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Former Bafana Bafana midfielder Quinton Fortune has credited Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford for setting an example and putting the community first as he is set to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Manchester.

The retired Red Devils midfielder believes the 22-year-old hitman’s humility is in line with the former European champions’ values.

Rashford is set to receive the honorary doctorate from the university after his incredible work in campaigning against child poverty in the United Kingdom during the coronavirus pandemic.

“[What] Marcus showed there was the humility of the highest level because it means to think about himself and his family, he thought about other people,” Fortune told SkySports. “Every kid around the country, and not what’s the word now, it sums up Manchester United as a club.

"What Marcus has done there, it's selflessness, as I said, it’s the humility of the highest level.”

The forward's campaigning prompted the UK government to make a U-turn on the decision of whether to extend free school meal vouchers through to the summer in order to support the poorest and most vulnerable families during the coronavirus crisis.

Fortune has echoed the sentiments of his manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who also applauded the England international for being a role model and caring for others.

“We’re so proud of Marcus and I’ve said it a few times, a great person he is and great human being,” Solskjaer said, as per the Manchester Evening News .

“He cares so much about others than himself, the work he’s done, he cares so much more about others than himself. Very proud of him and hopefully he’ll keep his personality for the rest of his life and be himself.” 

Apart from ensuring school children get free meals at school, Rashford has also made contribution and had an impact on society in his work with a charity organization FareShare, where he has helped supply enough food for four million meals for vulnerable families across the UK.

Meanwhile, the former United development product now joins the likes of former and legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Charlton, and ex-Manchester City skipper Vincent Kompany to receive the doctorate, which is the highest honour the university can bestow.

On the field of play, Rashford has featured in 38 matches scoring 21 goals and providing 10 assists for the Old Trafford-based side across all competitions this term.

Mason Greenwood is a doubt to face Crystal Palace on Thursday after being left with a damaged ankle by Oriol Romeu's challenge on Monday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says. 

Greenwood was caught late by Romeu in an incident that went unpunished by referee Chris Kavanagh during Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Southampton at Old Trafford. 

Manager Solskjaer, who was unhappy to see the challenge escape further punishment through a VAR review, now fears the in-form 18-year-old will not be available for the Premier League clash at Selhurst Park. 

Luke Shaw twisted his ankle in the same match and replacement Brandon Williams sustained a head injury, leading to substantial second-half injury time in which Michael Obafemi scored Southampton's equaliser. 

"I'll give Luke as much time as possible – him and Mason, their ankles are swollen and a bit blown up," Solskjaer told MUTV.  "I'll give them as much recovery time as possible to give them a chance.  

"Brandon should be fine, he has a gash over the eye but if he can see out of it, then...

"We've not trained obviously this morning [Wednesday] yet but we'll hopefully have two, maybe all three of them."

Solskjaer added of Greenwood, who played on until the 84th minute: "In the heat of the moment, he'll play on and the adrenaline gets you going, and then you get a little bit of reaction after.

"I said after the game that my ankles were a bit weak after many years of football. But obviously Mason carried on and I think it should have been looked upon by the referee, definitely."

Greenwood has played in all seven of United's matches since their campaign restarted on June 19, scoring four goals in his past four starts.

The Saints draw means United are fifth in the table, behind Leicester City on goal difference with three matches remaining.

And Solskjaer confirmed he will not consider resting any of his players against Palace ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Chelsea.

United have 48 hours less to prepare for the Wembley showdown than Chelsea, with Frank Lampard’s side having beaten Norwich City on Tuesday night.

However, Solskjaer said: "The team selection for Thursday is based on Thursday and not Sunday. Sunday is irrelevant, it does not come into my head at all, just Thursday.

"There were a couple of doubts before the Southampton game but they all reported fit on the day and hopefully we can give them time now and we won’t have to leave players out because of injury. But there might be one or two fresh legs coming in."

Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Oupa Manyisa could on be on his way out of Mamelodi Sundowns at the end of the season. 

Manyisa's contract with the Brazilians expired on June 30 and he's yet to hear from the club as to whether or not he will play a role in the remaining matches of the season. 

According to a source close to the player, Manyisa isn't in Rustenburg with the rest of his teammates. 

"He's not in camp with Sundowns. You'd remember that the team is camping in Rustenburg," the source told Goal. "He's waiting to hear from the club because his contract expired last month." 

Manyisa joined Sundowns on a three-year deal from the Buccaneers in 2017 and he was expected to take his football career to another level under the stewardship of Pitso Mosimane.

However, injuries and stiff competition in the team have made it difficult for him to cement a regular spot in Mosimane's starting line-up. 

He injured himself in the Shell Helix Cup match against Kaizer Chiefs in October 2019 as Mosimane gave the majority of his fringe players a chance to prove themselves.

When Manyisa suffered an Achilles tendon injury, he had only featured twice for the Tshwane giants, both appearances coming in the Caf Champions League against Cote d'Or. 

Since then, he has not been able to return to the club's setup - but sources claim he has recovered and is able to run again. 

While Manyisa's contract has come to an end, Sundowns have a two-year option on his contract, and with the club quiet about his future and their own plans, the Randfontein-born midfielder appears primed for an exit. 

After rising to prominence while at Pirates and cementing his place in the Bafana Bafana squad, Manyisa's move to Sundowns has brought contrasting fortunes. 

He has the chance to win trophies again and play in the Caf Champions League, but the move cost him a place in the South African national team, and he hasn't been called to Bafana Bafana since his arrival at Chloorkop three years ago. 

Manyisa has won two league titles and the Telkom Knockout Cup with Sundowns; this despite being reduced to an impact player with only 47 official matches under his belt. 

He has a single goal and two assists to his name, with the only goal came in Sundowns' 3-2 loss to Polokwane City on January 6, 2018. 

In 2022, the FIFA World Cup will head to the Middle East for the first time.

Qatar won the right to host football's biggest tournament back in 2010 and despite their bid having been mired in controversy ever since, they remain on course to welcome world football's best and brightest.

The World Cup will be a massive undertaking for the peninsula, with vast development and redevelopment of stadiums and infrastructure required between now and 2022.

Goal has all the information you need to know about the tournament as it approaches.

Contents

When is the 2022 World Cup?

The 2022 World Cup will be the first ever to not take place in June and July.

This is because of Qatar's hot summers, with the average high in June, July and August hitting a sweltering 42°C.

As a result, the 2022 tournament will begin on November 21 and be more compressed than normal, finishing less than a month later on December 18 .

Even at that time of year, it is still very warm: the average high in November is 30°C and it only dips as far as 25°C in December.

The switch has, as you would expect, caused no shortage of controversy.

A number of club leagues - including the Premier League, which stated it was "neither workable nor desirable for European domestic football" - have expressed opposition to the rescheduling because of how it will interfere with their calendars.

English football, for example, will essentially be forced to largely cancel its traditional Christmas calendar.

A November-December tournament will also mean calling off the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which would have normally taken place the following January.

The end of the year was decided on because it is too hot in Qatar between May and September and clashes with the Winter Olympics (February) and Ramadan (April) ideally needed to be avoided.

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What is the World Cup 2022 fixture schedule?

World Cup 2022 will begin on November 21, 2022 and finish on December 18, 2022.

Group stage fixtures will run from Monday November 21 until Friday December 2. The last-16 stage will commence immediately afterwards with two games a day on December 3, 4, 5 and 6.

There will be two rest days on December 7 and 8 before the quarter-finals are played on December 9 and 10.

A further two rest days will be observed on December 11 and 12, with the semi-finals being played on December 13 and 14.

The third-place play-off will then take place on December 17, with the final being played on December 18.

Kick-off times

Group stage matches will kick off at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm GMT (5am, 8am, 11am and 2pm ET).

The simultaneous kick-off times for the final round of group games and all knockout games will be 3pm and 7pm GMT (10am and 2pm ET).

The World Cup 2022 final will kick off at 3pm GMT (10am ET) and is set to be played at the Lusail Stadium.

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What stadiums will be used for the 2022 World Cup?

Among the many questions being asked about the 2022 tournament is how exactly a country of 2.5 million, approximately one sixth the size of Ireland, is going to welcome the world.

This will be the last World Cup with 32 teams so Qatar will not, at least, have to deal with an expanded field.

But the country's government - an extremely wealthy monarchy - still expects to spend between $8 to $10 billion on the World Cup, and that is substantially less than the budget initially touted.

The original plan was to have 12 stadiums ready to host games but the number has been reduced to eight.

The showpiece venue will be the Lusail Iconic Stadium, which will host the final and has the largest proposed capacity by far at over 80,000.

The eight stadiums that will be used are: 

It is hoped that all stadiums will be completed in 2020. Yasser al-Mulla from the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, told reporters in January 2018 that "all the stadiums will be completed two years before the tournament starts."

One advantage of bringing the World Cup to such a small country, of course, is that travel times will be miniscule compared to the tournaments in Brazil and Russia.

The greatest distance between two stadiums will be approximately 130 kilometres, a drive of approximately an hour and a half.

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When will the draw for World Cup 2022 be made?

Normally, the draw for the World Cup finals takes place in early December the year before the tournament.

Because of the change of schedule for Qatar, though, the draw for the 2022 finals will take place in April of that year, approximately six months before kick-off.

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When does World Cup 2022 qualification start?

The first World Cup 2022 qualification schedule to get under way was the AFC section, which began in June 2019. The CAF section started in September 2019.

Public health concerns related to the global coronavirus pandemic meant that a number of cycles had their schedules interrupted, but qualification will resume in August, September and October 2020.

UEFA qualification will not begin until 2021.

Qatar will qualify automatically as hosts, but they participate in the early rounds of Asian qualifying anyway because it also acts as a route into the Asian Cup.

Whether they then continue into the final stage, should they progress that far, is yet to be decided.

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When do World Cup 2022 tickets go on sale?

You'll be waiting a long while for these yet. World Cup finals tickets are sold exclusively through FIFA these days and tend to go on sale less than a year before the tournament.

The ticket sales process for the 2018 World Cup , for example, started in September 2017.

So come back in 2021!

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Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has explained why he had not heard of the country’s football icon Jimmy Kirunda until his death.

Kirunda collapsed and died on May 25 at the age of 70 and Museveni said he was pre-occupied with national struggle during the former Cranes captain's heyday.

“I, actually, never heard of Kirunda until when he died,” Museveni told journalists, as per Sports Nation. “Why? It is because for 16 years, 1971-1986, we, the freedom fighters, were cut off and we were not concentrating on the pleasure and leisure activities that were going on in Uganda.

“Being a footballer myself, I used to avidly follow, not only the news about football in East Africa, but I would follow up all the sports, especially, and athletics.

“I would know all the names such as the boxers, Seruwagi and Tom Kawere. The latter got a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, at Cardiff, in Wales, UK. Sprinters like the Goan from Kenya, Serafino Antao, [and footballers like Joe] Kadenge of Kenya and David Otti of Uganda."

Kirunda captained Uganda in the African Cup of Nations tournament through to the final against Ghana in 1978, something the country has not achieved since.

He won the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup five times in 1969, 1970, 1973, 1976 and 1977, and also managed to skipper the national side for 10 years.

Museveni claims that between 1966 and 1986, his focus was entirely devoted to the struggle.

“I would only pick up a few extra-ordinary performances by East African sportspersons such as Kipchoge Keino, with a record for 1500 metres in Mexico City, 1968," he continued. “I think Akii Bua’s 400 metres hurdles record in the Munich Games, 1972 and a Tanzanian Army Officer, Filbert [Bayi] who won the marathon for one of the Olympic events.

“Hence, I had never heard of our Kirunda, the footballer.”

Kirunda guided the team to regional glories as a coach in 1989, 1990 & 1992.

He played for Abu Dhabi Sports, Express FC, KCC FC (now KCCA FC) and SC Villa before coaching the Jogoos, Bell FC, Kassasiro Boys and Cooperative FC at different times. He was also the coach for the national side in 1989 and in 1996.

In 1976 and 1977, Kirunda won league titles with KCC.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has extended the option for competitions to allow five substitutes per team in every match into 2021, provoking the wrath of ex-pros Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.

Football's rules governing body took the decision to give competitions scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020 the option to permit five subs back in May as leagues around the world resumed following widespread coronavirus-enforced stoppages.

Its board of directors conducted an in-depth review to determine whether to extend the option following feedback from stakeholders and an assessment of Covid-19's impact on competition calendars.

The board took the decision to extend it to competitions set to be completed by July 31, 2021 and to international competitions scheduled in July/August 2021.

The decision may prove to be somewhat less than universally popular, with both Neville and Carragher expressing their opposition in strong terms minutes after the announcement was made. 

"This is nonsense! Premier League stay with 3 subs please!!" the ex-Liverpool star fired on Twitter. 

Neville added: "I don’t like or agree with this at all!"

A FIFA media release said that the reasons for giving competitions the option remain valid and that player welfare will likely continue to be impacted due to the shorter-than-usual recovery and preparation period athletes in competitions that resumed in 2020 may have before the start of the 2020-21 season.

The release also pointed to the condensed fixture schedule that is set to be a feature of most major competitions next term due to delayed starts and major international tournaments preventing a later end to the 2020-21 campaign.

The Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A, which opted to resume the 2019-20 season following lockdown, are all set to start in September and end in May, with Ligue 1 - which was cut short in March and will commence in August - the lone exception among the top five European leagues.

Euro 2020 - delayed to 2021 because of the pandemic - is scheduled to begin on June 11, as is the 2021 Copa America. Both competitions are set to finish on July 11.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has admitted teams find themselves in difficult positions to prepare for the resumption of the season. 

As things stand, the suspended campaign is only set to resume in the first week of August after the South African Football Association (Safa) rejected PSL's proposed date of July 18 for resumption.

Mosimane lamented the number of days they have to use as preparation after being out of action for almost four months due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

"I don't know when the league will resume because everybody says what they say - the PSL says what they say and Safa says what they want to say," said Mosimane in an interview with YOU FM.  

"So you'd never know but if we resume according to Safa dates then it's unbelievable that in 10 days time we have to start playing football after we haven't played football for three-and-a-half months.

"How can you not play football after three-and-a-half months and [suddenly] you are expected to play in 10 days?" 

The 55-year-old mentor understands why the PSL wants to resume the league as soon as possible, saying there are stress, pressure and financial implications facing both the league and the clubs.

However, he believes the integrity of football should not be tainted in the process, suggesting there will be no football without the players. 

"I think this thing is about finishing the league," he continued.

"We understand that we have to finish the league and we understand the stress, the pressure and also financial implications but we also have to worry about the game because to finish the season the games must be played and they must be played by players."

Mosimane also weighed in on rumours that other teams started training long before Safa gave them the go-ahead.

While he acknowledged there should be concrete proof of the allegations, but if they are true, then some teams are trying to gain an unfair advantage over others in the remaining matches of the season.    

"And if somehow they haven't played for three-and-a-half months... unless some people are training. There are rumours that teams have been training while there was lockdown Level 5 and Level 4. They want to gain an unfair advantage. So, yeah, there are rumours," Mosimane added.

"I mean, players talk; players from this team are friends with players from another team... and wherever you're training, people are watching and people are looking and you can't hide it.

"We just have to prove that somebody is training but how can you prove that? Unless you go training and take pictures of the people who are training."     

"But we hear that there are people who have been training and they want to gain an unfair advantage of winning the games but it's okay. Everybody has to win in whichever way they have to."

Real Madrid can seal the 2019-20 LaLiga title with three points against Villarreal this Thursday, although some surprises are still possible up and down the table in the penultimate round of games.

All 10 matches are scheduled to be played at 9pm local time on Thursday evening, with decisive results possible too in the hunt for European qualification and battle against relegation.

Real Madrid can clinch their first LaLiga title since 2016-17, and a record 34th Spanish championship in total, when they host Villarreal CF at their temporary Alfredo Di Stefano stadium home.

Zinedine Zidane’s side have won all nine of their games since the restart from the Covid 19-break, but fifth-placed Villarreal need the points themselves to be sure of Europa League qualification for next season.

Four points back with just two games to play, FC Barcelona know they need a victory to have any chance of keeping their hopes alive when they host 11th-placed CA Osasuna.

Barca have won 16 and drawn two of their 18 LaLiga home games so far this season. Osasuna’s last win at the Camp Nou came on the penultimate weekend of the 2008-09 season.

Sixth-placed Getafe CF are still looking to secure a return to the Europa League for 2020-21 when they host an Atletico Madrid side who last weekend secured qualification for next season’s Champions League.

Getafe’s last LaLiga victory over neighbours Atletico came back in 2011, they have not scored even once in 14 meetings since (13 defeats and one draw).

Sevilla FC also confirmed their top four finish last weekend thanks to a 2-0 victory over RCD Mallorca, with the Andalusians now travelling to Real Sociedad who with two games left are sitting in seventh spot, well set to secure another season in the Europa League next year.

9th-placed Valencia CF’s hopes of Uefa competition next season have slipped with just one win in their last six LaLiga games, so Los Che really need three points when they host an RCD Espanyol team already planning for next season after relegation to LaLiga SmartBank was confirmed last week.

SD Eibar and Real Valladolid have both been able to celebrate securing their place in LaLiga Santander for next season last weekend, so their meeting at Ipurua should be an amicable occasion, especially as Eibar coach Jose Luis Mendilibar was previously a popular boss of Valladolid.

D. Alaves draw against Getafe on Monday moved them four points clear of the drop zone, so they can ensure safety with a victory at a Real Betis team who are already safe and with new coach Mauricio Pellegrini appointed as their new coach for 2020-21.

RC Celta also know that a win will ensure them of safety when they host a Levante UD side who have already reached their objective for the season. Goals are likely at Balaidos as this fixture has averaged over four a game during the last four seasons.

Hoping for Alaves and Celta to slip up are CD Leganes and RCD Mallorca. 18th-placed Leganes improved their hopes of beating the drop when they beat Valencia 1-0 last weekend and really need to repeat that victory at Athletic Club, who themselves still have a chance of Europa League qualification.

19th-placed Mallorca will be fighting for their safety when they host a Granada CF team still hoping to make the Europa League.

Home form has been crucial in Mallorca’s attempt to escape the bottom three; they have taken six points while scoring seven goals in their last two games at Son Moix.

Watch LaLiga Santander live this weekend on SuperSport 7 and GOtv’s SuperSport Select 4.

Ebere Orji continued with her fine scoring form as she netted twice but Linkopings were held to a 2-2 draw by Faith Micheal's Pitea in Wednesday's Swedish Damallsvenskan encounter.

The 33-year-old is settling in well in Linkoping since arriving from Umea in January and has scored three goals in three appearances for Olof Unogard's team this season.

The draw means the 2018 Swedish champions are now unbeaten in four matches, while Unogard's team failed to win for the first time four matches since the start of the 2020 season.

Having gained a two-point lead at the top of the log, Linkopings built on their impressive run and nearly found the breakthrough through Uchenna Kanu in the 32nd minute.

On the brink of half-time, Frida Maanum set up Orji to break the deadlock and score her fourth goal of the season in the 45th minute.

However, Pitea found the leveller when Nina Jakobsson was played through by Cecilia Edlund four minutes into the second half.

In the 61st minute, Johanna Alm teed up the Nigerian striker to grab her brace of the match and restore the lead for the visitors.

Linkopings' hopes of snatching the three points were dashed when they conceded a penalty which Julia Karlernas converted two minutes from full-time to force both teams to share the spoils.

With her latest brace, Orji, who was in action for 70 minutes, has taken her tally to five goals in four games and still tops the scorer's chart, and compatriot Kanu was involved from start to finish.

For Pitea, Micheal was also in action for the duration on her fourth outing this season as her side extended their unbeaten run.

Despite the draw, Linkopings are still on the top of the Damallsvenskan log with 10 points from four matches, while Pitea are second with eight points from the same number of games this term.

Up next, Linkopings will play host to Ngozi Okobi and Halimatu Ayinde's Eskilstuna United on July 19, while Pitea will seek to maintain the fine run at Vittsjo on the same day.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa has confirmed they have secured a sponsorship deal with a betting firm for the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

Mwendwa revealed the FKF secured the partnership which is worth KSh1.2 billion for five seasons with an unnamed gaming firm.

The news comes after the 2019/20 season ran without a sponsor as the league managers, KPL Management, failed to secure a replacement for SportPesa who exited the Kenyan market following a protracted tax battle with the government.

“The deal has been signed already but we are going to make public who our new partner is in the coming days,” Mwendwa told Goal on Wednesday.

“But for your information, it is a global betting firm.”

The FKF has secured the deal in earnest before the start of the 2020/21 season which will mark the first campaign the federation will be in charge of as the KPL exits.

The KPL’s contract to manage the league is expected to end in July 2020 and Mwendwa had confirmed they were not keen in renewing it.

SportPesa also sponsored KPL heavyweights Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards who ended up facing tough seasons financially.

AFC Leopards saw key foreign players leave the club after they went for five months without pay.

Head coach Casa Mbungo Vincent Habamahoro, Ismail Diarra, former captain Soter Kayumba, and Tresor Ndikumana exited Ingwe after the circumstances failed to improve.

Whyvonne Isuza, Brian Marita, and John Makwatta left for Wazito FC, Tusker and Zesco United, respectively.

The 1998 league champions had to seek help from fans via a pay bill number and such efforts ensured they honoured the matches.

On the other hand, Gor Mahia’s struggle was characterised by go-slows and salary delays. Jackson Owusu faced the wrath of a Buruburu Hotel when the club could no longer afford to pay his bills due to the financial hitches.

Last year, FKF landed a KSh90 million sponsorship deal with betting firm Betika for the National Super League (NSL).

The partnership ensured each of the 20 NSL teams gets KSh750, 000 every season and the latest news should be welcome for the KPL sides that struggled in the past season.

The financial hitches saw the 2005/06 league champions Sony Sugar relegated after they failed to honour three away matches.

Chemelil Sugar, according to FKF’s decision to cancel the season due to the coronavirus pandemic, stand relegated

They had also failed to honour two matches and were at the bottom of the 17-team table when the federation cancelled the competition in May.

Manchester City "should definitely go for Harry Kane", according to Trevor Sinclair, who says the Tottenham striker would give Pep Guardiola a "plan B" in the final third.

Kane sparked speculation over his future at Spurs at the end of March after suggesting he could walk away from the club in order to fulfil his silverware ambitions.

The 26-year-old has been consistently among the Premier League's top scorers since breaking into the Tottenham first team in 2014, winning the Golden Boot on two occasions.

He has hit 19 goals in 31 outings for the club in 2019-20, but has struggled for form since the resumption of the season last month.

Kane has only scored twice in his last six appearances, and Arsenal legend Paul Merson has been among those to suggest that the England international's output will continue to suffer for as long as he is forced to fit into Jose Mourinho's rigid set-up.

Manchester United and Manchester City have both been tipped to offer the highly-rated centre-forward a way out of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but club chairman Daniel Levy will reportedly demand a fee in excess of £100 million ($126m) for a prized asset.

Sinclair acknowledges the fact Kane is likely to cost a fortune in the current market, but has backed Guardiola to make a move for the Spurs star in order to increase his options up front, while also throwing Wolves frontman Raul Jimenez into the mix as a potential alternative target.

“He’s mobile which Pep [Guardiola] wants his players to be," the ex-City winger told talkSPORT. “His hold-up play is excellent and as good as there is out there when he’s got his back to goal.

“And since Edin Dzeko has left the club they haven’t had that aerial competition in the box, all of their forwards are 5ft 8.

“When a club has a deep block against them – which most clubs do – sometimes if it’s not working, they need to have a plan B.

“A tall striker as a back-up option isn’t a bad option. I mentioned Raul [Jimenez] from Wolves too – but they should definitely go for Harry Kane.

“But because he’s English he’ll probably come at an astronomical fee so they’ll probably go for Raul.”

Sinclair went on to express his belief that Kane is probably already thinking about undertaking a new challenge away from Tottenham, with Mourinho's men now set to finish outside of the top four for the first time in five years.

He added: “A lot of people are starting to talk about Harry Kane and asking where his next move is. He loves the club and he wants to be loyal. But as fans, broadcasters and commentators, we have been speaking about him for a while.

“Don’t even think that Harry Kane and his agent aren’t speaking about it. We look at Tottenham last season, Champions League final and flying – they’re now a shadow of their former selves.

“I’ll be very surprised if Kane hasn’t thought about leaving.”

Gor Mahia coach Steven Polack has once again hit out at football bosses in the country for failing to come up with a binding ruling on the fate of the 2019-20 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season.

While Football Kenya Federation (FKF) moved to end the season owing to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, KPL stood their ground accusing FKF of doing a job that belongs to them.

KPL then went further to state they will give direction on the league and on three occasions, they have found it difficult to do the same because of the extension of curfew on sporting activities and social gatherings.

Though Gor Mahia have been registered by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) as Kenya’s flag bearers in the Champions League for next season, the British coach has insisted a binding decision from the two bodies was all the football fraternity needed to know the final fate of the season.

“You know after the president said there is no social gathering, we are doing nothing, we are still in the dark, will the league continue, was the league ended? In fact, everyone is in the dark,” Polack told Goal .

“Imagine after three months, FKF and KPL have refused to come out and tell us what is happening, we are all in the dark, we don’t know what is happening, it is not good at all for Kenyan football, something needs to be done, and it should be made public.

“We don’t know what is the fate of the league, other leagues have already made their decision firmly known, even in Tanzania they have now played the league to the end, Uganda they made it known, so why can’t the two bodies come together and give us the way forward?

“This confusion is too much, my players are always asking me if the decision by FKF is final, and they already know KPL are against it, it is high time we got the final decision of the league, let them make a ruling once and for all and we will all abide by it.”

By ending the season, FKF also confirmed Kenya will not have a representative in the Confederation Cup since the Shield Cup was yet to be played to the end.

For a generation of Super Eagles fans, one of the more iconic images of the 21st century is that of Osaze Odemwingie celebrating at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations.

That famous two-goal cameo in the game against South Africa in Monastir made him into a household name almost overnight. However, it was back in 2001 that the forward truly began to catch the eye.

His performances at Benin Club Insurance saw him called up by Nigeria coach Adegboye Onigbinde in preparation for the 2002 World Cup. He would ultimately fail to make the cut, and was instead named as one of two alternate players.

That was a period defined by a great deal of experimentation in the national team set-up, as Nigeria sought to rebuild the national side following its now-infamous disbandment after the 2002 Africa Nations Cup. Odemwingie was very much a part of this new wave, splitting time between the Super Eagles and the U-23s.

Nevertheless, he played a vital role in qualifying for the 2004 edition, scoring in a rousing come-from-behind 2-2 draw against Angola in Benin City. Fielding a heavily-depleted side, Christian Chukwu's side were two goals down inside 55 minutes before staging a fightback for the ages.

Kalu Uche halved the deficit with a header, but it would be the dual-national with the boyish looks who would complete the turnaround. Amid the chaos of a hotly-debated penalty award, Odemwingie held his nerve to convert, his spot-kick effectively confirming Nigeria's place in Tunisia.

It was fitting then that, having scored the goal that sealed qualification, he would seize the opportunity of the tournament itself to announce himself to the world.

A lot needed to happen to lead up to that moment, of course. In the first place, it is unlikely that Chukwu, needing more goals to pull clear of South Africa, would have turned to him had Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Victor Agali not been busted for indiscipline within the camp. Also, perhaps with a better goalkeeper than Emile Baron, the story might have been different.

Then again, one might argue that when the stars are so keen to align, there is little mere mortals can do but stand aside and let the cards fall as they will.

Certainly that feeling is reinforced by the fact that Julius Aghahowa, the only other striker left following the defenestration of the other two, then picked up an injury in the very next game against Benin Republic, further bumping Odemwingie up from substitute to starter.

“Every thing has it's own time and I believe that you don't have to rush things,” he said of his rise to prominence. “They will come easy at the right time and when it gets to that time, you will feel it.”

He certainly felt it, and scored once more in the tournament — in the third-place play-off against Mali. Three goals in his first ever outing with the national team; not a bad return by any stretch. However, the wider significance of his performance in Tunisia (and his entire international career, really) was probably in challenging a Nigerian stereotype.

Ten years prior, the Super Eagles had won a second Afcon in Tunis with the physical prowess of a snarling, grunting Rashidi Yekini leading the line. In the ensuing years, he came to be seen as the walking epitome of what a Nigerian striker should be, and it is arguable that the rise of Odemwingie was the key to widening perceptions.

The son of a Russian mother, his softer features and less aggressive style made it clear there was more than one way to play as a striker for the national team.

Although he rarely ever played centrally after that tournament, his versatility and knack for important goals meant he enjoyed a quite fulfilling international career.

He was also able to stand out even in some of the Super Eagles' lowest moments: he was one of the few bright spots in Amodu Shaibu's dour third spell in charge of the national team and was named in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations Best XI, and he famously scored the goal (against Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2014) that won Nigeria a World Cup match for the first time in 16 years.

As is often the case when discussing legacy, it is impossible to overlook the unsavoury.

Odemwingie frequently had run-ins with authority, and was outspoken almost to an unhelpful degree. He publicly called into question the decision-making and tactical nous of both Amodu and Lars Lagerback, and famously fell out with Stephen Keshi before being recalled on the eve of the 2014 World Cup.

While these anecdotes are useful for a more rounded view of the player, they do not detract significantly from Odemwingie. For all that mixed parentage can sometimes regrettably bring a player's loyalty into question, he was remarkably dedicated to the cause when he was called up.

While he was hardly a pioneer, his combination of finishing ability, pace, versatility and tactical intelligence also went a long way toward aiding the acceptance of dual nationals in the landscape of the Nigeria national team.

Former Nigeria international Pius Ikedia has revealed he enjoyed the best part of his professional career at Eredivisie giants Ajax.

Playing at Cote d’Ivoire’s Asec Mimosas at that time, the pint-sized winger was signed by the former European champions on the back of an impressive display at the 1999 Fifa U20 World Cup.

At the tournament, he scored his only goal in the Round of 16 clash against the Republic of Ireland where the Flying Eagles edged the Europeans on penalties after the scores stood at 1-1 after extra-time.

Owing to a lack of playing time at the Johan Cruyff Arena, he was loaned to Groningen and RBC Roosendaal before an outright sale to AZ Alkmaar in 2005 – where he was loaned to another Dutch outfit RKC Waalwijk.

Before drawing the curtains on his professional career, he had spells at Metalurh Donetsk, RBC Roosendaal, AZAL, Mağusa Turk Gucu and OFC Oostzaan.

However, he claimed he played his best football at Ajax, although there was not much money to spend.

“For me, Ajax was where I played my best football because they take care of their players,” the 40-year-old said on Brilla FM as reported by Completesports.

“In terms of money they don’t spend that much but you are comfortable, the training is one of the best if not the best in Europe.”

Now an assistant coach at a high school in the United States of America, Ikedia who was famous for his darting speed claimed his height was never a factor during his playing days.

”I think the height of a thing is that if such a player has the talent your height will be overlooked,” he continued.

“There’s a kind of talent such a player will possess teams will overlook your height. It’s just like [Diego] Maradona and [Lionel] Messi.”

He also represented Nigeria at U23 level, before featuring 15 times for the Super Eagles – where he featured at the 2002 Fifa World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.

Asked about his most memorable game in the national team shirt, Ikedia picked the make or break 2000 Sydney Olympics against Zimbabwe.

“My best game for Nigeria was the one I played at the National Stadium [in Lagos] against Zimbabwe during the Sydney 2000 Olympic qualifiers,” he added.

“We needed to win the game 4-0 and the funny thing was that the Zimbabwe coach was former Super Eagles coach Clemens Westerhof. 

“So we needed four goals to qualify for the Olympics and a day before the match I couldn’t sleep. I remember asking Yakubu Aiyegbeni and other teammates how we are going to score four goals. But I just said we are playing at home and with God everything is possible.

“The first half was 2-0 in the second half we managed to score the third goal in the 85th minute I made the fourth goal. That was how we qualified for the Olympics so that game I can never forget.”

Cape Town City have announced the second round of testing for Covid-19 has not produced positive tests at the entire club.

The Citizens are itching to return to action as the South African Football Association (Safa) announced the return dates of the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season.

Coach Jan Olde Riekerink's men became the first PSL club to return to training on the field of play last week just after the South African government announced top-flight teams can return.

In a statement posted on the club’s official Twitter account, the Mother City outfit confirmed they have no positive tests on Wednesday as the season remains suspended because of the pandemic since March 2020.

“The club can confirm that the second round of PSL #Covid19 testing produced zero positive tests across the entire club,” reads the post from City.

In the wake of the order from the government and the Sports Ministry, all clubs were ordered to fumigate their training facilities, while all players and officials are tested for Covid-19 ahead of the resumption of the South African top-flight.

About a fortnight ago, the former MTN8 champions announced that all their players and technical staff tested negative for the ravaging pandemic.

In addition, the Dutch tactician will be looking to ensure that his men are ready when the suspended season resumes in a national camp to be staged in Gauteng.

City occupy 10th spot on the league standings, four points above 15th spot which is the relegation play-off position currently occupied by AmaZulu FC.

The club’s announcement comes after PSL chairman Irvin Khoza disclosed that all 16 PSL teams and 16 National First Division (NFD) clubs will only be required to have two rounds of coronavirus testing.

The 32 teams will then be located to a BSE [Biologically Safe Environment], which will be hosted by Gauteng where the suspended campaign will be completed.

Moreover, after a meeting on Monday, Safa announced the season is set to return next month where many fans cannot wait to see the PSL title race going down to the wire.

Current log leaders, Kaizer Chiefs were racing to finish the current campaign sitting at the top since the start of this term whilst second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns look to retain their title.

Sitting third is SuperSport United and Orlando Pirates who have 40 points apart whilst Maritzburg United are placed fifth and coach Gavin Hunt’s Bidvest Wits are sixth.

Kenya’s Ayub Timbe played for just 18 minutes in Reading's 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough at Madejski Stadium on Tuesday.

Timbe’s future at the Championship club remains unresolved as his short-term contract, signed in January 2020, edges closer to an end.

When Reading confirmed Charlie Adam, Tyler Blackett, Chris Gunter, Garath McCleary, Jordan Obita and Gabe Osho had extended their contracts, it stated Timbe and others would have their issues solved before the end of July.

Timbe is at Reading on a loan deal from Chinese side Beijing Renhe.

Meanwhile, Timbe’s manager Mark Bowen claimed his side deserved to have won even though he blames players for letting Boro back into the match.

“We started well, we got our noses in front, we should have had a penalty, John Swift had a shot that looks like it's going in and then at the last minute it moves and hits the post - either of those go in and it would have given us a cushion and I think we would have gone on to comfortably win the game,” Bowen told the club’s portal.

“But we let them back in it with some sloppy defending and then going into the latter stages of the game, they had everything to fight for.

“Maybe we just took our eye off the ball in those closing stages and it cost us the game.

“But tonight a few individuals were a little casual with the ball and we made mistakes.”

The gaffer also revealed a concern for Reading’s incapability to build on previous wins and get more points from subsequent ties.

“We've done well in the last few games and just when you think, we're at home, go on and put in a performance in and stake a claim for a top half of the table finish, or even the top 10...we get beaten with a disappointing performance,” Bowen added.

“We're in that mid-table mediocrity now, which is horrible really. It is important to strive for points in the final two games, for the fans watching at home and for the club.

“And we've also got to look to the future now and make sure we're stronger going forward.”

Former India international and football coach Syed Shahid Hakim has tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently quarantined in a hotel in Hyderabad.

Reportedly, the 81-year-old initially tried to get himself admitted in a government hospital but was unhappy with the facilities and didn't find a bed at the military hospital.

"I tested positive a couple of days back after breathing problems, and was taken to a government facility where things were not upto the mark. In the military hospital, no bed was available. My nephew lodged me in a private hotel here in Hyderabad and I am feeling better now," Hakim told The Indian Express.

Son of legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim and for someone who was selected to officiate matches at the 1988 AFC Asian Cup in his refereeing career, he also aledged that the government is not doing enough even after the demises of PK Banerjee and Chuni Goswami.

"I am the only football olympian surviving in India. I have been the national coach and sports administrator. I had written to the sports minister saying that all football Olympians are dying one after another and the government is not taking care of them properly.

"The cricket board takes care of its old cricketers, why can’t government reach out to us? At least some pension to the families and medical expenses should be provided to us," Hakim prodded.

Hakim was awarded the Dhyan Chand in 2017, the highest award in Indian sports for lifetime achievement in sports and games, and was the second footballer to the honour after fellow Hyderabadi Shabbir Ali in 2011.

After a playing career of 25 years, Hakim continued his contribution to the sport as a referee from 1970, post which he turned to coaching and had a 10-year stint as the Chief Project Director at Sports Authority of India (SAI).

Mamelodi Sundowns utility player Thapelo Morena says his versatility has given his coaches “confidence” to field him in attacking positions.

The former Bloemfontein Celtic player can operate as a right-back, right attacking winger, in the middle of the park or as a forward, giving Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane more options.

Mosimane has however used him mostly as a winger, creating a largely effective combination with right-back Anele Ngcongca.

“Even though I play at right-back, when I look at my game I just don't look for the right-back possibilities. I always look for the gaps in the attacking areas and I think that gave my coaches confidence to put me in those attacking positions,” said Morena as per Sowetan Live.

“I also look at what right-wingers do, what the strikers do and what I can do if I'm played there. It's more about making sure that the team benefits from whatever position I'm placed at in a particular match.

“It also depends on the tactics of the day and the opposition because I actually sit down and watch videos with the coaches before we decide what my role will be in a particular game.

“What I'm happy about is the fact that I've been able to adapt and keep my game at a good level in whatever position I've been asked to play. I also look around me and not at one position.”

Now in his fourth season at Sundowns, Morena was having a good campaign which was however disturbed by a serious ankle injury that left him requiring surgery in February.

Before sustaining the injury, he had featured in 29 games across all competitions this season, scoring five goals and making eight assists.

He was ruled out for the rest of the season but could return to finish the campaign while playing if football continues in South Africa.

Dates for the resumption of the season are not yet clear and Morena could be back to participate in Sundowns’ remaining nine Premier Soccer League (PSL) matches as well as the Nedbank Cup semi-finals.