked with the English playmaker, but he has ultimately decided to follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman Jadon Sancho, who left Manchester City to join up with Dortmund as a teenager in 2017.

Bellingham expressed his delight after the announcement was made, while also offering his gratitude towards Birmingham for giving him the chance to begin his professional journey at St Andrew's.

He said: "I can't thank Birmingham City enough for what the club did for me - not just this season, but since I came to the club when I was seven. 

"Now I'm really excited to join one of the biggest clubs in Europe. BVB's path, but especially how they help young players to improve, made the decision very easy for me personally and for my whole family. 

"I can't wait to play in one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, hopefully in front of over 80,000 spectators as soon as possible."

Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc added: "Jude Bellingham chose BVB because he is completely convinced. Primarily because of the sporting perspective that we showed him, he has enormous potential that we want to develop with him in the coming years. 

"He already has a surprising amount of quality in his own possession as well as against the ball, and on top of that, the player also has a strong mentality. 

"We immediately see Jude as a reinforcement for our professional squad, but of course. we will also give him the time to get used to the higher level that he needs."

Maroons FC coach Charles Ayiekho is confident he will engineer the club’s promotion back to the Ugandan Premier League (UPL) in just six months.

Maroons, alongside Tooro United and Proline FC, were relegated when the UPL was cancelled in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ayiekho, who is yet to take charge of any Maroons matches since he was appointed just before the league was suspended in March, is confident in his squad’s ability.

He was appointed to replace Douglas Bamweyana.

“I am sure that the squad I have can favourably compete in Big League and I am pretty sure that Maroons will be confirmed back in the top league with six months only,” Ayiekho said as he was quoted by Sports Nation.

“That is after the end of the first round, hopefully, I am given whatever I need.”

Maroons under Ayiekho will participate in the Fufa Big League in anticipation of a quick promotion without key players like Pius Obuya.

Obuya left for KCCA FC while Steven Mukwala saw his loan stint expire. Goalkeeper Hannington Ssebwalunyo is understood to have requested to leave the club but that does not erode Ayiekho’s confidence in the remaining players.

“Maroons have a total number of 59 players with many on loans,” Ayiekho added.

“Therefore, before recruiting any other player, I am going to recall all loaned players and rebuild this team back to where it belongs.

“I want to assure people that they might only see five new faces added in the current squad because I want to give the available players a chance provided they suit what I want.”

The tactician further explained why he is confident that Maroons will not struggle in the second-tier.

“This is not the first time I am getting relegated with the team, it happened when I was at Water FC but I managed to bring it back in the top league in just a season,” Ayiekho stated.

“Maroons have been fighting relegation which was not going to be the case when I am in the team. I have done it with several teams and my history speaks for its self so Maroons will never fight for relegation.”

Maroons were 14th when they were relegated with five matches remaining, but those were not played after the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) cancelled the competition.

“I was very confident that Maroons were not going to lose any game in the remaining five matches then,” a confident Ayiekho concluded.

“We would have at least won three and got two draws, and to my experience, we would have survived relegation.”

Frank Lampard has delivered “miracle stuff” during his debut campaign as Chelsea manager, claims Chris Sutton, with the inexperienced coach leading the Blues into an FA Cup final and towards a top-four finish.

Such success has become the norm for west London giants during the ownership of Roman Abramovich. The 2019-20 campaign had, however, started with expectations reined in on the back of a managerial change and transfer embargo.

Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge aware that he was taking on a tough task after seeing his hands tied in the transfer market and with just one season of coaching experience to his name.

The Chelsea legend has, however, gone above and beyond on his initial remit, with the Blues holding their own with an exciting young squad.

Further proof of that was offered in a 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday, with Lampard bucking a wretched record against the Red Devils to get the better of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in a tactical battle and put his team in contention for major silverware.

“Chelsea went with a back three, matched up, and Manchester United really didn’t lay a glove on Chelsea,” former Blues striker Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live of another step in the right direction from Lampard’s side. “In the first half, I can’t really think of any time when [Willy] Caballero was tested at all.

“They went 2-0 up, yes at the end Manchester United get a consolation – daft challenge from [Callum] Hudson-Odoi in the box on [Anthony] Martial – but I think we have to give Frank credit, in a very trying season.

“You don’t have to think back too far to what he took over, this was a club who had an embargo on them - he couldn’t bring players in.

“Was the expectation there as there has been under the Abramovich regime to go and challenge for a title? No, I don’t think there was, but there was still pressure.

“Before this game we talked about both clubs wanting Champions League places.

“At the start of the season, with everything being equal, we would say that if Frank Lampard got this Chelsea team into a Champions League spot – that is an unbelievable job. If he can add an FA Cup to this as well, that is miracle stuff in his first season.”

Chelsea, who are set to face London rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup final, sit third in the Premier League table at present – with two games left to take in – and will be back in action on Wednesday when they take in a trip to champions Liverpool.

Chelsea will have to pay Jan Oblak's €120 million (£110m/$137.5m) release clause to force contract talks with the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper.

It remains unclear whether the 27-year-old would be ready to leave Atletico this summer, with manager Diego Simeone ready to block the exit of the Slovenia international in most circumstances.

However, the relationship between Chelsea and Atleti is good, having seen the transfers of Diego Costa, Alvaro Morata and Thibaut Courtois conducted between clubs in recent seasons.

Blues boss Frank Lampard remains unconvinced with his goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, and he would need to find him an escape route to try to balance the books before considering such an offer for a player such as Oblak.

Valencia have recently enquired about possible arrangements to sign Kepa on loan, as they look to move on their current No.1, Jasper Cillessen.

Los Che would be interested in a two-year loan with an option to buy the Spain international, which might end up being Chelsea's best option for moving on the the £71m (€80m/$90m) signing from Athletic Club in 2018.

Along with the high fee, Kepa also commands high wages and currently earns £170,000-a-week, which remains a stumbling block and put off Sevilla, who are also considering signing a new goalkeeper.

The Blues have shown few problems making big signings so far in the transfer market, having brought in both RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner and Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech already.

However, they must offload a host of talent before making more big moves as they face a bloated wage bill and potentially unhappy players in the squad.

The Spanish transfer market looks set to contract more than the English one with swap deals, loans and free transfers being prioritised at even the bigger clubs. Barcelona, for example, have already had to conduct contrived deals with Juventus over the transfers of Arthur Melo and Miralem Pjanic.

Meanwhile, Chelsea's transfer destiny remains somewhat tied to Atleti as both clubs target left-back Nicolas Tagliafico from Ajax.

Atleti were seeking to do a deal for €5m plus Santiago Arias, but this has not excited the Dutch champions who believe they could get a better deal from the west Londoners, making them favourites to meet their €26 million (£24m/$30m) valuation.

Still, the Blues have so far prioritised signing Ben Chilwell from Leicester City, with Brendan Rodgers repeatedly denying the Foxes would sell despite the interest.

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz remains a key target for the Stamford Bridge club, although details of a concrete offer have yet to emerge.

Cape Town City chairman John Comitis has predicted a "looming disaster” as a result of the prolonged 2019/20 season coronavirus-induced break.

Football in South Africa was suspended in March but the government recently gave a thumbs-up for the continuation of the current season.

With the Premier Soccer League (PSL) setting on July 18 for the restart, Safa has blocked that date, saying their referees will only be available in the first week of August.

The football mother body is also not fully satisfied with the health and safety measures put in place by clubs.

This has infuriated some PSL clubs, including Cape Town City, who has warned of the crippling economic effects within football that would continue to be felt in seasons to come.

“If we don’t resume, there’s going to be problems. Sponsors are going to start asking questions - like our own sponsors are asking questions,” Comitis told IOL.

“We are hoping that we will return to football, because we are going to suffer [if we don’t]. The disaster that looms means that people are going to lose their jobs and the industry will collapse.”

Cape Town City were the first PSL confirmed team to resume group training and Comitis says frustration has crept into their camp due to continued training without clear restart dates.

“We’ve been training for the past three months. The players are getting frustrated,” said Comitis.

"The entire industry is getting frustrated. It is not nice. The coaches are getting fired. We are aimlessly training for nothing.

“We are hopeful that sanity will prevail and [we will] return to business, like other businesses that have been allowed to return. We are just waiting to see what will develop.

“We will find out what is going on maybe Monday or Tuesday. We’ve been told to get ready. We need to wait for PSL and Safa to finalise what is going to happen.”

City’s early return to training and eagerness for football to resume could signal their seriousness in securing their PSL status for next season.

They have seven remaining league games and are placed 10th on the standings, seven points above basement side Black Leopards.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a "huge decision" to make with David de Gea, says Mark Bosnich, who insists that Manchester United can't afford any more mistakes when they play West Ham this week in the Premier League.

De Gea's performances have been the subject of much scrutiny throughout the 2019-20 campaign.

The 29-year-old was once revered as the finest shot-stopper in the business, and he was named United's Player of the Year on four occasions between 2013 and 2018, but his standards have slipped under Solskjaer's stewardship.

Basic positioning and handling errors have crept into the Spaniard's game this season, with his latest showing of ineptitude coming during an FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea.

The Red Devils were beaten 3-1 at Wembley on Sunday, with De Gea guilty of conceding two very soft goals from Olivier Giroud and Mason Mount to set the Blues on their way to victory.

Solskjaer must pick his players up quickly ahead of a vital midweek meeting with West Ham, which they have to win to move three points clear of Leicester and into fourth place.

United will complete their domestic campaign with a showdown against the Foxes on July 27, and Bosnich says the Norwegian boss must now consider drafting Sergio Romero in to replace De Gea in order to ensure a return to the Champions League.

The former Red Devils goalkeeper told Sky Sports: "The only way to get over it is to have another game as soon as you possibly can, to play really well and go again mistake-free.

"He [De Gea] has been absolutely fantastic for Man United over a long period, but in these last eight to 12 months there has been a consistency of errors that we've not seen from him before.

"I know Ole has come out and backed him and done exactly what a manager should do, but the bottom line is with those errors, especially that second one at the weekend, Ole is going to seriously weigh up whether to bring in Romero for the final two games.

"Imagine everything going fine against West Ham and one of these errors occurs again. It's a huge decision he's got to make and a lot will depend on how De Gea is in training in these next couple of days."

Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Andrew Kamanga has praised the successful return of Super League that was almost cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Three matches were played across the weekend even though the federation, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, tested team officials and players and ended up confirming 32 cases.

“So, it came to pass that the resumption of our league took off this weekend. It was not an easy undertaking that saw us flirt with the idea of abandoning the whole process,” Kamanga said in a Facebook post.

“But the kind of crisis the world is currently going through does not require people that jump ship at the slightest sight of danger. After all, we have all been reminded of the challenges of living in the ‘New Normal’ order.

“We were happy that everyone showed high levels of commitment to ensure that the return of our game is made a reality.”

A consultative meeting that was chaired by the Minister of Sports Emmanuel Mulenga, the National Sports Council of Zambia (NSCZ), clubs management and FAZ gave the green light for matches to be played over two days at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.

“I take my heart off to the teams that launched us into the ‘New Normal’ final stretch with Police College beating Kitwe United 2-1 on Saturday in the historic match,” added Kamanga.

“The second match involving Forest Rangers and Zanaco FC could not take off owing to some challenges that the Ministry of Health have since committed to clearing up.

“Admittedly on this score, we could have done better. But with this new experience, it is expected that there will be challenges.”

A total of 28 members of Forest Rangers tested positive for coronavirus while two each for Power Dynamos and Zesco United were also confirmed to have contracted the disease.

Power Dynamos and Buildcon drew 1-1 and the same scoreline was registered in the Zesco United vs Kansanshi Dynamos match.

“On the pitch, players had to get used to the new demands of the ‘New Normal’ like the care not to carelessly spit with those on the bench spaced apart to keep with the social distancing demands,” explained the FAZ top official.

“The stands were expectedly empty with only a handful of media personnel, stadia staff and some health authorities. I would like to give credit to the fans for observing the stay at home call.

“Fans are the lifeblood of any football match but under the ‘New Normal’ we have to respect the rules given to us."

Kamanga also exuded confidence the remaining matches will be honoured under strict adherence to Covid-19 regulations.

“Going forward, we are confident that we should be able to see out the remainder of the fixtures with strict adherence to the Ministry of Health guidelines,” he concluded.

“We have taken note of the gaps and will work round the clock to ensure that things get better going forward.

“We implore the clubs to fully cooperate with the health authorities and ensure they observe all the guidelines.”

The Super League is the first African competition to resume behind closed doors. In Burundi and Tanzania, fans were allowed to attend games but with specific health regulations.

Swansea City attacker Andre Ayew is hoping to cap a good season with promotion to the Premier League.

 Ayew is enjoying a purple patch of form, having notched 15 goals in the Jack Army's push for a top-flight return.

With one more round of matches to end the season, Swansea are seventh on the league table, just a position and three points below the qualification slots for Premier League play-offs.

“I’m very happy with the season. I’m happy with the squad I’ve had around me and the players who have given me a lot of confidence and responsibility,” Ayew, Swansea's top scorer this season, said, as reported by his club's official website.

“I know the role I have to play in the squad. I’m quite happy but I’ll only be really happy if we sneak into the play-offs.

“If not, it will be sad because we really had a good season and squad and the players, the city, the club and the fans deserve to at least make the play-offs.

“The quality is there – there is no doubt about that. The club has the youth and quality here – it’s top level. With young players like Ben Cabango, Marc [Guehi], Yan Dhanda, Bersant Celina... I can name a lot.

“The quality is there, the boys have grown quickly and I just hope it’s not too late for this season.

“We’re not going to think about next season, we’re going to think about this one because it’s still on. Everything is still to play for.”

Swansea have no other option than to secure three points in their last game against 15th-placed Reading and hope sixth-spotted Cardiff City lose favourably to relegation-threatened Hull City.

“In this league anything is possible. We’ve seen it over the course of this weekend. But we have to do our job. We are not in control of any other game," Ayew said.

“Hull also have to win to have any possibility of trying to stay up. It’s an open game. Cardiff also need a point. We’ll see. We have to do our job and afterwards, we’ll hope for the best.

“I’d prefer to be in Cardiff’s position. In football you have three possibilities – win, lose or draw. Cardiff have two possibilities – win or draw – and that position is good for them.

“We know in football that when you are also playing a team who is fighting for their lives it’s very difficult. We saw it with Stoke [beating Brentford] and with Huddersfield [beating West Brom].

“It’s open and we just have to do our job, because if something happens at Cardiff and we don’t get the three points we’ll be really, really disappointed.

“We don’t want that to happen so we will try and do our job and get the three points.”

Ayew has made 43 league appearances, including 42 starts, for Swansea so far this season. He has assisted six goals. 

Black Leopards have officially released reported Mamelodi Sundowns target Lesedi Kapinga. 

The 25-year-old midfielder was set to finish the suspended campaign with Lidoda Duvha after the club confirmed he will not be leaving despite the expiry of his contract on June 30. 

However, Leopards director Tshifhiwa Thidiela said they had to part ways with the nippy midfielder to protect him and the club.   

“Yeah we can confirm that we have agreed for Lesedi Kapinga to go and join his new team, to protect him and ourselves as well,” Thidiela told FarPost.

Thidiela stated that with the club fighting for survival at the bottom of the PSL log, any mistake made by Kapinga on the pitch would create a negative hype. 

“We know currently the club is at the bottom and you know it’s a matter of life and death. So, sometimes when people know that the player is moving somewhere it may be detrimental for him should he make mistakes even if it’s genuine. You will find that other players might feel, 'no it’s because his future is secured somewhere'. 

"So, we would rather have him start his new life and we wish him the best,” he revealed.

Thidiela admitted that the departure of Kapinga is unfortunate that Kapinga had to leave more so because the club had a one-year option on his contract. 

“We wish him the best, it is just unfortunate that he could not stay after having we had agreed to all that he had asked for, and I am not sure what happened because he kept on saying all is fine and he will sign with us. My worry is that we also had a one-year extension clause," continued Thidiela. 

While Thidiela is pleased that Kapinga is joining another club for a better package, he expressed disappointment at the fact that Leopards didn't get to benefit financially for grooming him.  

“As a team, we are also always happy when players move to greener pastures, especially when we played a role in their development and exposure. 

"However, we feel that it’s sad when you develop a player and he moves without the team benefiting because more money is needed to develop and expose more players, especially from our home province in Limpopo," concluded Thidiela.

Kapinga joined Leopards in 2018 and has featured heavily for them over the past two seasons. 

He leaves the Thohoyandou-based side having featured 58 times across all competitions for them.

He scored seven goals for them during his two-year stay with Leopards.  

Gianluigi Donnarumma has described Zlatan Ibrahimovic as “a beast, a phenomenon” and suggested that his own long-term future could lie at Milan.

Questions have been asked of how long the highly rated goalkeeper will stick around at San Siro, with his star having been on the rise since making his senior breakthrough in his teens.

Struggles on the field for the Rossoneri have failed to convince star turns that they should be staying put.

Milan do, however, still boast some pulling power and were able to bring Ibrahimovic back to familiar surroundings once he parted company with MLS side the LA Galaxy.

The enigmatic Swede has helped to raise standards with his demanding personality, although he could soon be bidding farewell for a second time at the end of a short-term deal.

Donnarumma hopes the 38-year-old, who has netted six times in 16 appearances for Milan this season, can be convinced to stay put, with his mere presence aiding the collective cause.

“He’s a beast, a phenomenon. He gives us a lot and makes himself heard. Ibra is the extra strength that we lacked, even in training,” Donnarumma told Sky Sport Italia. “He lives everything to the fullest and has already created a winning mentality. He is truly extraordinary because he never wants to lose, even in training. He gives us an incredible mentality.”

While it remains to be seen what the future holds for Ibrahimovic, the same can be said for Donnarumma. The 21-year-old is only tied to a contract through to the summer of 2021 and has sparked talk of interest from leading sides across Europe in the recent past.

The product of Milan’s academy system has, however, hinted that he will be staying out in order to chase down major silverware.

The Italy international, who has kept 12 clean sheets in 32 appearances this season, added: “I want to become the best goalkeeper and win as many titles as possible with Milan, but the World Cup too, I think that’s everyone’s dream. That’s the top also for me.”

The 21-year-old has played in 32 of Milan’s 34 Serie A matches so far in the 2019-20 season, with the club sitting seventh on 56 points as they aim for Europa League qualification.