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MLS has announced that 18 players and six staff members have received positive tests as the league prepares to return to play for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The league is set to resume on July 8 with the start of the MLS is Back tournament, with each of the league's teams heading to Orlando for a competition that will include a group stage and knockout rounds.

Teams were able to begin training on June 4 and, since training began, a total of 668 players have been tested.

On Sunday, MLS confirmed that, of those 668, 18 have received positive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests prior to heading to Orlando.

Prior to travelling to Orlando and entering the league's isolated setup for the tournament, players and staff must complete an additional two PCR tests 24 hours apart and within approximately 72 hours of travel. After that, all of those travelling will be required to take another PCR test and will be quarantined until they receive the result of that test.

Any individual who produced a positive test after arriving in Orlando will undergo a clinical assessment by a healthcare provider while also being moved to the isolation area of the hotel until receiving medical clearance.

Starting on Tuesday, the league will begin providing updates every other day with testing results for all involved in the MLS is Back tournament.

As of Sunday, three MLS clubs have already entered the league's setup in Orlando: the San Jose Earthquakes, FC Dallas and hosts Orlando City.

So far, a total of 329 people have been administered PCR tests on-site, with two tests producing positive results from players who had just arrived in Orlando.

With the tournament nearing kickoff, all teams are required to be settled in Orlando within seven days of their opening match of the tournament.

The tournament will make MLS the first major men's professional sports league to return to play in the U.S., with the NWSL resuming play this past weekend.

Hosts Orlando City will face local rivals Inter Miami in the first matchup of the tournament and the first matchup of the two Florida teams.

Later that night, Inter Miami's expansion partner Nashville SC will face the Chicago Fire.

Bayern Munich can win the Champions League and DFB-Pokal to complete a treble of championships, according to former president Uli Hoeness.

The German giants clinched their eighth successive Bundesliga title earlier this month and lifted the trophy after a 4-0 win against Wolfsburg on the weekend.

With the Bavarians to play in the DFB-Pokal final against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, and being in pole position to progress through their round-of-16 Champions League tie versus Chelsea, Hoeness believes Bayern can win the treble - a feat the club achieved famously in 2012-13.

Bayern will go into this weekend's cup final as hot favourites, while their 3-0 win against Chelsea in the first leg at Stamford Bridge puts them in the box seat to progress to the last eight in their European campaign.

"If our team can preserve this form, we have a good chance of winning everything," Hoeness told Blickpunkt Sport.

"I hope that the team can keep the rhythm."

Bayern became the seventh European team to win a treble in 2012-2013, defeating Dortmund in the Champions League final, Stuttgart in the DFB-Pokal, after clinching the Bundesliga by a mammoth 25 points.

This time around, Bayern won the league title by 13 points ahead of Dortmund, but scored an extraordinary 100 goals on their way to sealing the club's 30th German top division championship.

Hoeness praised the team for reaching such an impressive mark and called on the Bundesliga's other teams to improve so Bayern won't waltz to a ninth straight title next season.

"It's really special to score 100 goals in a Bundesliga season. It's a sensational achievement," Hoeness said.

"The other [teams] have to work harder now. You can't expect Bayern to work only half a day to make the Bundesliga more exciting."

Robert Lewandowski has scored a staggering 49 goals for Bayern in all competitions, including 34 in 31 league matches and 11 in only six Champions League games.

On the flank, Serge Gnabry added an impressive 19 goals in his breakout season for the club since joining in 2017, while Thomas Muller broke the Bundesliga assists record.

Inter Milan have used Obafemi Martins as the focus for the first episode of their new documentary series titled 'Inter Roots'.

The video highlighted the rise of the Nigeria forward from Inter's youth team to the first team, where he scored 49 goals in 136 appearances for the Nerazzurri.

Martins joined Inter Milan from Serie C side Reggiana in 2001 - the club signed him from Nigerian outfit FC Ebedei after his impressive three-month trial.

He started his career in Milan with the youth team and he played a key role in helping the club win the Campionato Nazionale Primavera - an Italian youth competition - in his debut campaign with 23 goals scored in the 2001-02 season.

The Nigerian forward was promoted to the first-team the following season, and he made his Serie A debut against Parma in December 2002.

Martins is renowned for his pace on the ball and his somersault celebration whenever he scores.

The 35-year-old won two Coppa Italia, one Serie A title and an Italian Super Cup during his five-year stint with the Nerazzurri.

"From the Youth Sector to the First Team: Obafemi Martins is the protagonist of the first episode of "Inter Roots"," the club tweeted.

He left the Italian giants in 2006 to team up with Premier League club Newcastle United before switching to Wolfsburg, Rubin Kazan, Birmingham City, Levante, Seattle Sounders and Shanghai Shenhua later in his career.

He is yet to find a new club since he was released by the Chinese Super League club after he suffered a knee injury during an AFC Champions League game in April 2018.

Despite his lengthy absence from competitive football, Martins told Goal he is still thirsty for more goals and silverware.

“After my career-threatening injury in China, many people advised me to quit but I told myself I still have a lot to offer the beautiful game,” he said in an exclusive interview in November.

“Football is my life; I eat, drink and sleep football so I don’t see any reason to call time on something that makes me happy.

“I’m 34 but I feel like a teenager, and with this sensation, I can still play for any big team across the world. I’m thankful for what I have achieved in football but I thirst for more.

“That desire is still there, the desire to score more goals and win more titles. For my next move, I have got offers from the United States, China and Saudi Arabia but I will only move when I see the right bargain.”

Manchester United will face Chelsea in the semi-finals of the FA Cup while Arsenal will take on holders Manchester City.

The ties will be played at Wembley on the 18th and 19th of July.

Manchester United sealed their place in the last four on Saturday when they won 2-1 away at Norwich after extra time, as Harry Maguire struck with two minutes left to play against the hosts, who went down to 10 men late in the second half.

Chelsea went through with a narrow scoreline, too, as Ross Barkley was on target in the 63rd minute to secure a 1-0 win at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.

United and Chelsea have faced each other three times already this season, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team coming out on top each time. The Red Devils opened their Premier League campaign with a 4-0 win over Frank Lampard's team before beating them 2-1 in the Carabao Cup in October. They then got the better of the Blues at Stamford Bridge with a 2-0 Premier League victory in February. 

However, Chelsea's last FA Cup success came at United's expense, as the London outfit won the trophy for the eighth time in their history when they ran out 1-0 winners in 2018.

Arsenal progressed to the last four thanks to a late winner against Sheffield United on Sunday, with Dani Ceballos popping up with the decisive goal after Nicolas Pepe's first-half penalty was cancelled out by a David McGoldrick goal.

Manchester City secured their place in the the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory against Newcastle at St James' Park, with Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling on target.

Pep Guardiola's team are looking to defend their crown, having beaten Watford in the decider last year, but Arsenal are the FA Cup's most successful team, having won it 13 times in their history.

Manchester United are the second most frequent champions with 12 wins to their name, with their most recent coming in 2016. City, meanwhile, have won it six times each. 

The FA Cup final is scheduled to be played at Wembley on August 1.

Ghana international Bernard Mensah was on target as Kayserispor registered a 2-0 away triumph over Sivasspor in the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday.

The 25-year-old's effort seven minutes to full-time secured all three points for the Anatolian Star in the match week 29 fixture at Yeni Sivas 4 Eylul Stadium.

Despite the win, Kayserispor still stay trapped in the relegation zone while Sivasspor are third on the standings.

The goal was Mensah's fifth strike of the season in 23 league appearances. He also has eight assists to his name this term.

Hasan Huseyin Acar broke the deadlock for Kayserispor in the third minute of first-half injury time, benefiting from a Pedro Henrique assist.

That was after Mert Hakan Yandas wasted a 12th-minute penalty for the home side.

In the 83rd minute, Mensah wrapped up all three points for the visitors with a cool penalty.

He will hope to continue his fine form when the Anatolian Star host fifth-placed Besiktas in their next game.

The midfielder joined Kayserispor on a permanent contract last year following an initial loan deal from Atletico Madrid.

He had loan spells with Turkish club Kasimpasa and Portuguese fold Vitoria Guimaraes before transferring to Kayserispor.

Owing to his fine showing in the Super Lig, Mensah has reportedly attracted interest from giants Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas amid rumours of an imminent exit from Kayserispor at the end of the season. 

“Every football player wants to play [for] a big team," Mensah said in relation to the speculations, as reported by Fanatik.

"I am currently thinking only about Kayserispor.

"If such an offer comes, it will be considered.

“Every footballer wants to play in the Champions League and in the European League, [but] I'm happy here right now.

"However, if the offer comes from a big team, it will be important for the player's career. Then I will talk to our mother, Berna [Kayserispor Chairman Berna Gozbası]."

Mensah, a full Ghana international, will hope his fine season performance at club level convinces Black Stars coach CK Akonnor for a recall following a long snub for national duty. 

A 19-year-old man has been charged after a firework was thrown at the Liver Building as Liverpool fans celebrated their side’s Premier League title win on Friday.

Matthew Egglesden from Scarisbrick in Lancashire has been charged with causing criminal damage to the Royal Liver building and firing fireworks in a public place.

The 112-year-old building houses the club offices of city rivals Everton and was partially lit up blue on Friday evening.

Another man, 26-year-old Craig Campbell from Kirkdale in Liverpool, has been charged with assault after a man suffered serious head injuries during the gathering.

Campbell and Egglesden will both appear at Liverpool City Magistrates Court on Monday, June 29.

Supporters had gathered at the Pier Head to celebrate Liverpool’s title success for the second night in a row despite warnings from the club to stay away amid the risks of the coronavirus pandemic and a possible second wave.

Videos shared on social media shows fans ignoring social-distancing measures with flares and fireworks set off. Videos the next morning showed a considerable amount of rubbish left strewn across the Pier Head and other parts of the city centre.

Merseyside Police say 15 people arrested for various offences, including public order offences, drunk and disorderly and affray, have been bailed whilst investigations continue.

Police issued a section 34 dispersal order for the city centre until Sunday, which gives officers powers to break up groups of more than two people.

A joint statement by Liverpool, Merseyside Police, Liverpool City Council and fans group Spirit of Shankly condemned the scenes on Friday as “wholly unacceptable”.

“Several thousand people turned up at the Pier Head on Friday June 26 and some chose to ignore the social distancing guidance and risk public safety,” read the statement. “Our city is still in a public health crisis and this behaviour is wholly unacceptable.

“The potential danger of a second peak of COVID-19 still exists and we need to work together to make sure we don’t undo everything that has been achieved as a region during lockdown.

“When it is safe to do so, we will all work together to arrange a victory parade when everyone can come together to celebrate. Until that time, the safety of our city and our people continues to be our number one priority.”

Jurgen Klopp's side were confirmed as Premier League champions on Thursday after Manchester City suffered defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, meaning Liverpool can't now be caught at the top of the table.

Klopp and the players celebrated their victory at Formby Hall golf resort, where they had gathered earlier in the evening to watch the game.

Frank Lampard has praised Ross Barkley after he came off the bench to fire Chelsea into the FA Cup semi-finals, saying the midfielder is “reaping the benefits” of hard work on the training ground.

Barkley was introduced at half-time against Leicester on Sunday as Lampard responded to a sluggish first-half display from his side at the King Power Stadium with a triple substitution.

The former Everton midfielder, who also scored in the fifth round win against Liverpool, swept home Willian’s cross after 63 minutes for the game’s only goal and set up a last-four clash against Manchester United at Wembley next month.

Barkley has found himself in and out of the starting XI at Stamford Bridge this season, with only 14 of his 23 appearances in all competitions coming from the start.

Despite the lack of regular action Lampard says Barkley’s attitude cannot be faulted and thinks his match-winning display on Sunday is just reward for his efforts.

“I played with Ross and I know he’s a great lad. He wants to be the best player he can be and has a great attitude in that sense,” said the Chelsea boss. “I won’t touch on that one, all I’ll say is before we went into lockdown he put in some really good performances for us. 

“His attitude has been spot on in training since the minute we’ve been back, how he trains and it shows how he looked after himself in lockdown. 

“He was unfortunate not to start against Villa and since then has made an impact in every game he has played. 

“A great example of when you train at a level, have that attitude and when you have the quality that Ross has. He can score goals. He can shoot with both feet. He makes the box. He defended well and showed great discipline in his game against Manchester City. 

“He is reaping the benefits and showing it. I've got lots of time for Ross, he's a big player for us and you could see that in the last three games.”

Next up for Chelsea is a trip to West Ham in the Premier League on Wednesday.

Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling were on target as holders Manchester City coasted into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win at Newcastle United.

A 2-1 reverse at Chelsea on Thursday officially ended City's reign as Premier League champions and Pep Guardiola's men looked out to make a statement from the off at St James' Park.

De Bruyne, who turned 29 on Sunday, coolly slotted home a 37th-minute penalty in what was scant reward for a dominant first-half showing.

Sterling then added a fine second 22 minutes from time as City booked a last-four date with Arsenal at Wembley.

Riyad Mahrez blazed one over and bent another effort wide of the right post from 20 yards as City threatened early.

Karl Darlow twice denied Sterling in a match that was fast becoming an attack-versus-defence training drill.

It took a silly push from Fabian Schar on Gabriel Jesus to break Newcastle down, though, with De Bruyne rolling the resulting penalty into the bottom-left corner.

Aymeric Laporte headed narrowly wide just before half-time and Mahrez flashed another chance just over shortly following the restart.

Newcastle should have been level when Allan Saint-Maximin laid one on a plate for substitute Dwight Gayle, who astonishingly skied over from six yards with the goal gaping.

City immediately made them pay. Sterling drove at the Newcastle defence and cut inside before curling a cute finish into the bottom-right corner from 20 yards.

What does it mean? City's treble dream intact

The Premier League trophy may be about to reside in Liverpool's trophy cabinet for the first time but City are still in the hunt for an EFL Cup, FA Cup and Champions League treble. They seldom had to get out of first gear here.

Sterling and Mahrez torment Magpies defence

Steve Bruce's game-plan was clear – play deep, keep it compact and hit on the counter. The only problem is such a tactic allowed Sterling – who scored his first goal from outside the box since November 2018 – and Mahrez ample opportunity to attack and both men were a constant threat. 

That Schar was silly, Fabian…

Newcastle were unimaginative but defensively stubborn until Schar had two goes at pushing Jesus to ground. It was a real head-scratcher of a decision from the centre-back, one that ended the hosts' resilience. 

Key Opta Facts

- Newcastle have conceded two or more goals in 20 of their last 24 matches against City in all competitions.
- City have won their last 10 FA Cup matches by an aggregate score of 37-4. They are only the third team to achieve this feat since the turn of the 20th century, after Aston Villa (10 between 1913 and 1914) and Chelsea (13 between 2009 and 2011).
- De Bruyne is the first City player to score a goal on his birthday since Nolito against Everton in October 2016.
- De Bruyne has been directly involved in 30 goals in all competitions this season (12 goals, 18 assists), more than any other City player.

What's next?

City face Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals but are next set to give Liverpool a guard of honour when the new champions visit the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, a day after Newcastle make the mammoth trip to Bournemouth.

Samuel Chukwueze played for 89 minutes as Villarreal recorded a 2-0 La Liga win over Valencia at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday.

Javier Calleja’s men have been in superb form since the league resumption with victories over Celta Vigo, Mallorca and Granada, followed by a 2-2 draw against Sevilla in their most recent encounter.

This is indeed improved form compared to the period before the league suspension where they lost on the bounce to Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Leganes.

Chukwueze created the opening goal for Villarreal on Sunday in the 14th minute, passing to Gerard Moreno, who in turn gave it to former Barcelona striker Paco Alcacer to finish off in cool fashion.

The Yellow Submarines' second goal came with the help of Valencia goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, whose long kick was intercepted by former Arsenal man Santi Cazorla, who played it into the path of Moreno to do the rest.

Chukwuweze was taken off in the 89th minute with Javier Ontiveros replacing him.

The 21-year old Nigeria international produced 70 touches, two key passes and 52 accurate passes at an impressive 94% success rate, which was the highest among the Villarreal starters, followed by Cameroon international Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa with 93.9%.

Chukwueze was also successful in three of four long balls, three of four dribbles and also won six of eight total duels.

The 21-year-old has now completed 1,734 minutes of football from 31 appearances in La Liga this season, of which 16 have been starts while 15 were off the bench.

He has scored three goals and provided four assists, the most recent of which coming in the 1-0 win over Mallorca when he assisted Carlos Bacca’s goal.

Chukwueze’s last goal, however, dates back to November 24, 2019, in a 3-1 defeat at home to Ghana defender Joseph Aidoo’s Celta Vigo.

Sunday’s win puts Villarreal within three points of fourth-placed Sevilla, thus keeping their hopes of Champions League football next season very much alive.

They will, however, be wary of Getafe who are two points behind them and could overtake them for fifth place should they get the better of another Champions League hopeful in Real Sociedad on Monday night.

Frank Lampard says he will take some time to speak to his youngsters individually after three of them suffered the fate of being substituted at half-time, in a move that helped Chelsea to a 1-0 win over Leicester City.

Leicester had been the better team before half-time, and Lampard decided to take off 19-year-old Billy Gilmour, 20-year-old Reece James and 21-year-old Mason Mount for Ross Barkley, Cesar Azpilicueta and Mateo Kovacic.

Barkley ended up being the match-winner as the Blues improved in the second half, with the other substitutes allowing Lampard's side to control the match.

Having started each of his side's last two games, Lampard cited tiredness in Mount's case, while his other two youngsters were said to be lacking match fitness in their first starts since the season resumed.

"I could have made different changes as well," Lampard said at the King Power Stadium on Sunday evening. "Mason has played two games in a week and gave a lot of input against Manchester City for 90 minutes.

"Reece James hasn’t played for a long time, since lockdown. Billy was the same. These are contributing factors around it. They are going to be top players for this club no matter what. They are going to have top careers in football. They will have really, really top careers because of the players they are.

"Whether you can call it a learning experience, it was just a factor of how I saw the game. They can take it on board. They are all good lads, all train well and all have a good work ethic. I’ve never had a problem with the three of them at all. I’ve got no worries; it was just the circumstances today."

Lampard has been lauded for his faith in youth in Chelsea's team this season, offering an all-time record eight academy products the chance to debut for the west Londoners in a single campaign.

This has come with contract renewals for most of them and a reduction in the average age of the squad, as the club navigated their transfer ban by leaning on one of the best youth systems in English football.

Lampard showed his ruthless side to his three youngsters, but he isn't blaming them and may take them aside in the next analysis session following the match.

"Yes, I possibly will [speak to them again]," Lampard added. "I spoke to them all briefly at half-time and the end because it does happen in football. This is what it is. Sometimes it’s a tough game for different reasons.

"I’ll happily speak to them. I have got no problem with them; it certainly doesn’t feel an issue where I can say they didn’t give me anything. The performance was lethargic for the whole team and they were part of that.

"But individually, it’s very tough to stand out when a performance is like that. I’ll say that to them; it’s not a problem. If it’s a bit of a learning one, then fine but if I had a problem with work ethic or attitude I’d say it. But I don’t have that with them. It will be a brief conversation and we will move on. They are going to be big players for us."

Following the match, Chelsea drew Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final, but next they face London rivals West Ham in the Premier League.

Two of South Africa's nine provinces - Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal - are at the forefront of hosting the remaining matches of the 2019/20 PSL season. 

This includes 54 elite league matches, three Nedbank Cup matches and 44 National First Division (NFD) matches. 

Gauteng has more stadiums than any province in the country - they include FNB, Orlando, Bidvest, Makhulong, Ellis Park, Loftus Versfeld, Lucas Moripe, and Dobsonville among others. 

KwaZulu Natal has six PSL-approved venues such as Harry Gwala, Moses Mabhida, Princess Magogo, Sugar Ray Xulu, Chatsworth and King Zwelithini in Umlazi.  

PSL chairman Dr Khoza told Sunday Times that the league's application to the government for the biological safe environment (BSE) included Gauteng and North West but said KwaZulu-Natal came forward and presented a 'beautiful pitch'. 

"But we have since received a pitch from KZN which was a beautiful pitch. It's unbelievable," confirmed Khoza to the same publication. 

"Our application says we need two provinces but if one province can accommodate all the teams, so be it." 

Khoza appears to have changed his mind about completing the current campaign by July 31. 

He said the task team's report will indicate the number of fixtures left as well as the number of weeks needed to ensure the season is done and dusted by August 31, while confirming that everything will be discussed in Tuesday's board of governors meeting at the PSL headquarters.  

"The report of the task team will indicate how many fixtures and how many weeks we require because we must finish everything by August 31," he revealed.      

"We have been procedural in our approach all along. The date of the resumption of training and matches will be dealt with in that meeting. 

"We have to allow teams to train first because if we don't that there will be too many injuries."

Khoza also weighed in on the issue of expiring contracts and those who have already signed pre-contracts elsewhere such as George Maluleka of Kaizer Chiefs among others. 

And he encouraged the players to remain at their respective clubs until the suspended season is concluded to protect the integrity of football.

"It should be a give and take between all the parties concerned. We encourage all the stakeholders to make sure that we should finish the season with the same players," he confirmed. 

"We are also engaging with the unions to make them aware of the extension of the season. 

"It must be done according to the laws of the country. It must be a negotiation between the players and their clubs.

"We encourage everyone that we finish the season with the full complement of the players to protect the integrity of the sport. This will be a discussion between the clubs, players, players' union and in some cases, players' agents." 

The same publication reported the league may decide to split the 32 teams across the provinces - with 16 PSL teams allocated their own province and the other 16 NFD teams accommodated in another province to complete the season.  

Salimata Simpore netted twice for Dinamo-BSUPC as they thrashed ABFF U19 8-0 in the Belarusian Women's League contest on Sunday.

Simpore is enjoying an incredible start to life in Belarus, having scored her seventh goal in seven matches in a 6-0 Belarusian Women's Cup triumph over Zorka-BSU last Wednesday.

Dinamo went into the contest on the heels of seven games with no defeats and extended the feat with the latest win thanks to Cameroon's Claudia Dabda and Burkina Faso's Simpore.

Anastasia Shlapakova opened the scoring for the hosts to launch the goal feast for Maleyew Yury's side after just four minutes into the tie.

Simpore scored to double the lead for Dinamo five minutes later before Anastasiya Linnik grabbed the third in the 33rd minute, and the Burkina Faso striker bagged her brace three minutes later.

Hanna Pilipenko ensured the home side continued from where they left off in the first half as she scored nine minutes after the restart.

Karina Olkhovik fired home a sixth for the hosts in the 61st minute before Linnik registered her second goal of the encounter and substitute Valeria Shakhray wrapped up 15 minutes from full-time.

Simpore, who played 65 minutes of the encounter, has now scored eight goals in eight appearances for Dinamo, while Cameroon's Dabda was involved from the start to the finish.

A win saw Dinamo maintained their winning run to eight and retain their three-point lead at the top, ahead of closest rivals Minsk.

They are expected to keep up their high flying start when they take on Dnepr Mogilev, who bowed 9-0 to Minsk on June 4.

William Troost-Ekong was on parade in Udinese’s 3-2 defeat to Atalanta in Sunday’s Serie A game at Stadio Friuli.

The White and Blacks are on a 10-game winless run, with their last victory dated back to January against Sassuolo at home.

The Super Eagles star was afforded his 24th league start in the encounter, pairing Bram Nuytinck and Samir in defence but could not help his side to halt their unimpressive run of form.

 Luca Gotti’s men started the game sluggishly, allowing their visitors to take the lead in the ninth minute through Duvan Zapata.

Ivory Coast international Seko Fofana then set up Kevin Lasagna to level proceedings moments after the half-hour mark.

Luis Muriel restored the lead for the visitors and then scored his second in the 79th minute to ensure Atalanta secured all three points despite a late strike from Lasagna.

Troost-Ekong, who featured for 66 minutes before he was replaced by Rodrigo Becao, made five tackles and had an 88% successful pass rate.

With the result, Udinese are 15th on the league table with 29 points from 28 games, four places above the relegation zone.

Troost-Ekong joined the Stadio Friuli outfit in the summer of 2018 from Turkish Super Lig side Bursaspor and has been a consistent figure since his arrival in Serie A.  

In his debut campaign, the centre-back made 35 league appearances for Luca Gotti’s side, helping them to finish 12th on the table.

Troost-Ekong will be expected to play a key role as Udinese aim to maintain their Serie A status at the end of 2019-20 season. 

The Super Eagles vice-captain will hope to play for 90 minutes and help his side return to winning ways in their next league outing against AS Roma on July 2.

Pep Guardiola acknowledged his Manchester City side is bound to show more focus in their quest for FA Cup and Champions League glory after seeing the defence of their Premier League title officially ended.

City's 2-1 loss to Chelsea on Thursday saw Liverpool crowned champions but they were in fine form during a 2-0 victory at Newcastle United in Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final.

Kevin De Bruyne celebrated his 29th birthday by scoring a first-half penalty before Raheem Sterling put the finishing touch on a routine win after the break to book a last-four showdown with Arsenal.

It remains possible for City to complete an EFL Cup, FA Cup and Champions League treble this term, with Guardiola saying it is understandable his players' attentions are now on a return to Wembley as well as the last-16 return leg against Real Madrid in Europe's premier competition – a tie in which they lead 2-1.

"After the defeat in London against Chelsea, of course now in the Premier League we're struggling a little bit to focus," said Guardiola.

"We're playing for qualification to the Champions League, it's not done but we're close, we need two victories.

"But, of course, now the FA Cup and Champions League it's a little bit different for the fact we're playing at Wembley again, we were winners last season, we are in the semis again and that's so, so good. Then we prepare for the end of the season against Madrid."

On the game, Guardiola added: "First we are in the semi-final, it was not easy to attack against defenders so, so deep.

"It was a solid performance, we conceded few [chances]and we are happy to be going back to London to Wembley."

De Bruyne has become the designated penalty taker after City experienced a string of spot-kick woes this season.

The brilliant Belgium playmaker says it is a responsibility he is happy to shoulder.

"We had a few problems this year and I think the gaffer asked me to step up against Madrid," he said. 

"I've scored a couple now. If I'm the taker now I will try. Obviously there will be a day I miss, you have to take your responsibility, it if it's in it's good."

Rennes sporting director Florian Maurice has admitted he expected Tanguy Kouassi would join the club at a time his future with Paris Saint-Germain was up in the air.

The teenage centre-back made his senior breakthrough during the 2019-20 season, making six appearances in Ligue 1, and scored a brace in a 4-4 draw with Amiens.

He also had two outings in the Champions League, one of which was a 5-0 win over Galatasaray in the group stage, the other against Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16.

Kouassi had been in lengthy talks over a new professional contract with Thomas Tuchel’s side while other clubs were interested in offering him a pre-contract since his PSG contract expires on June 30.

He, however, refused to commit and has chosen to join Bayern Munich.

“Kouassi, it was a great opportunity, when I arrived, I said: "We are going, we must go, it is an exceptional opportunity.”, Maurice told Ouest-France

“I knew that with PSG it was going to be difficult, but frankly, I never imagined that he would leave Paris to go to Bayern. I imagined him leaving Paris to come to our place because I think the project suited him completely."

Maurice went on to assert that despite the interest Rennes had in Kouassi, he was never going to guarantee the Franco-Ivorian instant playing time.

“You are never guaranteed anything to a player, I am very honest with them, I never promise that they will play, no," he continued.

"One is the coach who makes the team. Two, it is not because you arrive that you will hold. I never say 'you're going to play so many matches', that would be lying.

“Kouassi, I think it was an opportunity compared to that, he will seek a little more playing time and I think that he was offered something very interesting.

“Then, with [coach] Julien [Stephan], we are also thinking about more experienced players. I cannot give a name, but we have identified players who are very difficult to get. We are on this type of profile too, we know that experience is also needed.”

After Kouassi’s switch to Bayern was confirmed, PSG coach Tuchel stated he was sad to see the defender go and at the same time did not understand his reasoning for the move.

“At 17 and without a professional contract, Tanguy played in our most important game against Borussia Dortmund,” Tuchel told the press.

“We trusted him. He could play as a centre-back and defensive midfielder. Without doubt, he had a big future here.

“For me, he shouldn’t have left now. I don’t understand the reasoning and I’m sad.”

PSG were crowned Ligue 1 champions for the third consecutive time after the season was cancelled at matchday 28 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

French clubs have, however, returned to training with the 2020-21 season scheduled to commence on the weekend of August 21-23.

Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta says the club is in "advanced negotiations" for Achraf Hakimi as the fullback nears a potential move to Serie A.

Hakimi has risen to prominence this season while with Borussia Dortmund, where he's made 45 appearances across his second campaign on loan with the German side.

With that loan set to end this summer, Hakimi has been linked with a number of moves, with parent club Real Madrid facing a decision when it comes to the fullback's future.

Borussia Dortmund had been in talks with Real Madrid to extend Hakimi's loan deal, according to sports director Michael Zorc, although the club has given up that chase in recent days.

Dortmund's Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich have also been said to be interested, while a return to Real Madrid and a place in Zinedine Zidane's squad has also been reported as a potential solution to Hakimi's uncertain future.

However, in recent days, Inter have jumped into the lead in the race to sign the Moroccan star, with the Italian side linked with a €40 million (£36m/$45m) deal to bring him to Italy.

And Marotta all but confirmed that the club is expecting that deal to go through with a final announcement possible in the coming days.

"The will of [owners] the Zhang family is to continue buying important players," Marotta told Sky Sports. 

"I confirm that we are in an advanced negotiation for Hakimi. [Inter sporting director Piero] Ausilio has been very good, but we must now conclude the negotiation.

"Tomorrow will be an important day, I am optimistic. It is a job done from Ausilio in these two months. This is an operation that, with the times that are going, is really very, very important."

He added: "To make a player like Hakimi on the left too? We want to raise the bar, it's the will of the owner. But we also have to mix in the economic needs, especially at this stage. We will see the opportunities.

Dortmund have already signed an apparent replacement for Hakimi, having brought in Thomas Meunier on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.

Hakimi scored five goals and added 10 assists for Dortmund this season in the Bundesliga, helping the club to a second-place finish.

Throughout his two-year loan spell, Hakimi made a total of 73 appearances and scored 12 goals, having also appeared 17 times for Real Madrid during his lone season with the Spanish side's first team.

Inter currently sit third in Serie A, trailing only league-leaders Juventus and second-place Lazio while sitting just ahead of fourth-place Atalanta.

Emuidzhi Oghiabekhva netted a hat-trick for Minsk in a 9-0 victory over Dnepr Mogilev in a Belarusian Women's League match on Sunday.

Having hit four in a 6-1 win over ABFF WU19 last week, Oghiabekhva did not take her foot off the pedal as she netted her fourth treble this season and third in a row in her side's latest triumph.

The visitors did not take long to gain the lead as Tamila Khimich intercepted a back-pass to fire the home side ahead inside the opening 20 seconds and almost netted her second a minute later.

In the fourth minute, Oghiabekhva found space from the middle of the park to launch a long pass to Khimich, who rounded the goalkeeper to slot home her second of the match.

Moments after seeing her effort go wide, the 30-year-old grabbed the third goal of the match in the 11th minute with a good finish before Anna Kozyupa netted the fourth 10 minutes later.

Six minutes after the restart, Oghiabekhva scored her second goal of the match to continue the surge of goals before she raced into the defence to complete her treble three minutes later. 

Red-hot Khimich maintained Minsk's ruthless attack as she hit her hat-trick in the 54th minute before hitting her fourth 14 minutes later and then her fifth and the hosts' ninth three minutes from full-time.  

The latest treble takes Ogbiabekhva's goal tally to 16 in eight games this season for Minsk and she lasted 54 minutes of the tie. 

Cameroon's Alvina Niyolle played for 63 minutes while Cote d'Ivoire's Nadege Cisse lasted the duration but Nigeria's Chioma Wogu missed out as she continued with her recovery from injury.

The latest win keeps holders Minsk just behind leaders Dinamo-BPUSC, with 18 points from eight matches this term.

Minsk will seek to continue their quest to reclaim the top spot when they host Botsor in their next top-flight encounter on July 5. 

Mainland Premier League giants Simba SC have retained the title despite a 0-0 draw against Tanzania Prisons.

Simba needed just a point to ensure they kept the league title and their performance at Sokoine Stadium in Mbeya gave them just that even though the hosts gave an equally brave fight to keep the champions at bay.

An additional eight minutes did not frustrate Wekundu wa Msimbazi in ensuring they went back to Dar es Salaam as champions again.

The draw means Simba collected four points at Sokoine Stadium after their previous encounter against Mbeya City which they won to close in on their 21st league title.

It is the first league title for coach Sven Vandenbroeck who arrived in December 2019 to take charge of the second most successful Tanzanian club. 

The 2019/20 successful league outing will also mean Simba have maintained their slot in the Caf Champions League competition. Vandenbroeck will be expected to perform better than his predecessor Patrick Aussems who got knocked out from the preliminary stage by UD Songo of Mozambique in Dar es Salaam.

The league victory underlines Simba and Yanga's dominance in the Tanzanian competition in the last decade. The two arch-rivals and Azam FC in one attempt, have bagged the title alone.

Timu ya Wananchi have won the league five times while Wekundu wa Msimbazi had clinched it four times in the last 10 seasons.

Simba's three successful consecutive campaigns, in the 2017/18, 2018/19 and in the 2019/20 seasons has matched Yanga's record achieved in the 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons.

The Mbeya record, however, is not the best that the club has achieved as it managed to defend the title in five consecutive seasons from 1976 to 1980. In 2001 to 2004, the Wekundu wa Msimbazi bagged the title in four uninterrupted campaigns as the Msimbazi street-side started what became another successful decade in their history.

It is the second time Simba have been champions in three straight campaigns as the same fete was achieved from 1993 to 1995.

They won the inaugural Premier League title, then known as Sunderland, in 1965 and 1966.

Apart from Yanga and Simba, no other Tanzanian club has managed to win the league gong and defend it in three or more consecutive seasons.

Simba will now shift focus and energy to the FA Cup tournament where they will take on Azam in the quarter-finals.

Elsewhere, Polisi Tanzania defeated Mbao FC 1-0 with Waziri Junior scoring the only goal of the encounter in the 65th minute at CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza.