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India is set to host the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time after 1979, a tournament which turned out to be memorable for the women.

The 1979 Women’s Asian Cup was held in Calicut (Kozhikode) in January 1980. Six teams participated in the league-cum-knockout tournament that was held across nine days at the EMS Corporation Stadium. All games lasted 60 minutes each, with all teams playing each other once in the group stage. Each win fetched a team two points and a draw meant that the two points were split. The top four sides were to qualify for the semi-final.

India was represented by two teams - India S and India N. India S was the country's first XI while India N was the second-string team. The latter won just one game and hence endured a tournament to forget. Ayona scored their only goal in the tournament in a 1-0 win over Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, India S enjoyed a great run in the group stage with three wins and two draws.

They started their campaign with a 2-0 win over Western Australia. First-half goals from Shanti Mullick and Shukla Dutta sealed the deal as the defence did well to keep a clean-sheet.

They followed this promising performance with a 2-0 win over Hong Kong. This time, Yolanda D’Souza got on the scoresheet in the seventh minute. An own-goal just five minutes later provided the hosts with a massive advantage for the rest of the game, which they protected very well.

After a goalless stalemate against Chinese Taipei, India S returned to winning ways with a 1-0 win over India N. Dutta doubled her tally for the tournament with a goal at the hour-mark and India N could not find a reply for the lone goal.

With seven points in four games, India S had already qualified for the semi-final ahead of their final group stage tie against Malaysia. But a 0-0 draw ensured their unbeaten run in the tournament was intact.

India S hence finished second in the league phase with eight points from five games. Chinese Taipei topped with nine points while India N ended at the tail with just two points.

The hosts drew fourth-placed Hong Kong in the single-leg semi-final tie. Both sides had no rest days between their final group stage game and the crucial knockout tie.

India S were 3-1 winners in the semis, with goals from Dutta, Sushma Das and Yolanda overwhelming Poon Shui-Chun’s lone goal. Dutta hence became the top-scorer for the tournament with three goals to her name.

Elsewhere, Chinese Taipei smashed Western Australia 5-0 to storm into the final. Yet again, both finalists had no days to rest their legs, with the finals scheduled on the day following their semi-final wins.

The hosts’ dream run concluded with a silver medal after 2-0 defeat to Chinese Taipei. A goal in each half helped them win their first Women’s Asian Cup.

Brahmanand Sankhwalkar is a legendary name in Indian football and one of the stalwarts from Goa to grace the sport.

He began a celebrated playing career of 25 years with Panvel Sports Club before even turning 16. He went on to spend 17 years with Salgaocar SC and had a three-year stint with Churchill Brothers. Sankhwalkar ended his career with Anderson in 1995. This is apart from his exploits with the state and national teams.

However, there was a phase in his career when the goalkeeper nearly gave up his passion to pursue his education. But sound advice more than once from former Panvel Sports Club secretary, Antonio Bothelo, helped script Sankhwalkar's destiny.

"He (Sankhwalkar) had an offer to join Dempo [in 1973] and at the same time he wanted to stop playing. Me and Levino (Dias) went to his house and Taleigao and told him, 'Look, you play one more year for Panvel because if you go to Dempo, (Kuppuswami) Sampath is there, and Eugenio (Cardoso). You will lose your place and be benched all the time'," Bothelo recounted to Goal.

"And then in 1974, again he wanted to give up football. He was called by Dempo again and we convinced him to stay but he was having second thoughts because he wanted to do college (complete graduation). Then I told him, 'Look, college is not going to give you a job. Football will give you a job.' He was still adamant so finally I had to tell him that I'm making him the captain of the team. He was among the junior-most among all the players. Finally he accepted the captaincy and decided that he will continue playing football. He would have given up football otherwise."

Sankhwalkar himself admitted to Goal, "Because of football, some players don't educate themselves. So whoever (aspiring footballers) I come across, I encourage them to get an educational qualification as well. After the game is over (upon retirement), you may be required to work in an office. Some footballers have given their best in their life and today they are at some top positions. But they have worked up their way."

And as for Sankhwalkar, a government post was in the offing when he moved to Churchill Brothers in 1991. "After 17 years at Salgaocar, I was nearing the end of my career. I thought I would learn some coaching (attended a goalkeeping coaching course in Malaysia). When I joined Churchill, it was also the time when I joined the Sports Authority of Goa," Sankhwalkar recalled the fag end of his playing career that concluded with a season at his village club Anderson Mariners.

Interestingly, Panvel Sports Club was not the first team Brahmanand Sankhwalkar had signed up for. His registration card for Clube Sao Miguel de Taleigao would still be at the Goa Football Association (GFA) archives somewhere.

"He had signed for Taleigao, but they had not taken his card from the GFA. He was still not 16. I had to go and get his father's signature which was also there on the Taleigao form. His father was the Treasurer of Panvel Club either way and he agreed to sign the form. He said that he had already signed one more form and I told him that it was not used. The (Taleigao) card was not picked up so the (player) registration was not complete," Bothelo revealed.

Sankhwalkar playing for Panvel was also a stroke of luck as his brother Vallabh, a former player of the club, recommended him as a makeshift goalkeeper in a friendly match against Saligao Sporting on January 1, 1971.

"Our goalkeepers (Shankar Verlekar and Ulhas Shetye) could not make it for the match in Saligao. One goalkeeper eventually turned up. So he played the first half. [For the] second half, we put Brahmanand and he saved everything. We lost the match 2-1 but he didn't concede anything."

The former GFA secretary further mentioned, "I said 'we called him so we have to field him' and it was a festival match. So it didn't matter if we lost by more goals or not. I had heard a lot of him from Dr. (Alvaro Remigio) Pinto who was a prominent personality who promoted football in Taleigao. He was telling me that this boy would be a great goalkeeper one day."

Brahmanand Sankhwalkar won the 1974 Bandodkar Gold Cup as Panvel captain at the age of 21 before joining Salgaocar where he had to displace first choice goalkeeper Gabriel Fernandes. In fact, Fernandes had just taken over the mantle from Subhash Sinari. At Salgaocar, he won the Goan league in his maiden season at the club. He won it four more times besides many other laurels including the Bandodkar Gold Trophy (1981, 1988), Saith Nagjee Trophy (1988), Federation Cup (1988, 1989) where Sankhwalkar kept clean sheets in both finals and the Rovers Cup (1989-90).

He led Goa to back-to-back wins at the Santosh Trophy in 1983 and 1984. In fact, the goalkeeper finished the 1984 tournament without conceding a single goal - 576 minutes, a record that still stands. He began his international career at the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Youth Championship in Kuwait in 1975 and was included in various tours with the senior national team before taking up captaincy at the 1983 Nehru Cup, 1986 Asian Games in Seoul and against Bochum XI, a German team that visited India in 1986.

The Government of Goa conferred Sankhwalkar with the Bakshi Bahaddar Jivbadada Kerkar Award in 1977 and in 1996, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) chose him as the player of the decade (1985-1995) before he was bestowed with the Arjuna Award in 1997.

Arturo Vidal, Martin Braithwaite, Jordi Alba and Lionel Messi were all on target as Barcelona beat Real Mallorca 4-0 to make a winning return in LaLiga.

It had been three months since the leaders last played because of the coronavirus-enforced break, but they needed less than two minutes to go ahead through Vidal's header.

Braithwaite then fired in his first goal for the club eight minutes before the break in a game that also saw the return of Luis Suarez from injury.

Alba struck 11 minutes from time before Messi wrapped up victory in injury time as Barca went five points clear of Real Madrid ahead of Los Blancos' return to action on Sunday.

There was no sign of any rust in Quique Setien's ranks as Barca went ahead after just 65 seconds.

Frenkie de Jong robbed Real Madrid loanee Takefusa Kubo in midfield and the ball was delivered into the box by Alba, with Vidal running onto the cross and directing his header into the bottom-left corner of the net.

Barca threatened to put the game to bed early on as Braithwaite and Messi both came close before Mallorca finally woke up.

Kubo looked intent on making amends as he forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen into a good save from the edge of the box before being denied again with a low free-kick.

Yet the leaders doubled their lead before the interval, Braithwaite clinically dispatching the ball home after a scrappy build-up that included headed flick-ons from De Jong and Messi.

Mallorca nearly found a way back into the match shortly after the restart, but Ante Budimir's first-time effort was always bending away from Ter Stegen as it flew wide.

Setien brought on Suarez – out since January because of a knee injury – and that seemed to galvanise Messi, who set up Braithwaite and Ronald Araujo for efforts that were stopped by Manolo Reina and the post respectively.

Messi would not be denied a second assist, though, as he cleverly flicked the ball over the top for Alba, who just managed to stay onside and finish at the near post.

There was time enough for Messi to get on the scoresheet for the seventh straight game against Mallorca as he kept his balance in the box before working space and firing right-footed high into the net.

What does it mean? No away day blues for Setien's side

Barca's away form has been a problem this term and they arrived at Son Moix having won just one of their previous five LaLiga games on their travels, conceding 10 times across those games.

However, with centre-back Araujo making his first start, the Blaugrana recorded their first away clean sheet of 2020 and extend their lead at the top.

Alba delivers the goods

Coming into this game, Ter Stegen had more LaLiga assists this season than Alba but the left-back pulled level with his early cross for Vidal's goal.

The 31-year-old was involved in the second goal and scored the third, while he regained possession a team-high six times and had three clearances and interceptions to boot.

Anonymous Antoine

The return of Suarez – and the continued transfer talk surrounding Inter's Lautaro Martinez over the break – should have jolted Antoine Griezmann into delivering a better performance.

However, in the 57 minutes the Frenchman was on the pitch, he failed to have a single shot and Braithwaite's goal means Griezmann is in danger of falling further down the pecking order.

Key Opta Facts

- Lionel Messi is the only LaLiga player to score at least 20 goals in each of the past 12 LaLiga seasons.
- Arturo Vidal has scored seven goals with just nine shots on target in LaLiga this season
- Vidal's goal (65 seconds) was the quickest in a LaLiga game for Barcelona since January 2016 when Munir scored after 63 seconds against Malaga.
- Messi has been directly involved in 15 of Barcelona's past 18 goals in LaLiga, scoring seven and providing eight assists.
- Since he joined Barca in 2012-13, no defender provided more LaLiga assists than Jordi Alba (40).
- Barcelona, with 6156 goals scored, have once again surpassed Real Madrid (6153) as the top-scoring team in LaLiga history.
- Martin Braithwaite has become the third Danish player to score for Barcelona in LaLiga history after Michael Laudrup (39 goals) and Allan Simonsen (31).
- Ivan Rakitic made his 300th appearance for Barca in all competitions.

What's next?

Barcelona host Leganes on Tuesday before travelling to Sevilla three days later as the fixtures come thick and fast in LaLiga. Mallorca, who have a crucial clash with Leganes next Friday, travel to Villarreal next.

Borussia Dortmund are prepared to be patient as they look to bring Achraf Hakimi back to the club once his loan from Real Madrid expires.

Sebastian Kehl, Dortmund’s former captain now working as the head of their player licensing department, has reiterated his desire to see Hakimi remain at the club.

His current two-year loan deal is up at the end of the season and, as things stand, he is set to return to Madrid.

"The contract situation with Real Madrid is very clear,” Kehl told Sky Germany.

“Spain are just starting again [after lockdown]. We will have to be patient with our ideas.

“If there is a chance, we will try everything. He is a very important player for us, whom we can offer a platform to develop further.”

That platform could well appeal to Hakimi. He has become a popular figure with fans at Signal Iduna Park during his two years in the Bundesliga, and would start next season as first-choice right-back if he was to return.

That would be far from guaranteed at Madrid, where Dani Carvajal has held down the first-team berth for the last seven seasons, seeing off the likes of Danilo and Alvaro Odriozola.

Odriozola is currently on loan at Bayern Munich but has failed to make an impression, and Bayern have also been linked with a move for Hakimi.

Also being linked with a move away is Jadon Sancho, though director Michael Zorc said this week that he believes the winger will stay at Dortmund for another year.

“There is nothing new at all,” Kehl added on Sancho. “We had a few issues with Jadon in the last week, but we cleared them all up.

“He played a great game afterwards and does a good job. He is incredibly important.

“At the moment, we continue to assume that he will play and stay at Borussia Dortmund next season. Regarding the rumours, I can say there is nothing to it.”

Kehl also confirmed that talks are ongoing with goalkeeper Roman Burki over a contract extension.

Burki, who had been linked with Chelsea, revealed a new deal was in the offing after his side’s last-gasp win over Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday.

Donald Trump has taken a shot at U.S. Soccer, claiming he won't be watching the game anymore following a decision not to force players to stand for the national anthem. 

America has been rocked by protests after the death of George Floyd with footballers around the world adding their voices to the Black Lives Matter movement. 

U.S. Soccer themselves have taken a surprisingly strong stance and announced earlier this week that players would no longer be forced to stand for the national anthem. 

Trump has now slammed that decision, however, vowing he won't be watching the game again until the move is reversed. 

"I won’t be watching much anymore! And it looks like the NFL is heading in that direction also, but not with me watching!" Trump said on Twitter. 

Trump's comments on social media came as he threw his support behind the stance of Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, who himself tweeted: "I’d rather the US not have a soccer team than have a soccer team that won’t stand for the National Anthem. You shouldn’t get to play under our flag as our national team if you won’t stand when it is raised."

In a statement of their own earlier this week, U.S. Soccer confirmed their new stance on standing for the national anthem, stressing their previous approach to the matter was the wrong one. 

"The U.S. Soccer Board of Directors voted yesterday afternoon to repeal Policy 604-1, which required our players to stand during the national anthem," the federation said in a statement. 

"The policy was put in place after Megan Rapinoe kneeled in solidarity with the peaceful protest inspired by Colin Kaepernick, who was protesting police brutality, and the systematic oppression of Black people and people of color in America.

"It has become clear that this policy was wrong and detracted from the important message of Black Lives Matter.

"We have not done enough to listen -- especially to our players -- to understand and acknowledge the very real and meaningful experiences of Black and other minority communities in our country. We apologise to our players -- especially our Black players -- staff, fans, and all who support eradicating racism."

Ahead of the MLS' return next month, the competition's bosses have also confirmed there will be no national anthem played at games.

"We won't be playing the anthem, and you hit it on the head," MLS commissioner Don Garber said.

"There's not going to be any fans in the stands, so we didn't see that it would be appropriate. And I feel today no different than I felt then, which is if a player is looking to express their right to kneel during the national anthem, they should have the right to do so.

"I would hope that they would stand, but if they opt not to, that's their prerogative and we will support that."

Lionel Messi set another La Liga record on Saturday as Barcelona made a winning return to the pitch. 

The leaders won 4-0 at Real Mallorca in their first match since the campaign was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Arturo Vidal opened the scoring after just two minutes before Messi set up Martin Braithwaite for his first Barca goal and then Jordi Alba to make the points safe.

Messi then added a fourth in second-half injury time to reach 20 La Liga goals for 2019-20.

The Argentina star is the only player to score 20 or more goals in Spain's top flight in 12 consecutive seasons.

Messi's strong performance against Mallorca also saw his league assist tally this season rise to 14, making him both the top scorer and top assist provider in La Liga this campaign. 

Ahead of Barcelona's return to action, club legend Rivaldo stressed Messi's workload must be managed carefully, though the 32-year-old did end up playing the full 90 minutes on Saturday. 

“Lionel Messi had some physical issues last week, so there's a lot of discussion about whether he play the whole game for Barcelona in their first game back against Mallorca on Saturday," Rivaldo told Betfair.

“Barca are two points head of Real Madrid at the top of the table so the title race is tight. If Barca can pull away, they could rest Messi in a few games.

“If the battle goes to the wire then he might have fewer chances to rest - perhaps only in games which Barca manage to dominate from the first-half - but it will be important for Quique Setien to manage his squad well, as it won't just be Messi that will reach the first game still looking to be 100 per cent fit, after all everyone has stopped and it's not easy to resume on the best form.

“As we know, Messi is always in contention for the 'Pichichi' top scorer award in La Liga and always making the difference in the team, so he wants to be on the pitch all the time and it's difficult for the manager to rotate him. He also fights for the Ballon d'Or every season and that's on his mind regularly, so you can't go to Messi and simply tell him 'take a rest'.”

Quique Setien was "very pleased" with Barcelona's form as they returned to action with a 4-0 win over Mallorca on Saturday.

After Arturo Vidal's opener, Lionel Messi set up Martin Braithwaite and Jordi Alba before sealing Barca's victory in additional time with a record-setting strike.

Although Real Madrid have a game in hand, Barcelona are five points clear, having made a bright return following a break of more than three months from competitive action due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Setien liked what he saw from his side, who have 10 games left in the La Liga season and are next in action on Tuesday when they host Leganes.

"The feelings are good. There are always things that you want to improve, but I am satisfied with the game we have made," he told reporters.

"We have had an effectiveness...but we were fine with the ball. We have had a break, but I am very satisfied.

"To be the first game without playing, we could be accused of a lack of rhythm, but I think it is a good start to face this sprint that we have 10 games left. I have good feelings in general."

Luis Suarez played his first game since January, coming off the bench in the second half to return from a knee injury.

Setien was pleased with the Uruguayan forward, who set up Messi's sealer after replacing Antoine Griezmann.

"Everything he has done, he has done well. He had quality actions," he said. "Surely we will see how he is improving, but he has been spectacular."

Despite ongoing speculation surrounding a possible transfer for Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, Suarez has been backed to remain a reliable provider for Barcelona. 

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger noting earlier this week that the veteran striker doesn't need replacing but adding that the Catalans will likely reinforce their attack over the summer regardless. 

"Barcelona has always bought the greatest players. Personally, I'm not sure that Suarez needs to be replaced," he told beIN SPORTS.

"They can add another striker because it's true that Suarez and [Lionel] Messi are the main contributors and they might need somebody else who can score goals.

"I still think Griezmann at some stage will start to score goals, he doesn't look completely adapted, maybe now after confinement he will be refreshed because he's a good goalscorer as well.

"But I'm convinced they will buy another striker as well."

Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) has announced the purchase of the PSL status of Bidvest Wits. 

The National First Division (NFD) side broke the news on their social media platform on Saturday afternoon. 

According to the club, the status of the club came as a package with Wits players also under the new ownership.  

The sale of the Students doesn't come as a huge surprise after reports surfaced two weeks ago TTM owner Masala Mulaudzi was in talks with the Braamfontein-based outfit over a possible take over. 

TTM further announced it has approached the PSL for an official name change ahead of next season while confirming their intentions to play their home games at Thohoyandou Stadium. 

"We have logged with the PSL for an official name change. The name will change from Bidvest Wits to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC as of the beginning of the new season The team will play at Thohoyandou Stadium as their home ground next season," the club said. 

The Limpopo-based side further made it clear it has bought the status of Bidvest Wits and not Wits University. 

The two entities were confused by the majority of fans who understand the link between the club and the university. 

The latest developments mean Bidvest Wits will no longer exist beyond the current season unless their management buys a PSL or NFD status from another club. 

As things stand, Wits management cannot take the NFD status of TTM as Mulaudzi has already confirmed selling his club's status to an unnamed Limpopo-based businessman. 

Several high-profile players from the current Wits squad are expected to jump ship ahead of the new season. 

Thulani Hlatshwayo, Buhle Mkhwanazi, Gift Motupa and Deon Hotto are some of the players expected to leave Wits for greener pastures.    

Efforts to get a comment from Wits management on this latest development proved futile. 

Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki is set to quash speculation about his future by signing a new contract with the Bundesliga giants in the next week.

Linked to Chelsea recently, Burki has confirmed he will commit to Dortmund after reaching an agreement over an extension to his deal.

The 29-year-old revealed the news after Saturday's 1-0 win at Fortuna Dusseldorf, which came thanks to Erling Haaland's stoppage-time header.

Burki, currently under contract until the end of the 2020-21 season, said he hoped to complete formalities after negotiations led to a fresh agreement, and Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc confirmed that would happen within days.

"I'm delighted and hope we can get together in the next week to get everything sewn up," Burki said, quoted by newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten .

"I feel very comfortable here, I've been through a lot with BVB over the years and always felt the love of the club."

The Switzerland shot-stopper will get his wish, Zorc confirmed, indicating Dortmund are eager to tie down the player they signed from Freiburg five years ago.

Zorc said: “We have finally agreed and will also sign the contract in the next few days. I am very happy about the fact we have Roman in the team for more years to come."

Burki has enhanced his reputation as one of the Bundesliga's best goalkeepers since his move in 2015.

Dortmund snapped him up after just a solitary season at Freiburg, after he had previously impressed at Young Boys and Grasshopper Zurich in his native Switzerland.

It could be a busy summer for Borussia Dortmund who, as well as Burki, are also hoping to keep hold of the likes of Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi.

Hakimi is coming to the end of his two-year loan spell from Real Madrid, but Zorc has confirmed the club are hopeful of keeping him beyond the terms of that deal .

Meanwhile, former captain and head of their player licensing department Sebastian Kehl has said he expects Sancho to stay in Dortmund for another year .

Sancho has been widely linked with a return to the Premier League, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all linked.

Leon Goretzka scored a late winner as Bayern Munich restored their seven-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.

Without the suspended Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, Bayern were well below par but were gifted the opener shortly after the visitors had been denied by a VAR decision.

Joshua Zirkzee broke the deadlock in the 26th minute as Gladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer's ill-advised pass went straight to the feet of Lewandowski's replacement.

Benjamin Pavard's own goal 11 minutes later levelled matters, but Goretzka caught the Gladbach defence napping four minutes from time to extinguish any realistic prospect of a late turnaround in the title race.

Victory on Tuesday for Bayern at Werder Bremen would clinch an eighth successive Bundesliga championship, with Borussia Dortmund surely now playing just for second place.

With Alassane Plea suspended, Gladbach were dealt another blow to their attack early on when Marcus Thuram was forced off with an ankle injury.

Breel Embolo, who had only been deemed fit enough for the bench, came on in his place and delivered the key pass for what looked to be the opening goal.

Jonas Hofmann tucked the throughball into the bottom-left corner, only for VAR to rule he had strayed marginally offside.

The visitors were then grateful to Sommer for preserving parity as he brilliantly denied Lucas Hernandez from point-blank range after Matthias Ginter had inadvertently laid the ball on a plate for the Bayern left-back.

However, after Embolo was thwarted by Manuel Neuer and somehow shot wide on the rebound, Sommer turned from hero to villain.

Zirkzee's fourth goal of the season could hardly have been simpler as he stroked Sommer's off-balance cross-field ball into the empty net.

Bayern continued to look vulnerable at the back, though, and Gladbach's deserved leveller came in a similarly fortuitous fashion when Pavard could only divert Patrick Herrmann's searching right-wing cross into the bottom-right corner.

Neuer had to be at his best to deny Herrmann after a quick break from Embolo, but the introductions of Alphonso Davies and Kingsley Coman sparked Bayern into life, with Sommer getting down low to his right to turn Serge Gnabry's volley behind.

Gladbach had looked comfortable as they attempted to see out the stalemate before Goretzka stole in to slot home Pavard's low cross from the right and put Bayern, with three rounds of games remaining, on the cusp of the title.

What does it mean? Bayern on the brink

Bayern have not lost since their 2-1 defeat at Gladbach in December, which at the time looked a seismic result in the title race.

Goretzka's close-range finish means Bayern can now clinch the title at relegation-threatened Bremen. The goal also dealt Gladbach another blow in their stumbling chase for a Champions League place.

Leon Tor-etzka

Goretzka's goal was his third since the season restarted following the coronavirus-enforced stoppage and all but ensured Bayern will soon be celebrating another Bundesliga triumph.

Sommer's strange decision

Sommer's pass across his own defence always looked risky and was swiftly punished by the grateful Zirkzee.

What's next?

Bayern will look to be popping champagne corks in Bremen on Tuesday evening, after Gladbach host Wolfsburg earlier in the day.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been warned that he may be working himself into a weaker position by shunning a new contract at Arsenal, with Ian Wright saying there is no guarantee that he will find a top club and contract as a free agent.

As things stand, the Gabonese striker still has 12 months left to run on his current deal at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners had been hoping to tie their talismanic club captain to fresh terms by now, bringing an end to the uncertainty surrounding his future.

No agreement has been reached, though, and big decisions may have to be made in the next transfer window.

Arsenal cannot afford to see another prized asset walk away for nothing , with there plenty of willing takers ready to snap up a proven performer if he is made available on the open market.

Wright still hopes that a compromise will be reached that keeps Aubameyang in north London.

He is eager to point out that Europe’s top teams – those that are of interest to the ambitious 30-year-old – may not be an option in 2021 and are unlikely to offer a salary as lucrative as the Gunners.

The legendary Arsenal frontman said in the Express of a long-running saga surrounding Aubameyang: "If the season was still going and he continued scoring goals then he'd be in a strong position.

"But I think the position he's in now - we're talking about someone who's going to be 32 next summer.

"He is getting into a situation where if he does see that contract out, are the same people going to come for him?

"The contract what he's got on the table from Arsenal, is there going to be another club who's going to give him the same kind of contract?"

Wright added: "If he does say 'I don't want to sign a deal' and then [Mikel] Arteta starts to use [Gabriel] Martinelli and he starts to score goals and do well, then all of a sudden Aubameyang's position and negotiation point gets weaker.

"I think the longer he waits, in this time, the more it might affect him.

"Arsenal have probably got a deal on the table three, maybe four years, for somebody that for me, we need him to stay.

"We're talking Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus. Is he going to go to these teams? I'm not sure."

Aubameyang, with 61 goals through 97 appearances for Arsenal to his name, has shown that he could be a useful asset to any leading side around the world.

Many have suggested that the Gunners need to consider cashing in , allowing them to invest funds on a suitable replacement, with there still no indication that an experienced head will be sticking around.

Napoli set up a Coppa Italia final against former coach Maurizio Sarri and Juventus after a record-breaking goal from Dries Mertens saw them draw 1-1 with Inter on Saturday, enough for a 2-1 triumph on aggregate.

Mertens converted Lorenzo Insigne's square pass to score his 122nd goal for the club, in the process moving him clear of Marek Hamsik to sit alone in top spot as their all-time leading goalscorer.

Fabian Ruiz's goal at San Siro in the first leg prior to the coronavirus outbreak had put Napoli in control of the semi-final tie at the halfway stage, only for Inter to erase the deficit inside two minutes of the return meeting.

Christian Eriksen's curling corner slipped beyond the players gathered at the front post and also David Ospina, quickly levelling the tie.

However, Napoli’s goalkeeper overcame the early embarrassment to play a key role in helping his side progress in the competition.

Ospina made key saves to deny Romelu Lukaku and Antonio Candreva before setting up the equaliser late in the first half, his well-directed clearance triggering a swift counter-attacking move that caught Inter cold.

His precise kick picked out the run of Insigne, who unselfishly passed the ball across for the advancing Mertens to make history four minutes before half-time.

Not done there, Ospina produced a superb save late in the second half to deny Inter a second goal that would have seen them, rather than Napoli, seal a trip to Rome.

What does it mean? Napoli deliver blow to Conte

When Gennaro Gattuso arrived at Napoli in December, the club were in turmoil. The early stages of his reign were rocky, but now he has the chance to secure the club's first trophy since 2014.

In contrast, a debut season of such promise is in danger of falling flat for Antonio Conte at Inter. Seemingly out of the Serie A title race, the Europa League is their last hope for some silverware.

Ospina makes amends

From the ridiculous to the sublime. The Colombian keeper was caught out by Eriksen but showed real sharpness with his contribution for the equaliser. However, a second-half yellow card will see him miss the final through suspension.

Mertens tops the list

The Belgian forward, who had drawn level with Hamsik back in February before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak that hit Italy so hard, clinically finished to show just why Napoli are set to hand him a new contract to extend his stay.

Key Opta Facts

- Napoli have reached the final of the Coppa Italia for the third time in the 21st century, facing Juventus on two of those occasions.
- Napoli have lost just one of their past eight games against Inter in the Coppa Italia (W3 D4), after losing four of their first five encounters with the Nerazzurri in the competition (D1).
- No side has conceded fewer goals than Napoli in the Coppa Italia 2019-20 (one).
- Inter have scored six goals this season in the first five minutes of the game, more than any other Serie A side in all competitions.
- Dries Mertens has been involved in three goals (two scored, one assisted) in his past three games in all competitions, all played at the San Paolo.
- Christian Eriksen has scored two of the past three away Inter goals in all competitions.

What's next?

Napoli meet Sarri's Juve in Rome on Wednesday. Then, Serie A returns. Inter's first league game back is at home to Sampdoria on Sunday, June 21. Napoli, meanwhile, travel to Hellas Verona two days later.

Landing Philippe Coutinho in a cut-price deal would be a no-brainer for Liverpool, says Steve Nicol.

The Reds parted with the Brazil international when he completed a big-money move to Barcelona in the January window of 2018.

The switch to Camp Nou was considered to be a dream for the South American playmaker, but it has quickly become a nightmare.

Coutinho has failed to find his spark in Catalunya, leading to him eventually being loaned out to German giants Bayern Munich.

Similar struggles for consistency have been endured with the Bundesliga champions, with Barca now scratching around to find a buyer.

Various landing spots in the Premier League have been mooted, from Tottenham to Newcastle, but Liverpool are yet to show their hand.

Nicol believes they should be exploring the option of bringing a familiar face back onto their books, especially if the 28-year-old can be acquired in a deal which suits all parties financially.

The former Reds defender told ESPN FC when asked if he would re-sign Coutinho: "Absolutely. Why wouldn't you? I can't think of one reason why you wouldn't.

"The only place he's excelled at is Liverpool. The place loves him, he loves the place. Can you imagine adding Coutinho to a squad that, right now are still champions of Europe even though they're out of this year's competition, and are going to win the Premier League?

"You're going to add a player with the ability of Coutinho, who is going to come in and be in the same situation as a Timo Werner for example, where he is there to fight to get in the starting XI.

"If it's cut-price, yeah. Listen, this guy's making over £13m clear a year. He's going to have to take a hit. The price to buy him is going to have to take a hit but if the money's right, [it's an] absolute no-brainer.

"If the money's right, this would be absolutely fantastic for Liverpool."

This is not the first time that Nicol has called on Klopp to consider an approach for Coutinho, with the Scot having said back in February: "I’d take him – for the right price.

"When he last was at Liverpool, he didn’t only play wide in a front three, he played wide as one of three in the middle of the park.

"Do I think he could do that today? No. He just seems to have completely lost his way. I didn’t expect him to be able to do it at Liverpool, and he did, which was fantastic.

"But he seems to have lost his way. If he was to come back to Liverpool, it would take some time to get back in the swing of the Premier League."

Coutinho previously made 201 appearances for Liverpool, recording 54 goals and a healthy number of assists before deciding to take on a new challenge in Spain.

Erling Haaland was frustrated to see Borussia Dortmund again fall victim to a controversial handball call despite his late winner against Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday.

Raphael Guerreiro had his second-half goal ruled out by VAR after Haaland's blocked shot appeared to loop up off the top of his arm before he volleyed home.

Dusseldorf twice hit the post before substitute Haaland headed home in the 95th minute to secure a 1-0 victory and ensure the Bundesliga title race remained alive, with head coach Lucien Favre injuring himself celebrating the dramatic goal.

While the handball decision did not cost them on this occasion, they missed out on a potential penalty in a 1-0 defeat to leaders Bayern Munich last month when a shot from Norway international Haaland was deflected wide off the arm of Jerome Boateng.

In the following game against Paderborn, Dortmund conceded a penalty when Emre Can was adjudged to have handled the ball when sliding to block a shot from Mohamed Drager.

Asked about the decision to disallow Guerreiro's goal, Haaland said: "I haven't seen the replay yet, but I have the feeling this handball rule is currently only against us."

Haaland sat out Dortmund's previous two games due to a knee problem and, after replacing Axel Witsel in the 61st minute, was pleased to be back among the goals.

"The team needed something up front and I was just waiting for my chance and luckily I got it in the end, and it was a goal, so it was very nice," he said.

"We had some chances and they also had chances, so I don't want to say we were lucky but three points is very nice.

"Dusseldorf had good tactics and made it difficult for us, but good teams win even on bad days."

After the game, Dortmund received a welcome boost with the news that goalkeeper Roman Burki is set to sign a new contract with the club, following reports linking him with Chelsea .

"I'm delighted and hope we can get together in the next week to get everything sewn up," Burki said, quoted by newspaper  Ruhr Nachrichten .

"I feel very comfortable here, I've been through a lot with BVB over the years and always felt the love of the club."

Desiree Ellis has challenged the country's PSL's biggest teams Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates to emulate Manchester United and Real Madrid.

The English and Spanish giants were the only biggest teams in their countries without a professional women's team until the clubs' top brass finally moved to establish one each in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

In South Africa, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates are currently the only PSL top clubs without a women's team, and both are based in Soweto where the Safa Women's National League (SWNL) was launched last year.

Mamelodi Sundowns emerged inaugural SWNL champions for the 2019-20 season and the Banyana Banyana tactician believes the Soweto giants can help grow the women's game.

“It is vital for Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates to form women’s teams. They also need to come on board and sponsors will also come on board," Ellis recently told media. 

"The only big team in England that didn’t have a women’s team was Manchester United. Now, they have a team. It was the same as Real Madrid. You’ve seen how the Spanish leagues have grown and how the sponsorship has improved.

"I don’t want to use the word but PSL clubs should be forced to have women’s teams and not just have a women’s team for the sake of having it, but give them support and the necessary development similar to what they are giving to their male counterparts. 

"We will also see a huge shift in the mindset of people and sponsors will come on board. I know Jessica Motaung (Chiefs marketing director) has been asked many times (about forming a women’s team) even by Fifa. 

"I don’t know what is the stumbling block. I ask them once again to take women’s football to another level. Maybe they are still looking at the cost. 

"If you see what they spend on the men’s team, the cost will be like a drop in the ocean. They already have so many women supporters. 

"That (investing in women's football) will help increase their fan base. If they come on board, it will change the landscape of women’s football in the country.”

Ellis led South Africa to their first-ever Women's World Cup in France a year ago after they finished as runners-up at the Africa Women's Cup of Nations in 2018.

Uganda Cranes defender Murushid Juuko has revealed he will not return to Moroccan Botola Pro side Wydad Casablanca until his dues are settled.

The 26-year-old was a dependable player at Tanzania Mainland League champions Simba SC for five years making 149 appearances, scoring seven goals in the process. However, he left in mid-2019 for the North African side but things didn't go as planned.

After falling out with the club over issues including finances, the towering defender is on Vipers SC radar but he refused to comment on the issue, stating he is still contracted to Wydad Casablanca but will only rejoin them if his dues are cleared.

"I can’t comment on the Vipers move now," the Uganda international Juuko told the Daily Monitor.

"I still have my contract with Casablanca but I can only return to Morocco when they pay me all the money they owe me. If that is not the case, I will still stay in Uganda ."

Venoms coach Fred Kajoba did not hide his admiration for the experienced centre-back. The tactician is building a team to help them perform well in the Caf Champions League in the 2020/21 season.

"No coach in Uganda wouldn’t want to have Murushid in his team. Even if you asked Mike Mutebi (KCCA manager), he would run for him," Kajoba said. 

Vipers were crowned after the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) cancelled the league amidst Covid-19. 25 rounds had been played and the Kitende-based side was leading with 54 points, four more than 2018/19 champions KCCA.

"We are going for continental football and in any case, we face a big side, say from North Africa, we can rely on Juuko for experience and command," Kajoba added.

“We may have many defenders at the moment [Geoffrey Wasswa, Bashir Asiku, Halid Lwaliwa, Ahmed Amayo, Ibrahim Tembo, Jacob Okao, Livingstone Mulondo and Rashid Toha] but if we get Juuko some will have to go on loan."

Juuko was part of the Johnathan McKinstry side that defeated Malawi 2-0 in the 2021 African Cup of Nations qualifying match played at Namboole. According to the Cranes deputy team manager Paul Mukatabala, Wydad Casablanca inquired about the player.

"Two weeks after the Cranes versus Malawi game on November 17, Wydad Casablanca asked Fufa about the whereabouts of Murushid Juuko," he revealed to the Daily Monitor.  

"The CEO [Edgar Watson] tasked me to look for him and when I uprooted him from Entebbe, he said he won’t go back until the financial issues are resolved.

"Fast forward two months ago, he told us his agent is handling the matter and we gave him ample time to sort himself out."

Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) CEO Sello Chokoe has confirmed the club will not be needing the services of Gavin Hunt next season. 

This comes after TTM claimed to have successfully completed the purchase of the Students following weeks of speculation. 

Chokoe said while Hunt is a highly respected coach, TTM cannot afford him at this stage, and therefore the 55-year-old mentor has already been told to look for a job elsewhere.

Hunt had a year left on his current contract with the Students.   

"Coach Gavin Hunt is highly respected and a good coach but unfortunately we won't be able to afford him hence we said he can look for a job elsewhere," Chokoe told TimesLIVE soon after the announcement on Saturday. 

Chokoe further revealed TTM will not keep any of the current Wits staff, saying they already have their own staff members. 

"We will also not be taking any of the current staff members of Wits because we have people who are currently working for TTM," he said. 

As expected, a few of Wits players will be allowed to leave the club, and Chokoe admits there are players who have already received offers from other teams. 

In addition, TTM will work with the current Wits management to make those deals happen, Chokoe confirmed.   

"We bought the club with its players and we are aware that there are those who already have offers. We will allow them to join teams of their choice and we will be working with the current Wits management to facilitate those deals.

"We can’t hold on to players. Some of them were on big salaries and if you consider that we have just spent a lot of money buying this club‚ we will let them go," added Chokoe. 

Thulani Hlatshwayo, Ricardo Goss and Deon Hotto have strongly been linked with Orlando Pirates while Buhle Mkhwanazi is reportedly on the radar of SuperSport United. 

Gift Motupa has already received an offer from Mamelodi Sundowns alongside midfielder Haashim Domingo. 

Meanwhile, the deal struck between Wits and TTM will still have to be ratified by the PSL Executive Committee before everything becomes official.