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PSL's acting chief executive officer Mato Madlala says the competition will only resume as soon as the clubs complete all the required protocols. 

The current season remains suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic since mid-March 2020 and the South African Football Association (Safa) and PSL have been working together to ensure that football resumes in the country.

Last week, Safa confirmed the government has green-lit PSL teams to return to training pitches, but the 16 PSL and 16 National First Division (NFD) clubs have to do and submit Covid-19 tests as one of the key regulations that have to be met. 

The government has since given the PSL the go-ahead to resume the suspended season on Wednesday and Madlala has now explained the league will only restart once clubs follow all the required safety measures.

"Resumption of football has conditions. There are some protocols that we need to follow like testing. If they say, it can resume, yes, it can resume but we have to follow certain protocols in order to start," Madlala told IOL.

PSL chairman Irvin Khoza recently revealed that a national camp based in one province would conclude the campaign.

Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal are reportedly the provinces which have been earmarked by the PSL to host the national camp when the season resumes.

"From now on, we will have to do the audit of where we are with those protocols that we have to follow as individual clubs," Madllala, who is also the Lamontville Golden Arrows chairperson, added. 

Madlala went on to confirm that all PSL clubs have started the process of testing their players ahead of the league resumption.

"Yes, the process of testing at club level has started. Teams know what to do. That's why they have started testing," she concluded.

The Nedbank Cup semi-finals are also expected to take place with Mamelodi Sundowns set to take on Bidvest Wits, while Baroka FC will face off with Bloemfontein Celtic.

The reigning PSL champions Sundowns are also embroiled in a PSL title race with their Gauteng rivals, Kaizer Chiefs, who are keen to end their five-year trophy drought this term.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has announced plans to restart the 2019-20 Botola Pro season and Botola 2 campaign on July 24.

After a virtual meeting between the league authorities and the FRMF led by President Fouzi Lekjaa, it was announced the campaign will resume next month and end on August 8 without fans in stadiums.

Football activities in Morocco were suspended on March 14 to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country and following the progress made by health institutions, the top-flight and second division clubs have been cleared to resume.training sessions which will be in two stages. These are individual and collective sessions - from June 25 with the individual phase having five players occupying half of the stadium for 10 days.

The FRMF also concluded the start date for the 2020-21 football season will be October 16.

In reducing the impact of Covid-19 on players' performances, the federation approved the recommendation of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) which grants clubs permission to make five substitutions instead of three in a game. There will also be a pause for three minutes in every 30 minutes of a match.

Prior to the suspension of football in March, Wydad Casablanca sit at the top of the Botola Pro table with 36 points after 18 matches and they still have two games in hand.

FUS Rabat trail in second spot with 35 points after 20 games while Mouloudia Oujda are third with 34 points from 19 outings.

In the Second Division, Maghreb Fes and Chabab Mohammédia are leading the hunt for promotion to Botola Pro, and they are level on 39 points after 22 matches.

Claudia Dabda provided an assist and Salimata Simpore was on target for Dinamo-BSUPC as they gained a first-leg advantage in the Belarusian Women's Cup semi-final after defeating Zorka-BSU 6-0 on Wednesday.

The Cameroon defender and Burkina Faso striker have continued to impress since joining the Belarusian club during the winter transfer window this year. 

Going into the contest, Simpore contributed an assist in Dinamo's 5-0 thrashing of Neman to maintain their lead at the top last Friday.

Again at home, Dinamo maintained their fantastic form as Hanna Pilipenko opened the scoring through an assist from Anastasia Shlapakova in the 14th minute at the Dynama-Juni Stadium.

In the 31st minute, Anastasiya Linnik teed up Simpore to double the lead before Karina Olkhovik netted the third four minutes later and also set up Shlapakova for the fourth six minutes from half time.

After the restart, Linnik grabbed a fifth of the match off an assist from Vita Nikolaenko in the 59th minute before Dabda teed up Krystsina Tikhavodava to seal the victory nine minutes from time. 

Simpore's goal was her seventh in seven games for Dinamo and the Burkina Faso star, who lasted for 71 minutes.

Cameroon's Dabda was also involved from the start to the finish but South Africa's Bambanani Mbane was not involved in the encounter.

A draw in the second leg away on July 8 will be enough for Yury's ladies to advance to the semi-finals for the first time in their debut season.

Great Olympics director and former Ghana Football Association (GFA) vice president Fred Pappoe believes it will be "difficult" for the West African nation to resume the Premier League (GPL) amid the current coronavirus situation.

All domestic football competitions have been on hold since a national ban on public gatherings, including sporting and religious events, came into effect as part of measures to curb the spread of the deadly disease on March 15.

Following the recent return of some national leagues in England, Spain, Germany and Italy, there have been calls for Ghana to follow suit. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has revealed it is currently engaging the national government over the possible resumption of football under strict safe protocols such as playing matches behind closed doors.

“If you look at the fact that we are having the infection rate going up at this stage, it’s still dangerous, it’s not getting positive or encouraging,” Pappoe said, as reported by Footballmadeinghana.

“You will ask yourself whether, under the circumstances, we can start our game. Definitely we cannot unless there is a change.

“Now one can also argue that other leagues are playing, England, Spain and all the rest.

“But then you ask yourself what they did or what they are doing to enable them to play safely. Do we have the capacity to do what they’ve done or what they are doing to get to this level? Definitely I think that will also be difficult.

“So much as it is sad to say it, looking at what we know now and what is happening now, it will be very difficult to say we should start our game."

Ghana's ban on all contact sports, including football, remains in effect until at least July 31.

The GFA has set a June 30 deadline to make a final decision on the future of the 2019-20 Ghana football season in the wake of the disruptions.

The Premier League was at the matchweek 15 stage - with Aduana Stars leading the table - when the competition came to a standstill.

With huge uncertainties over the immediate future of domestic football due to the increasing number of coronavirus infections in Ghana, there have also been some calls for the complete termination of the season. 

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has warned there is more to come from his Manchester United as they target a third place finish after beating Sheffield United.

Man Utd moved to within two points of Chelsea in fourth after a dominant display at Old Trafford thanks to an Anthony Martial hat-trick.

And while Solskjaer was happy with his side’s performance, he thinks there is still room for improvement and thought they should have scored more.

“At times it was very, very good football we could and should have scored more goals to put the game to bed before half time,” Solskjaer said. “It’s always worrying going into half time knowing you should have scored [more] goals the way we controlled the game, pressed and stopped them playing.

“I’m very happy with it but there is still more to come and we shouldn’t be 100 per cent happy with it.”

The win means Man Utd are now six points off third-placed Leicester, with a trip to the King Power to come before the end of the season - and Solskjaer isn’t ruling out United finishing third.

“I have never said fourth is our aim. We want to win, we want to go up to third, of course we want to,” he said. “Hopefully we can count the points and only have two teams ahead of us at the end.”

Martial shone in the match, which was the first behind-closed-doors fixture at Old Trafford, and while everyone raved about his third - which was a lovely chip past Simon Moore - Solskjaer was more impressed with the Frenchman’s movement for the first goal.

“The third goal was a great goal. But for me the first and the second were better. He’s in the box, ready to go. We have worked on that, getting in the box in that situation more often,” Solskjaer said.

“At the near post he showed composure and I think, as I said, the first goal was vital the way he turns and gets himself into a position to score from Marcus' cross. [I'm] very pleased with that. 

“He’s getting more and more into those position he could have had one at Spurs  - a great turn and finish and a great save, he’s in good form.”

The hat-trick was Martial's first in senior football as well as the first scored by a Man Utd player since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

Robin van Persie was the last Man Utd player to fire three goals in one match, and Martial says he hopes Wednesday's hat-trick is a sign of things to come.

“It's special for me because it's my first one and I hope it's not the last one,” Martial told Sky Sports.

“It was a long time with nobody scoring three goals [for Manchester United].

“It was an important win against a team who are just behind us, so it is important for us to keep going and win the next one.”

 English North East Regional Women’s Football League side Wakefield Trinity Ladies has secured the services of Uganda defender Jean Sseninde on a one-year deal.  

Wakefield Trinity Ladies was established in 2019 and are bolstering their ranks ahead of the new 2020-21 season following the cancellation of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The English outfit were second in the 2019-20 season but their Women's National League promotion dreams were dashed after the season was voided with all results expunged.

The West Yorkshire based outfit had already confirmed the acquisition of Chelsea Pilmer, Rosie Gresswell, Tyler Carter Dabda and the latest and fourth this summer is the Uganda international.

The Crested Cranes star had enjoyed stints at Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier before being sidelined due to injury.

Earlier this week, Sseninde had established a partnership with the English outfit on the empowerment of women and youth in communities through education and non-formal skills training in Uganda.

"Wakefield Trinity Ladies FC will forge a partnership with the Sseninde Foundation and in the summer of 2021 Trinity player-coaches will visit Uganda, spend time with a Ugandan family and experience the culture but also deliver exhibition coaching sessions with their girls’ football teams, schools and communities during a two-week stay," the club recently announced.

Speaking on her switch to Goal, Sseninde expressed delight over her move and shared how valuable the opportunity is to return to the field again.

"I agreed on a one-year with an option of another extension with the club," she told Goal.

"My ambition now is to get back to playing next season and regaining full fitness after being out for almost a year with injuries and other commitments.

"Had a lot of injuries and needed to recover other commitments to help develop women’s football and administration work in the game which am still committed to and I will never put limits on what I can do and want all young girls to believe it’s all possible.

"For me now it’s to settle into getting back to a professional playing setting and also inspiring many young girls in Africa and around the world that you can be successful both in and off the field if you trust God, work hard, believe in yourself and stay committed. Never allow people to write you off or define you on what you want to achieve."

Sseninde will be aiming to return to the field after months out due to injury and inspire her new English side to the second division next season.

Liverpool moved a step closer to clinching their first title in the Premier League era with a resounding 4-0 triumph over Crystal Palace.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's delightful free-kick midway through the first half set Jurgen Klopp's side on the way as they maintained their 100 per cent league record at Anfield this season.

A 16th straight home victory in the competition in 2019-20, albeit this one coming inside an empty stadium due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, was wrapped up just prior to half-time by the returning Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool will now wait to see if Manchester City keep them waiting into July to end a 30-year wait to be crowned champions again; Pep Guardiola's side must win at Chelsea on Thursday to remain in the hunt, mathematically at least.

Palace were the last away team to triumph at Anfield in the Premier League, back in April 2017, though hopes of a repeat suffered an early blow when an already depleted visiting line-up lost the talismanic Wilfried Zaha to injury. 

Their cause was also not helped either by facing opponents clearly determined to do better after a Sunday stalemate against neighbours Everton. 

Georginio Wijnaldum had already spurned a glorious opportunity before Alexander-Arnold's sublime set-piece strike broke the deadlock, the full-back lifting the ball over the Palace wall and beyond Wayne Hennessey's desperate dive.

Fabinho's delightful pass picked out Salah's run in behind to lift the ball over the Palace goalkeeper in the 44th minute, while the Brazilian went for power to thump in a stunning third from distance 10 minutes into the second half.

Sadio Mane rounded out the scoring when Salah's throughball allowed him a clear run on goal before steering a low shot past Hennessey. Job done for Liverpool, meaning their attention now switches to what happens at Stamford Bridge.

What does it mean? Reds right on the edge

The 30-year wait (plus a few weeks) is almost over. Pedestrian in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on their return after a three-month hiatus, Liverpool were far more up to speed back on the other side of Stanley Park.

City will have a major say in when exactly a title race that turned into a procession long ago officially comes to an end, just not quite in the way they might have hoped.

All systems Mo again

In case anyone needed reminding, Salah demonstrated his importance to Liverpool. An unused substitute at the weekend due to a fitness concern, the Egyptian made it 15 home goals in the Premier League season.

Firmin-woe continues at Anfield 

While Salah and Mane scored, the other member of Liverpool's formidable frontline once again drew a blank at Anfield. Roberto Firmino is not all about goals, of course, but his last at home in the league was way back in March 2019, against Tottenham.

What's next?  

Liverpool have time to recover before they travel to the Etihad Stadium on July 2. Palace are in action prior to then, however, welcoming Burnley to Selhurst Park on June 29. 

Super-sub Ahmed El Mohamady was on target in Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw at Newcastle United on Wednesday, in the process ending his five-year wait to find the net in England’s elite division.

The hosts looked destined to secure maximum points at St James’ Park having taken a 68th-minute lead,  however, the 32-year-old headed home a corner-kick with seven minutes left to play to earn his team a point.

Dean Smith’s men neck to neck against Steve Bruce’s team with aspiration on ending their six-game run without a victory.

They could have taken the lead after six-minute but Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’ scraped his shot over the bar after meeting Ezri Konsa’s cross.

After a dominant first-half that ended goalless, Villa continued with their imposing display but go stunned in the 68th minute through substitute Dwight Gayle. He picked the far corner after being assisted by Andy Carroll.

That propelled manager Smith to introduce Conor Hourihane and El Mohamady as he looked for a comeback – which he got in the 83rd minute after the Egyptian headed past Hourihane’s corner past Martin Dubravka.

With that, he has now scored his first Premier League goal since March 22, 2015 – when he beat Thibaut Courtois in Hull City’s 3-2 defeat to Chelsea.

Also, that marked his second English topflight strike at against the Magpies – making Newcastle United the only side he has netted more than once against in the competition.

Tanzania superstar Mbwana Samatta was handed a starter’s role and he saw every minute of action, while Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba replaced John McGinn in the 77th minute.

Even with the draw, Aston Villa remain 19th in the log with 27 points from 31 league games - six ahead of Norwich City who sit at the base of the table.

For Newcastle, they are ranked 13th having accrued 39 points from the same number of matches. They welcome Manchester City in their next encounter on Sunday, as Samatta and his team continues to fight against relegation against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Frank Lampard says that he supports Raheem Sterling's fight for equality in football, but doesn't necessarily agree with the fact that his own rise in management was used in an individual comparison.

Sterling recently discussed the lack of minority coaches at the top level of football in the wake of ongoing protests for racial equality as part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

As part of that discussion, Sterling pointed to four former England stars, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole, while discussing their coaching journeys.

Gerrard and Lampard are currently managers at historic clubs in Rangers and Chelsea, respectively.

Campbell, on the other hand, has worked with both Macclesfield and Southend, while Cole is currently in charge of Chelsea's Under-15s.

In Sterling's eyes, Lampard and Gerrard's rapid rise to big management positions should be compared with the difficulties faced by their former England team-mates, who have had to take significantly more modest paths.

But Lampard says its important to not look at individual cases such as his own, although he admitted that there is still much work to be done when it comes to diversifying those in charge of top-level clubs.

"I think there is certainly an argument," Lampard said. "I think we're moving forwards and I think we can move forward more quickly, where [black] players are getting equal opportunities if they move into management.

"Not just players, but also young coaches who come into the game. The FA do a lot of good work, I've just finished my pro licence, it was very diverse, it was very open. That needs to be encouraged, if there's anything we can do to ensure everyone gets an equal opportunity in the paths towards management, then it needs to be done.

"The numbers suggest that needs to be done. But with Raheem, the individual comparison, when you don't have the detail of each person's pathway, I felt it wasn't quite right.

"Again, I'll level that out slightly, because I want to say that Raheem Sterling as a player, and as a person and what he's stood up for over the last two years, I think has been fantastic."

Sterling's Manchester City will face Lampard's Chelsea on Thursday as players will continue to wear shirts with "Black Lives Matter" patches on the sleeve.

The trip to Stamford Bridge comes just 18 months after Sterling was racially abused at the stadium, with the winger becoming a prominent voice in the battle against racism ever since. 

Frank Lampard is comfortable playing N’Golo Kante in an advanced midfield role because he believes the Frenchman has the attributes to play anywhere on the field.

Kante joined the Blues as a defensive midfielder in 2016 and was regarded as one of the best in the world in the role until Maurizio Sarri took over as coach in 2018.

The Italian coach began to use the ex-Leicester star further upfield to accommodate Jorginho, who slotted into the holding midfield role after his arrival from Napoli.

Kante excelled in his new role, however, scoring four goals and setting up another four in the Premier League last season, and Lampard has continued to play him there since he was appointed Chelsea boss last summer.

The 29-year-old has netted three goals in 19 top-flight appearances this term and Lampard says he has shown he is more than comfortable in several positions.

"I think we all know N'Golo's attributes, and he hasn't really played as the deep-lying midfielder, he's generally played as one of two, or in recent times one of the more slightly offensive players ahead of one deep-lying midfield player,” Lampard said.

"I think he has the attributes to do all roles, that's one of the beauties of the way he plays and, of course, what he gives by winning the ball back, being so quick in the tackle, so quick into the press, covering lots of ground – and also how good he is on the ball, I think people can underestimate how good N'Golo is on the ball, how quickly he can move with it and pass the ball.

"So I've got no problem in playing him in different positions, it's something we've worked on with him a little bit, and it gives me good options to have different types of attributes in that deeper position at times."

Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League after 30 matches, four points behind third-placed Leicester and five ahead of Manchester United.

The London side’s next match is at home to second-placed Manchester City, three days before they visit Leicester in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has hailed "incredible" Willian, detailing how the normally-reserved winger has emerged as a vital leader for the Blues this season.

The 31-year-old has been with Chelsea for seven years, winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League during his time at Stamford Bridge.

However, Willian could depart at the end of the season, with his contract originally set to expire at the end of June.

The Brazilian recently delayed that departure, though, joining Pedro in agreeing to terms through the end of the 2019-20 season.

Willian has made it publicly clear that the Blues are unwilling to offer him the three-year deal he's hoping for, and, as a result, his future remains undecided.

Having played with the winger, Lampard has a unique appreciation for the Brazilian and the Chelsea boss is thrilled to have Willian involved for the final eight matches of the Premier League season as well as the FA Cup and Champions League.

"He's been incredible in terms of that the younger players look up to him," Lampard said. "He's played every level, and at a high level himself throughout.

"He has a great character about him and it's good, it's important when you have a lot of young players that they have people to look up to from within. He's not a shouter and a screamer, but he certainly works by example in how he is daily, so yes, I'm very thankful for having him in the squad this year."

In recent times, Willian, like most modern footballers, has seen his fair share of criticism on social media.

The Brazilian, who has started all but one of Chelsea's Premier League matches, isn't deserving of any of it, Lampard says.

The head coach added that he understands the importance and influence of social media, but he won't let outside opinions impact his own decision-making process.

"In terms of social media, I remember the back-end of my playing career I had a couple of moments of viewing of what fans thought of me, either Chelsea or outside," he said.

"And it kind of stopped me wanting to look at it again because if you were to view social media, you'd never pick a team, you'd change it every two seconds. And I suppose that's the beauty of football in one way, that everyone has opinions.

"My opinion, fortunately, is the important one here at the moment, at the club. And I get to see what the players are like, how they train day to day, so when you make a selection people might comment on from the outside, they don't see what you see.

"And I have a huge value on training, how players behave and work in training in the week. I knew Willian had it as a player because I've played with him. I think we've all seen it on the pitch this year, his work ethic off the ball, his creation and his work on the ball, and you saw it against Aston Villa as well.

"So I think, generally, Chelsea fans hold him in real high regard. It's difficult in the modern day to take a view on what social media says from all over the world. I think people who are in the club know the value of him, and no matter what happens at the end of the season, he's been a fantastic servant for the club."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to see Manchester United be more clinical despite Anthony Martial's hat-trick sealing a commanding 3-0 win over Sheffield United.

Martial's first treble in senior football - also the first by any United player in the Premier League since Robin van Persie more than seven years ago - was just reward for a fine showing from the hosts, as the Blades laboured in the Manchester heat.

It could have been a more commanding margin of victory, with Marcus Rashford culpable for a pair of glaring first-half misses, and it was this area of his side's performance that drew Solskjaer's attention as much as Martial's brilliance.

"The build-up into the last pass or finish was good, but we need to do better with all the spaces we created," he told Sky Sports.

"I do expect them to take those moments. It didn't cost us today. We know we played well but we can do so much better.

"There's been games where we have dominated and not taken our chances, so we need to take our chances – that's what I'm saying.

"We created enough to win by more and in other games we've created enough to win them but not taken them.

"We need to take the chances and on the last pass be aggressive and progressive enough with our passing."

Aaron Wan-Bissaka assuaged doubts over the attacking side of his game with a superb assist for Martial's second in the 44th minute – a pivotal moment in the contest given Sheffield United had resumed brightly from the first-half drinks break.

"He's a former winger, he had another couple of great crosses as well. We need to be on the end of those," Solskjaer said.

"Aaron is developing all the time. He's not played full-back many years and he'll only get better."

Paul Pogba turned in a polished performance on his first start since September, operating alongside Bruno Fernandes and Nemanja Matic in a United midfield three that appeared ideally balanced.

"Paul was quality out there. He settled us, good decision making, good passing, hard to take the ball off him," Solskjaer added.

"I'm very pleased that we can get more minutes into him and let's see what we do in the weeks coming."

United are keeping the pressure on fourth-placed Chelsea and now sit two points behind them ahead of the Blues' home match against Manchester City on Thursday.

Wednesday's victory extended the Red Devils' unbeaten run in all competitions to 13 matches.

Monaco have opted not to give Leicester City loanee Islam Slimani a permanent contract despite his impressive performances in the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season.

Slimani helped Monaco finish ninth in the Ligue 1 table with a tally of nine goals and seven assists in 18 appearances before the French top-flight was abruptly concluded due to the coronavirus pandemic in May.

He joined Robert Moreno's side on a season-long loan from Leicester City last August, for his third loan stint away from the Premier League club.

The 2019-20 Ligue 1 campaign turned out to be Slimani's best goalscoring season since he joined the Foxes from Sporting CP in 2016.

The Algerian striker has not been able to cement a regular spot at the King Power Stadium, playing 46 games with 13 goals to his name and his current deal is set to expire in June 2021.

“AS Monaco also wishes to salute three players who participated in the previous season in the form of a loan, including Tiemoue Bakayoko,” the club statement read.

“On loan from Chelsea, the former Monaco midfielder (2014-2017) played 23 games last year.

“Already present in the second half of the previous season, Portuguese midfielder Adrien Silva has played a total of 40 games with Monaco.

“Finally, the Algerian international from Leicester City Islam Slimani, played 19 games, for a total of nine goals and seven assists.”

Malian descent player Moussa Sylla and Senegalese goalkeeper Seydou Sy were also among the players released by the Red and Whites on Wednesday.

The duo developed through the ranks at Monaco but Sylla played just nine minutes of football in 2019-20 while Sy did not feature for the first-team at all.

“Also at the end of the lease, the Senegalese international goalkeeper Seydou Sy, 24, arrived in 2014 after having played in Italy, with AC Milan U19s,” the statement continued.

“A highly-appreciated teammate, Seydou Sy had started with the reserve team and was notably part of the 2016-17 French Champion group.

“For his part, striker Moussa Sylla, a product of Monaco training, has 34 appearances in Red and White colours (4 goals, 1 assist), including six in the Champions League (1 goal).

Matteo Guendouzi must learn to conform to Arsenal's values after his latest brush with controversy, Mikel Arteta has warned.

The midfielder was in the spotlight for the wrong reasons again on Saturday following an unsavoury incident with Neal Maupay, whose late goal earned Brighton victory over the Gunners.

Guendouzi appeared to grab Maupay, who had earlier clashed with Bernd Leno, by the throat and push him to the ground following the final whistle at the Amex Stadium, while it has also been reported that the former Lorient player was taunting the opposition.

It is not the first time the 21-year-old has left his manager unimpressed, with Arteta dropping him for a game against Newcastle United in February because of his attitude in training.

While Arteta wants to deal with Guendouzi privately, he did remind the Frenchman of the need to maintain certain standards.

"More personal issues or behaviours, I like to deal with them on a personal level, in the dressing room, and don't make them public," Arteta said.

"Obviously I don't like it, but I don't like either to put words in the newspaper, or use somebody to put words in the newspaper for you to talk about what has been happening on the pitch, because if 22 players do that every three days that will be a circus.

"It's not about learning, it's about experiencing certain things and some behaviours that you expect as a manager, as a club, to represent each other, and ways to show frustration or happiness.

"We have so many different cultures in our team, they've been educated in different ways and I have to understand and accept that as well.

"But we need to know that we have a route, we have certain ways, we have some values and you have to be within that."

Despite his evident concerns over Guendouzi's conduct, Arteta suggested that you sometimes have to take the rough with the smooth.

"You can't cut edges off players, you have to be clear what you expect and publicly as well, what they have to represent," he said.

"But that drive, that aggression that sometimes a player has to show is part of why they are football players and why they are competing at this level."

The Football Association confirmed Guendouzi would face no punishment for his clash with Maupay.

Besiktas forward Kevin-Prince Boateng has given an account of how he was racially abused as a child in the neighbourhoods of Berlin where he grew up.

The subject of racism has been rife in football with Boateng one of the targets when he walked off the pitch in a friendly game with Pro Patria while playing for AC Milan in 2013.

Such was an unprecedented action never seen before but, it set the tone for football authorities to pay closer attention to racist abuse with referees now authorised to stop play if chants are heard from the stands during games.

The subject of racism has reached a new high globally following the death of George Floyd in the United States with football particularly the Premier League, standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Movement.

“When I was nine years old, I went to play in a tournament in East Germany. I grew up in a neighbourhood in Berlin that was poor, and that was also home to people who were from every corner of the world: Russia, China, Egypt, Turkey, everywhere,” Boateng wrote in the Players Tribune.

“When we fought each other, it was because we disliked each other in that moment, not because of discrimination. I never experienced racism there.

“But at the tournament in East Germany, I heard parents shouting at me from the sidelines. “Tackle the n*****.” “Don’t let the n***** play.”

“I was so … confused. I had only heard that word like maybe in a song or a movie or something, but I knew it was something against my colour. I felt so alone. I felt as if I was in a place where I was not supposed to be — but this was only a six-hour drive from Berlin. How could they love me in one part of the country and hate me in another just because I’m a different colour? As a kid, you don’t understand that.

“I had never spoken to anyone about how to deal with a situation like that. So, on the bus back to Berlin, I burst into tears. My teammates started crying, too. None of us understood what had happened. I never told my mum about it. I just ignored it and kept going. I thought it’ll go away. But it didn’t. And every time I played in East Germany, it got heavier.

“'For every goal you score, we’re gonna give you a banana. 'I’m gonna put you in a box and send you back to your country, fucking n*****.' It hurt so badly. When I was 14, I asked my teacher, 'Do you see me differently from the other kids?'

“He said, “No. Why?” I said, “So why do they see me differently in the east? This is my country. I’m German. My mum’s German. So why do they want to send me away?”

“He explained that there are just some people in this world who are stupid. But I began to cry. I still couldn’t understand it. And soon the confusion turned into suspicion. You begin to think that people don’t like you, even though you don’t know them. Every mixed-race guy in Germany has this. It’s like, why are you looking at me? You don’t like me? You want trouble? Let’s go.

“I became aggressive. Disturbed. I got red cards all the time. I was a hothead. But you know what the worst part was? No one ever stood up for me. They knew what was happening to me. They heard the racism — and they just accepted it. The parents stayed quiet. The referee? Nothing. The coach? “Just ignore it.” So I did. I stored my anger inside. I became numb to it.”

Boateng who is one of the most outspoken football players on racism, went on to narrate his conservation with the referee in the game against Pro Patria. The 33-year-old Ghanaian was trying to be stopped by his teammates and other officials from walking off the pitch, but he had none of it.

“After 26 minutes I told the referee, 'If they do that again, I’m gonna stop playing.' He said, 'No, don’t worry, just continue.' Then, as I was trying to dribble past a player, I heard them again. I grabbed the ball, booted it toward the stands and began to walk off the pitch,” the former Tottenham Hotspur player continued.

“It wasn’t the first time I had been racially abused. But this time I just exploded. When the referee tried to get me to play on, I said, 'Shut the fuck up.' I told him, 'You had the power to do something. You did nothing.' When a rival player wanted me to stay on, I said, 'You shut the fuck up as well. What did you do about it? Do you like what they’re doing?'

“As I walked towards the tunnel, our captain, Massimo Ambrosini, asked me, 'Are you sure about what you’re doing?' I said, 'One hundred per cent sure.'

Boateng who is presently on loan from Fiorentina, missed Besiktas’ 5-1 win over Denizlispor at the weekend because of a muscle injury. He will hope to be in contention against Konyaspor on Friday evening.

Burnley captain Ben Mee was a picture of seething disappointment after his side's 5-0 defeat against Manchester City, but it had nothing to do with the result.

The game itself felt irrelevant as he directed his ire at the people who decided it was a good idea to fly a banner with the words 'White Lives Matter Burnley' over the Etihad Stadium.

A visibly furious Mee told Sky Sports that he was "ashamed and embarrassed" by the stunt, stressing that the message portrayed by the banner was not at all representative of the club or the players. 

"It is not what we are about. They have missed what we are trying to achieve," the centre-back said in his rebuke.

"These people need to come into the 21st century and educate themselves. They don't represent what we are about, the club is about, the players are about and the majority of fans are about."

The banner in question appeared shortly after the players had knelt in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, as, indeed, other teams had done in previous games since the restart of English football.

Premier League stakeholders had also agreed to print the words 'Black Lives Matter' on the backs of jerseys and individual players have used their platforms to amplify the voices of the BLM movement. 

Mee was speaking on behalf of the Burnley team when he admonished those behind the banner, but his expression of sharp disapproval was echoed by many within and outside the football community. 

Man City star Raheem Sterling said it was "time for change" and former Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: "Well said Ben Mee... respect."

Former England star Gary Lineker lauded Mee's "leadership", while Labour MP David Lammy said that Mee had "given a lesson in how to call out offensive garbage".

Mee condemned the 'White Lives Matter' banner in the strongest possible terms, but the most substantive part of his statement was that, as well as being offensive, it misses the entire point of the BLM campaign.

Why does 'White Lives Matter' or 'All Lives Matter' miss the point? 

'White Lives Matter' or 'All Lives Matter' reactions miss the point because the Black Lives Matter movement is not about denigrating the worth of other ethnic groups; it is about highlighting a specific problem.

Black Lives Matter is against racism and systemic injustices against the Black community, and it works for equality for everyone.

The message of the slogan is not that Black lives matter more. It is not that the lives of Caucasian people don't matter. It is that Black lives matter just as much.

Reactionary cries that 'White Lives Matter!' or even 'All Lives Matter!' demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of what BLM is working for and fighting against.

Such cries also have the effect of diminishing the plight of a community that has suffered violent subjugation in the past and continues to feel the residual ill effects of history, with overt and subtle racism still evident today.

The fact that 'White Lives Matter' has been used as a slogan for white supremacist groups is highly problematic and it creates an absurd false equivalence.

Robbie Earle noted that Mee had understood the issues "through the lens of a black man", telling NBC Sports in an emotional appraisal: "That is change, that is progression. That's people standing with you in the fight and if we can stand together in the fight we've got a chance."

So, when footballers take a knee and wear shirts emblazoned with the slogan, it is an act of solidarity, not of supremacy. It is an expression of a desire to rid the world of racism, in all its forms.

What is the Black Lives Matter about?

Black Lives Matter (or BLM) is a social civil movement that arose in 2013 in response to police brutality against Black people in the United States.

George Zimmerman's acquittal in the case of the fatal shooting of Black teenager Trayvon Martin is considered the catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement. It began to spread on social media platforms before developing into organised street protests and activism.

Inspired by the civil rights movement, the Black Power movement and Black feminist movement among others, Black Lives Matter is most prominent in the U.S., but has spread across the world.

The BLM website says that the movement is committed "to imagining and creating a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive".

Why are people protesting?

The Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 are driven primarily by the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed at the end of May during an arrest by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Video footage circulated online of a handcuffed Floyd lying on the ground with police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for approximately nine minutes. Floyd could be heard in the footage saying that he could not breathe.

His death sparked outrage in the U.S. and prompted hundreds of street protests across the country despite public health concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Protests subsequently spread to Europe and across the world, with demonstrators clashing with police in many cases, such as the UK, but on a smaller scale.

Ebusua Dwarfs coach Ernest Thompson is the latest to express worry about the possible resumption of the Ghana Premier League behind closed doors.

All domestic competitions in the West African country have been on hold since a national ban on public gatherings, including sporting and religious events, came into effect on March 15 as part of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) is currently engaging the Government of Ghana over the possible resumption of major domestic competitions under strictly safe protocols which mainly involve matches without fans.

“You know our clubs actually rely on gate proceeds. And should the league resume in an empty stadium, it is going to actually affect clubs,” Thompson told Y FM.

“When it’s behind closed doors and there are no supporters coming in, there is no other source of income for some of the teams.

“It is going to cause a lot of problems for most of the teams, Dwarfs not excluded, because you know we don’t have as many sponsors and support as other teams have and that is really going to be a problem.

“If you should ask me, the government or the Ghana Football Association should come in to support the teams financially.

“With that one, if we are asked to go and play, I think fine and with all the protocols and everything put in place to ensure the players, technical team and management do not contract the disease why not.

“We are ready to play anytime they ask us to, but we should be very careful with the decision."

With huge uncertainties over the immediate future of domestic football due to the increasing number of coronavirus infections in Ghana, there have also been some calls for the complete termination of the season.

Officials from King Faisal, Berekum Chelsea and Eleven Wonders have advocated for the complete annulment of the campaign but two-time FA Cup champions Medeama want the current term continued when safe to do so.

The GFA has, meanwhile, set a June 30 deadline to make a final decision on the future of the 2019-20 Ghana football season in the wake of the disruptions.

Ghana's ban on all contact sports, including football, remains in effect until at least July 31.

Stephen Ireland has revealed how he once got the better of Lionel Messi in a pre-season friendly while also earning the title of "Superman" from Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

The former Manchester City star says that Laporta bear-hugged him ahead of a warm-up match in 2009, a period where Ireland was a key player for the Premier League club.

Ireland made 176 appearances for City between 2005 and 2010 after making the leap from the club's academy, before subsequently moving on to feature at Aston Villa.

He also took in spells for the likes of Stoke and Bolton during his career, although he never played a match for the latter before ending his career in 2018.

And that career could have gone much differently, according to Ireland, who believed that there was a chance to move to Barcelona around the time of that pre-season friendly.

“We played against Barcelona in pre-season and I was the best player on the pitch by a country mile,” Ireland told The Athletic. “Messi was playing. He went on one of his mad runs and I just thought, ‘I have to tackle him’. I did this massive hook tackle on him. It was an amazing tackle.

“There were four or five times when I read his passes and intercepted them. I went round him. I gave him the eyes and went a different way. It was cool, really cool, to be out there with him. 

“On occasions like that, you’re more alert, you try harder. You run quicker, you see more. I’m built for that.

“I remember on the bus [to Camp Nou], two players saying to me, ‘If you play well today, Barcelona will sign you’. One was Javier Garrido, a Spanish boy. 

“The other was [Pablo] Zabaleta. Now I think, ‘Was I really that close? Was I that good? Was I that recognised that something like that could actually have materialised?’”

While the game against Barcelona was a memorable one for Ireland, the former midfielder added that the run-up to that game was equally unforgettable.

Even before his pre-season display, Ireland said that Laporta approached him following a training session, causing Ireland a bit of panic.

“The day before the game, we had a training session. And as we were coming up the tunnel, Barcelona’s president was there,” he said. “All the players were like, ‘That’s him!’. He kinda pushed everyone to the side, grabbed me and gave me a massive bear hug. 

“He put his arm around me and I started to sweat so bad. I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, if he picks up on this it’s going to be so embarrassing’. I was red in the face, drenched with sweat. Oh sh*t, how uncool did I look? 

“And he started telling everyone, ‘Hey, this guy is the man, this guy’s number one. This guy’s Superman!’. Looking back, I really feel I was good enough to have stayed another six, seven or eight years at City.”

Simba SC have emerged victorious against Mbeya FC courtesy of a double strike from John Bocco at Sokoine Stadium.

With Simba racing closer to defend the Mainland Premier League title, the midweek win helped them to maintain a wide gap at the top of the table with no team likely to overtake them now.

Bocco struck the opener in the sixth minute with the hosts struggling to contain the giants but were unlucky not to concede another goal until the second half.

Bocco earned his brace in the 54th minute to help Wekundu wa Msimbazi record not only a win but also a clean sheet in Mbeya. The victory saw Simba add their tally to 78 points after playing 31 matches.

Mbeya City will remain in position 18 on the 20-team table with 30 points from the same number of matches. Mbeya are not completely out of the relegation zone given the 19th-placed Mbao FC have four fewer points.

Azam FC's bid to keep second place received a big blow after they lost 1-0 to Kagera Sugar.

Yusuf Mhilu, who has attracted interest from a number of clubs this season due to good performances, struck the all-important goal for the Sugar Millers in the 33rd minute and the Aristica Cioaba-led side was unable to fight back away from home.

A win for Yanga SC, who will take on Namungo FC later in the evening in Dar es Salaam, will see them overtake Azam on the log. The FA Cup defending champions have 58 points against Yanga's 56.

The win is important for Kagera Sugar who have overtaken Tanzania Prisons on the table as they now enjoy 44 points, two more than Tanzania Prisons.

There was only one draw recorded in the midweek action when Alliance FC and Polisi Tanzania fought to share points in their respective tie from a 1-1 scoreline.

Martine Kiggi, in the 51st minute, put Alliance ahead before the law enforcers equalized in the 80th minute via a Pius Buswita's strike.

Kinondoni Municipal Council (KMC FC) suffered the heaviest defeat of the day after going down 4-0 away to Biashara United.

A goal from Justine Omary in the 36th minute coupled with a hat-trick from Atupele Green were enough to see off KMC. Green scored his first goal in the 68th minute and earned the second one in the 72nd minute. His last goal of a joyous afternoon came in the first minute of added time.