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Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Junior Khanye has urged the South African Football Association to bring back Pitso Mosimane as Bafana Bafana head coach.

This comes after Bafana failed to qualify for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations finals following a shock 2-0 defeat to Sudan in their last qualifying match over the weekend. 

Safa announced the firing of Molefi Ntseki as South Africa head coach on Wednesday after the 51-year-old tactician failed to guide the team to the most prestigious football tournament in Africa. 

Khanye has backed Mosimane as the right man to lead Bafana with the Kagiso-born tactician having served as national team head coach between July 2010 and June 2012.

Mosimane is currently in charge of Al Ahly having joined the Egyptian champions last year after dominating South African football with Mamelodi Sundowns.

"Bring back Pitso Mosimane as head coach of Bafana Bafana,” Khanye told Sowetan. 

“We must bring in someone who has the philosophy that will suit our players and coach Pitso understands our football culture and our players. Ted Dumitru laid the foundation, and in the junior national teams we must bring in guys like Zipho Dlangalala, Dan Malesela, Farouk Khan, Kwanele Kopo, Sudesh Singh and Floyd Mogale.

“Those are coaches for junior national teams. Kopo is currently with the senior national team but the question is who is he with there? Are they listening to him? I don’t think they listen to him because he is the third assistant. I am sorry, my brother, this is daylight robbery."

Safa promoted Ntseki to head coach having worked under Stuart Baxter as an assistant at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals. 

“Why is coach Molefi Ntseki the Bafana Bafana coach in the first place? Where did he prove himself? Not even in the National First Division (NFD) or Diski Challenge. I am sorry but we cannot bring such coaches to the senior national team," Khanye added. 

“It is very disappointing that we have failed to qualify for Afcon (when) we are similar to Brazil with players who are very skilful.

"We need to do proper development with all the 16 teams (in the top-fight) doing things properly. If [Kaizer] Chiefs, [Mamelodi] Sundowns and [Orlando] Pirates, who are the face of SA football, can do things properly, everything will be fine."

Khanye, who is a former South Africa under-20 international, also questioned Ntseki's decision to call up players such as Ben Motshwari, 30, Ruzaigh Gamildien, 31, and Thabang Monare, 31, during the recent Fifa international break. 

“But because they are not doing things properly, that’s why thing are like this. Why do we call players who are 23 or 24? Youngsters?" the retired winger said. 

"In Brazil, you must be ready for the World Cup at the age of 17 years. Why do we bring players who were never in junior national teams like Ben Motshwari, Ruzaigh Gamildien, Thabang Monare?

"They were never in the junior national teams, so why bring them now? You bring in Gamildien when we need to qualify and we are beaten by Sudan." 

Safa need to find a replacement for Ntseki with Bafana set to start their 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign in May 2021.

South African Football Association has announced the dismissal of Molefi Ntseki as Bafana Bafana head coach.

The writing was on the wall for the 51-year-old since Bafana suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat to Sudan's Falcons of Jediane in their final 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Sunday.

The result saw South Africa fail to qualify for next year's tournament which will be hosted by Cameroon and Ntseki came under heavy scrutiny.

Safa has now confirmed it has parted ways with Ntseki, who guided Bafana to a third-place finish in Group C with the top two teams, Sudan and Ghana qualifying for the finals. 

"Safa has parted ways with Bafana Bafana coach Molefi Ntseki. Further updates will be provided," a Safa statement read on Wednesday.

Ntseki has become the first Bafana coach to be dismissed for failing to qualify for the Afcon finals since the team's readmission to international football in 1992. 

The Botshabelo-born tactician was appointed in August 2019 as a replacement for Stuart Baxter with the latter having resigned a few weeks after leading Bafana to the 2019 Afcon quarter-finals where they narrowly lost to Nigeria.

Having served as Bafana assistant coach under Baxter and Shakes Mashaba, Ntseki was tasked with leading South Africa to the 2022 Afcon and 2022 Fifa World Cup finals.

However, the former South Africa under-17 head coach's contract has now been terminated by Safa with Bafana set to start their World Cup qualifying campaign in May 2021.

It remains to be seen who will be brought in to take charge of the national team with Bafana expected to face Ghana, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia in their qualifying group (Group G) matches between May and October this year.

The Group G winner will book their place in the third round where 10 group winners from the second round will be drawn into five home-and-away ties.

The winners from each tie will qualify for next year's World Cup finals which will be hosted by Qatar.

The last time Bafana took part in the global competition was in 2010 as tournament hosts. 

The captain's armband which Cristiano Ronaldo threw to the ground in disgust after Portugal's World Cup qualifier against Serbia is being auctioned off to pay for a baby's medical treatment.

Ronaldo ripped off the armband and slammed it into the turf after seeing his last-minute goal ruled out in Portugal's 2-2 draw in Belgrade last week.

Now a charity, which is raising money for a six-month-old boy from Serbia with spinal muscular atrophy to undergo surgery, has managed to obtain the armband and is auctioning it off.

What is the story of the armband?

According to the Associated Press , the charity got the armband from a stadium worker who picked it up after Ronaldo threw it away and stormed off before the final whistle.

The group said the armband, which is blue with the capital letter C in white, will be put on an online auction for three days.

While Ronaldo's petulant behaviour has been widely criticised , it looks as though his actions may have a positive result after all.

Why did Ronaldo throw it away?

Ronaldo was furious after what looked like a legitimate goal, which would have won the game for Portugal late on in Serbia, was not given by the referee or his assistants.

The Juventus forward's shot appeared to have crossed the line before being hacked away by Aleksandar Mitrovic's sliding clearance, but it was not awarded, and with neither VAR nor goal-line technology being used in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, the decision stood.

After vehemently protesting with the officials - and being booked for dissent - Ronaldo stormed off the field, throwing down the armband in disgust.

Further Reading

Kelechi Nwakali ended his lifelong wait for Alcorcon in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Real Oviedo.

The Nigerian midfielder found the net in the second minute, albeit, the visitors clawed back to ensure the game finished all square inside Madrid’s Santo Domingo.

Winless in their last three encounters, Juan Antonio Anquela’s men took an early lead against the Blues. Nwakali controlled a loose ball on the edge of the area before drilling an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Joan Femenias.

Motivated by their impressive start, Alcorcon dominated ball possession, but they could not translate that into goals as they squandered several goalscoring opportunities.

Oviedo’s only real chance to level matters came in the 18th minute but defender Javier Castro was the saving grace for the hosts by stopping Rodri.

The last 45 minutes restarted on an aggressive note from Real Oviedo. A minute after the restart, they were on course to equalise but goalkeeper Dani Jimenez punched away Samuel Obeng’s side.

In the 84th minute, super-sub Gustavo Blanco restored parity thanks to an assist from Javi Mier.

After an imposing display, Nwakali was substituted in the 88th minute for Hugo Fraile. Having failed to get regular action at La Liga side Huesca, the former Arsenal rookie was loaned to the Spanish second-tier side for the rest of the 2020-21 campaign.

Currently, the Potters occupy 18th spot in the La Liga Smartbank log having garnered 32 points from 32 games.

Elsewhere, Sadiq Umar continued with his breathtaking goalscoring form for Almeria as they crushed Malaga 3-0 away from home.

Featuring in his 28th game of the ongoing season, the Nigerian striker sealed victory for the visitors after Lucas Robertone and Jose Carlos Lazo had handed them a two-goal advantage in the first half.

Thanks to that strike, he now boasts 15 goals so far to sit third in the top scorers’ chart – five less than Real Sporting's Uros Djurdjevic.

As a result, Jose Gomes' Rojiblancos maintained their push for a place in the Spanish elite division. Having accrued 60 points from 32 encounters, they are third in the log - one point below leaders Espanyol.

They take on Rayo Vallecano in their next fixture on Friday at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos.

Didier Deschamps has called for improvement from Kylian Mbappe, insisting the forward "cannot be satisfied" with his recent displays on the international stage.

Mbappe had a game to forget as France opened their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw against Ukraine last Wednesday.

The Paris Saint-Germain star was dropped to the bench for the 2-0 win against Kazakhstan four days later, and missed a penalty in the second half, with Deschamps wanting to see him raise his game against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

What's been said?

"He cannot be satisfied with what he has done so far," the France boss said ahead of the midweek Group D fixture.

"He was not very comfortable in the first game. He was much better against Kazakhstan and had chances. Of course, he wants to score more goals and create them."

Asked if Mbappe's penalty miss against Kazakhstan has affected his mindset, Deschamps responded: "No, I don't feel it has. It happens to everyone. 

"I know Kylian well. He can, over a match or a period of time, have a spell of efficiency that isn't as good as his usual levels."

Mbappe's record for France 

Mbappe has been prolific at club level throughout his time at PSG, but hasn't been quite as consistent in terms of numbers on the international stage.

The 22-year-old has scored 16 goals in 41 appearances for his country to date, including four during their run to 2018 World Cup glory, while also laying on 13 assists.

What else did Deschamps say?

Deschamps went on to discuss the battle for a starting spot in his team between Ousmane Dembele and Kingsley Coman.

Coman started against Ukraine but was left out of the Kazakhstan win, with Dembele scoring the opening goal after stepping into a role on the right-wing.

Deschamps says both men can add value to the squad going forward, as he added: "They are players somewhat in the same profile – yet they are not the same. They are both dribblers capable of taking opponents out of the game.

"Ousmane can speed past opponents and go fast without the ball. Kingsley can play both sides, even if he has a preference, just like Ousmane."

Where are France in their World Cup qualifying group?

Despite their slip up against Ukraine, France are sitting top of Group D on goal difference after two fixtures.

Deschamps' side are two points clear of Ukraine and Finland heading into matchday three, with those two sides having played out a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

Further reading

England national team forward Marcus Rashford revealed his favourite cricketer among other preferences during a question and answer session on Twitter.

Inviting questions from his fans on Tuesday, "Let’s chat. Who’s got a question?," Rashford had tweeted. Not surprisingly, the 23-year-old was flooded with questions with various contexts.

From a footballing perspective, he answered several questions such as picking England team-mate Jadon Sancho as his favourite player in the Bundesliga. Rashford named Paul Scholes and Andres Iniesta in the same bracket of all-time best midfielders and "Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney for different reasons" when asked who is favourite footballer of all time.

But when it comes to Marcus Rashford's favourite cricketer, he went on to name England's Jofra Archer.

Archer has recently undergone a surgery on his right hand due to which he has been reportedly ruled out of the first half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament.

The English pacer, who played a couple of Tests and five T20Is (twenty-over cricket games) against India, also gave a cheeky reaction to Rashford picking him.

Among other questions, Rashford chose Italian as his favourite cuisine and Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne as a rival he'd like to play with.

And for his 'favourite free-kick taker not named David Beckham', Rashford replied, "I used to love to watch Luis Nani. He was one of the only ones that could knuckle the ball."

Manchester United, on 57 points from 29 games, currently trail leaders Manchester City by 14 points. The Red Devils have a game in hand, which is against Brighton on Sunday night but the Citizens take on Leicester City before that on Saturday. 

Bayern Munich will not be attempting to sign Erling Haaland this summer, with CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insisting that the Bundesliga champions will not bring in another striker while they have Robert Lewandowski.

Haaland has emerged as one of the most fearsome forwards in world football over the past two seasons, and has a superb scoring record in Germany since moving to Dortmund in January 2020.

Rummenigge, however, says he does not know where talk of a transfer to Bayern has come from, and they will not be entering any bidding war for the Norwegian in the summer transfer window.

What did Rummenigge say?

The Bayern chief told Bild : "I don't know where the rumours have come from. I can only say one thing: we have the world's best footballer in this position. Robert Lewandowski has a contract until 2023."

Who could sign Haaland this summer?

Almost every major club in Europe is linked with a move for Haaland, including Manchester City.

The Premier League leaders once had Alf-Inge Haaland, Erling's father, on their books, and look set to be in the market for a forward this summer after it was announced Sergio Aguero is leaving after a decade at Etihad Stadium.

Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been heavily linked with the forward, as have City's Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea.

Haaland vs Lewandowski

Arguably the two best central strikers in the world right now are in the Bundesliga, with Haaland leading the line for Dortmund while Lewandowski is in the form of his life for Bayern.

This season, Haaland has struck 21 goals in as many Bundesliga games for Dortmund - an incredible record, yet one which is dwarfed by Lewandowski, who has scored an astonishing 35 league goals in just 25 German top-flight appearances in 2020-21.

Further Reading

Thierry Henry has declared himself "available" while discussing links with the top job at Celtic.

The Scottish Premier League side are currently on the lookout for a new permanent manager after Neil Lennon stepped down from his post in late February.

Henry has been out of work since leaving Montreal Impact around the same time  and has now suggested that he would be open to joining the Glasgow giants.

What's been said?

“With all humility, whatever is going to come my way, I’m not saying that should come my way, but whatever comes my way I'm going to evaluate," the legendary former Arsenal and France striker said on The Robbie Fowler Podcast.

"I’m sure they’re going to work on what they’re going to work on. I don’t know what’s happening there, this is a club I respect a lot I'm sure like a lot of people in the world, but that I don’t know about.

"All I know is I want to coach and be back out there. You look at what Stevie G (Steven Gerrard) has done, and it's just ridiculous. What a man. I knew he was going to deliver.

"What I like with Rangers is they gave him time to build a team, to grab the players he wanted and make sure they were going to play.

"I love that they gave him the time to be able to catch Celtic, because if not, how are you going to do it? You need more than one season and two seasons.

"To go back to what you asked, I have massive respect for both clubs, but I'm just trying to wait and see.

"I am available, and I don't know what's going to come my way but I want to coach for sure."

How big a task would Henry have on his hands at Celtic?

Celtic had been the dominant force in Scottish football prior to the 2020-21 campaign, winning nine successive league titles.

However, in 2018 Gerrard set about knocking the Hoops off their perch after being appointed as head coach at Rangers, with the Liverpool legend going on to win their first top-flight domestic crown in a decade in March.

The Gers are 20 points ahead of Celtic in the table having yet to suffer a single league defeat, with their arch-rivals now in need of a significant rebuild to recover from a turbulent season.

The Hoops will be expected to close the gap on Rangers next season with the help of some potential new additions in the summer, but whether or not the club will take a gamble on the relatively inexperienced Henry to lead the team remains to be seen.

Henry's coaching career so far

Henry's first foray into coaching saw him take up the assistant manager's role with the Belgium national team in 2016, and he sat in the dugout alongside Roberto Martinez during their run to the World Cup semi-finals two years later.

The 43-year-old was then offered the top job at Monaco, another of his former clubs, but he was sacked after just three months with a record of five wins from 20 games.

Henry went on to experience a new challenge in MLS with Montreal Impact in November 2019, and managed to lead the club to the playoffs for the first time in four years before leaving for personal reasons earlier this year.

Further reading

Everton forward Richarlison has claimed Thiago Alcantara ignored his apology after his rash tackle on the Liverpool star in the Merseyside derby.

Liverpool and Everton played out a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park in a bad-tempered Premier League clash on October 17.

Richarlison was shown a red card late on for a dangerous challenge on Thiago in the middle of the park, and has now revealed that the midfielder rejected his olive branch after the game.

What's been said?

The Everton striker admits there was extra tension between him and Thiago in their latest encounter at Anfield in February, which Liverpool lost 1-0.

“The last game I made that challenge on Thiago and got sent off. My goodness," Richarlison said during a live YouTube chat with journalist Thiago Asmar.

“Then I went on Instagram to apologise and such. He only saw it. I said ‘I’m going to delete this message too, since he doesn’t want to reply’.

“Then I went there and deleted it. He didn’t answer, no.

“Then there was the derby now, at their home, he didn’t look at my face, I didn’t look at him, either. The game goes on. He ignored the pigeon (Richarlison's nickname from Brazil).”

What else happened during the derby at Goodison?

Sadio Mane opened the scoring against the Toffees with just three minutes on the clock, but Liverpool's joy turned to anger moments later as Jordan Pickford went unpunished after crashing into Virgil van Dijk.

VAR wasn't used to check the incident and Pickford wasn't even shown a yellow card for the tackle, which forced Van Dijk to leave the pitch and subsequently saw him ruled out of action with a knee ligament injury.

Everton rubbed salt in Liverpool's wounds when Michael Keane headed in an equaliser, and the scoreline remained at 1-1 until deep into the second half.

Mohamed Salah volleyed the visitors back in front in the 72nd minute, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin nodded Carlo Ancelotti's side level again before Richarlison was given his marching orders in stoppage time.

Where are Liverpool & Everton in the table now?

Last season's Premier League champions have endured a nightmare title defence in 2020-21, with Jurgen Klopp having been forced to deal with the absence of Van Dijk and several other key players amid an unprecedented injury crisis.

Liverpool have slipped to seventh in the table after a dismal post-new year run, which included a six-match losing streak at home, and now have a real fight on their hands to finish in the top four.

Everton, meanwhile, are just one place behind their local rivals on goal difference, but their season is likely to be considered a success if they can secure a spot in the Europa League.

Further reading

Former Bafana Bafana international Jackson Mabokgwane has extended his stay at Bloemfontein Celtic.

The experienced shot-stopper has been rotated with Sipho Chaine between the sticks at the Free State giants in the current campaign. 

Mabokgwane played an instrumental role in helping Phunya Sele Sele reach the MTN8 final earlier this season. 

His agent, Jazzman Mahlakgane has now disclosed that the well-travelled player has signed a new two-year contract with Celtic‚ with an option for a further year.

“We have renewed for another two years with an option [for a year] with Celtic‚ which they signed yesterday [on Monday],” Mahlakgane told Sowetan. 

“They have taken the option because there was an option left‚ and now they’ve given him another two years with another option.”

The new deal could keep Mabokgwane at Phunya Sele Sele until he is 36 having joined the club from Orlando Pirates ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

Mabokgwane had fallen out of favour at Pirates where he was considered to be the third-choice keeper behind Wayne Sandilands and Siyabonga Mpontshane.

The Polokwane-born player was between the sticks as Pirates suffered their worst ever defeat in PSL history when they succumbed to an embarrassing 6-0 defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in February 2017.

However, Mabokgwane, who was part of the Bafana squad at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals, did help the Buccaneers finish second in the PSL in back-to-back seasons between 2018 and 2019.

The former South Africa under-20 international was also part of the Bucs side which finished as runners-up in the 2017 Nedbank Cup and 2018 Telkom Knockout Cup. 

Mabokgwane made 23 appearances across all competitions for Celtic in his maiden campaign with the club and he also helped the team reach the 2020 Nedbank Cup final where they lost to Sundowns.

The diminutive shot-stopper has played 16 competitive matches thus far this term - including four MTN8 appearances and he kept two clean sheets in order to help Siwelele reach the final where Pirates beat them.

He has kept five clean sheets from 16 games and he will be hoping to start when Celtic take on TS Galaxy on Sunday as PSL action resumes following the recent Fifa international break.

Uganda midfielder Allan Okello has expressed his displeasure at seeing veteran coach Mike Mutebi part ways with KCCA FC.

The Kasasiro Boys confirmed on Monday they had parted ways with Mutebi with Uganda Cranes U20 coach Morley Byekwaso, who was his assistant, being promoted to handle the Ugandan Premier League giants.

It was Mubiru who nurtured Okello while at KCCA as the youngster went on to sign his first professional contract outside Uganda with Algerian top league side Paradou AC.

It is the reason Mutebi’s exit from KCCA has left the young midfielder asking questions about his next move insisting if he was a coach he would love to stay for a very long time and should not even think of retiring.

“Can’t believe it,” Okello wrote on his social media pages after learning of Mutebi’s exit from KCCA. “Good luck coach Mike [Mutebi].

“Words can’t bring out all I can say now but all I can say is I hope you are not thinking of retirement because there are many young players still out there that need your help.

“Just know we love you so much, you made us what we are today.”

On confirming the exit of Mutebi, KCCA said in a statement seen by Goal: “KCCA and the manager, Mike Hillary Mutebi have today [Monday], March 29, 2021, agreed by mutual consent to terminate his employment with immediate effect.

“The club, under his stewardship, has attained three league titles, two Uganda Cups, four Super Cups, and one Cecafa Kagame Cup over the last five years, making him the most successful manager in the club’s history.

“The club recognises his immense contribution in making KCCA the leading club in Uganda and wishes him well in his future endeavours.

“Morley Byekwaso takes charge of all first-team duties as the interim manager immediately and we wish [Byekwaso] and the team the best of luck.”

Mutebi returned for a fourth stint at the club at the start of the 2015/16 season when he was appointed alongside Sam Ssimbwa, but the latter was dumped midway through the first season.

He first joined the technical team at Lugogo as an assistant coach to Fred Mugisha in 1994, replacing Peter Wandyette and this was after he retired from football prematurely due to a nagging knee injury.

However, he resigned before the season ended and moved to rivals SC Villa in a bid to revive his playing career but his tenure was unsuccessful.

After two years, he returned to Lugogo this time as the head coach, replacing Paul Ssali. In his first season, he helped KCCA finish second behind 1996 champions Express FC.

With KCCA chasing the title in 1997, Mutebi surprisingly threw in the towel citing interference and it was Tom Lwanga who finished the season guiding them to a league triumph.

His third stint came in 2003 this time as a technical director with Abbey Nassur as head coach. When the latter was sidelined by the club, Mutebi took over as coach and helped the team reach the final of the Uganda Cup in 2004.

He, however, threw in the towel on the eve of the final against Express, leaving his assistant Robert Kabuye in charge, who helped the team to lift the Cup.

Simba SC coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa has stated they will not play a defensive game when they take on AS Vita Club in their Caf Champions League fixture on Saturday.

The Msimbazi giants will host the Democratic Republic of the Congo outfit at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Saturday seeking a draw to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in the club’s history.

Despite the team needing a draw, the French tactician has maintained his team will not play a defensive game as they did in the first meeting between the two sides which they won 1-0 away in Kinshasa, and that they will play the 'Simba style of football' to win the Group A fixture.

“The first match against AS Vita I asked my players to close the match, to be very solid and very consistent and play with a very compact block, defensive block to play counter-attacking, but this time even if we need a draw to qualify, we are at home and Simba at home must play the Simba football,” Da Rosa told Goal on Wednesday.

“It is very important to be very positive and so I think now because I am here for two months I think when I ask my players to play a positive game, very offensive game they are better, so for sure we will play to win the match.”

On whether his training for the clash was affected following the absence of key players who travelled to feature for their national teams in Afcon qualifying matches, Da Rosa said: “Since all our international players leave us we train with the youth team.

“It was very good and it helped us to identify the future of Simba. It is very important and they are able to work in good conditions so we have organized 11 against 11 and it was very good for us and our players to keep the rhythm and good condition.

“I don’t think their absence affected us, because I hope they were very well with their national team and so we found a very good solution with the youth team to organize a very good training session and then I am very happy about our work since yesterday.

“We work many times on physical sessions particularly last week with four or five very tough sessions physically and today [Wednesday] will be good to see them, Bernard [Morrison] was good, I think they are ready to play.”

After beating AS Vita, Simba returned home to beat Egyptian giants Al Ahly 1-0, then travelled to Sudan where they secured a 0-0 draw against Al Merrikh, then returned home to hammer the Sudanese side 3-0 in their last match.

Simba are currently on a good run in the competition as they have now played four matches and are yet to lose and are currently topping the group on 10 points, while African champions Al Ahly are second on four points, Vita Club are third on four and Sudanese outfit Al Merrikh are last with one point.

Football Kenya Federation has stated they are content with the work done by coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee since he took over the mantle to handle the national team Harambee Stars.

The 53-year-old tactician was handed the reign of the national team on October 23, 2020, to replace Francis Kimanzi and has since managed to oversee six matches, winning three, drawing two, and losing one.

He started his work against Comoros in Kenya and secured a 1-1 draw in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match at Kasarani Stadium then travelled to Moroni to face the Islanders and suffered his first defeat after losing 2-1.

Mulee then picked his first win as Kenya coach in a friendly as they beat South Sudan 1-0 at Nyayo Stadium and followed it up with another 2-1 friendly win against neighbours Tanzania before the third build-up game against the same nation was cancelled following the death of their President John Pombe Magufuli.

Kenya then returned to the Afcon qualifiers and managed a 1-1 draw against Egypt at Kasarani Stadium and finished their group campaign on a high after beating Togo 2-0 at Kegue Stadium.in Lome.

According to Mwendwa, the federation is impressed with the work executed by Mulee especially in putting trust in young players and also gave the coach one year to transform the side into a feared footballing nation in East Africa and the rest of Africa.

“I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but if you look at our results [since Mulee took over], you can answer that question of whether he deserves to continue as the coach or not, but as FKF we are happy with his job and what he is doing,” Mwendwa told Goal on Wednesday.

“And as I said before, I don’t want to hammer in anything about it but I think everyone can see his good job so far, and what plans he has for the team and I think let us see after one year what he can do.

”Mulee has clearly shown he can put trust in the young players from the local league and he did it against Egypt, and Togo, no one expected to see players like Dan [Sakari] playing for the national team any time soon, he also gave a chance to keeper James [Saruni], and many other youngsters.

“In Togo, we had six new players in the starting squad, it is not easy for a coach to take such a risk but ‘Ghost’ did it, he trusted the young players and they secured us the away win for the first time since 2015, it means the coach is building some special with the team and I can only ask for everyone to give him time.”

On what is next for Kenya, Mwendwa confirmed they have already started negotiating to have two friendly matches for the team as they get ready for the World Cup qualifiers set to kick-off in June.

“We want to play one or two matches before the next World Cup qualifiers, we are already looking for the teams and talking to them, we have understood what we need to do in terms of such matches, I want us to put the foot forward, give the team the support they want and leave the work to the coach.

“There is something special I can smell in this team, they have shown me the anger to fight and win matches, it is something we have been lacking in Kenya squads for a while now, all they need is our support and as a federation, we will do everything to make sure they succeed.”

Kenya are drawn in Group E of the World Cup qualifiers and will face neigbours Uganda, Mali, and Rwanda.

Didier Deschamps has delivered an update on Anthony Martial's injury ahead of France's clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The Manchester United forward was forced off the pitch with a knee issue during Les Bleus' 2-0 victory over Kazakhstan last weekend.

Martial may be unavailable for France's final World Cup qualifier of the international break but Deschamps is adamant that the problem isn't "anything serious", which will come as a relief to Manchester United.

What's been said?

“Anthony has a small issue on his knee. Nothing is decided yet [as to whether he can face Bosnia-Herzegovina],” The France head coach said at a pre-match press conference.

“He won’t be taking part in the training session a bit later. We’ll see tomorrow (Wednesday). Anything serious has been dismissed.

“We’ve run some tests, but there’s still the pain, and having travelled as long as we have, that hasn’t helped.”

Will Martial be available for Man Utd?

If Martial does sit out Wednesday's fixture against Bosnia-Herzegovina, it remains to be seen whether the Frenchman will then be unavailable for the resumption of the Premier League.

The Red Devils welcome Brighton to Old Trafford on Sunday as they continue to attempt to keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the table, and they cannot afford any slip-ups with Leicester City and Chelsea breathing down their necks.

However, with Deschamps admitting Martial's injury isn't anything too serious, there is every chance the forward will be available to face Brighton, with their Europa League quarter-final against Granada following four days after.

How has Martial performed in 2020-21?

Martial hit a career-high 23 goals across all competitions last season for United, and he was expected to build on that platform and nail down the No.9 role in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's starting XI.

The Frenchman has, however, been unable to reach the same high standards this term, with his position coming under threat from veteran frontman Edinson Cavani.

Martial has seven goals to his name from 36 appearances in all competitions so far this season, with four of them coming in the Premier League.

Further reading

Manchester United boss Ole Gunner Solskjaer has revealed he once abandoned a scouting trip during his time coaching in Norway, as the player he had gone to watch had a mohawk.

Solskjaer, who was managing Molde in his home country at the time, had travelled with a member of his scouting team to watch a potential signing, only to be turned off from any possible deal because of his haircut.

Despite the fact several notable players, such as Marek Hamsik and Arturo Vidal - not to mention Solskjaer's former United team-mate David Beckham - have sported the mohawk look in their careers, the manager felt it was a bad sign.

What did Solskjaer say?

He told Sky Sports: "I once went to see a player and as he walked out of the dressing room or through the tunnel onto the pitch, he had a mohican, this was when I was back in Norway.

"I just said to my scout: 'Let's go home, not interested.' That was a very short scouting trip."

First impressions

One player who Solskjaer took an immediate liking to, on the other hand, was Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes, having initially seen him stand out for Sporting CP in the Primeira Liga.

Fernandes moved to Old Trafford in January 2020 and quickly established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League, helping Solskjaer's side secure a top-four berth in the process.

His manager said working closely with Fernandes is special, as the playmaker's vibrancy and will to win is so clear and rubs off on those around him.

Solskjaer said: "What you see close up is the personality because you just follow him. I'd rather have Bruno's fire in the belly and desire. 

"It's so important for him to win and he makes every decision for the referee, decision for every team-mate. So what was a guy who never allowed anyone to rest, he wanted to be the best all the time."

Further Reading

Football Kenya Federation President Nick Mwendwa has come out to explain why Harambee Stars have many new players.

Ahead of their two Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Egypt and Togo, coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee overlooked a number of senior players among them captain Victor Wanyama, Ayub Timbe, Erick Johanna, and Johanna Omolo, and instead, went for a squad of local-based players.

And it is the local-based players who played a huge role as Kenya secured a 1-1 draw against Egypt at Kasarani Stadium before they travelled to Lome to beat Togo 2-1 and end their Afcon campaign on a high.

FKF boss Mwendwa has confirmed they decided to change the team after the draw against Comoros at home and the defeat away which ended their slim hopes of making a second successive appearance at the Afcon finals to be held in Cameroon.

“After drawing and losing against Comoros at home and away, we decided to rebuild this team, we decided to reboot it and we wanted to give it a new life, we wanted to change the team and I want to thank God, we also had a coach, who was thinking on the same lines and knew what we wanted,” Mwendwa told Goal on Wednesday.

“And you can see yesterday [Monday] we had six new players in the starting squad, it was a risk taken from the coach because had we lost in the match, we could have got in trouble with fans back home but the young boys passed with flying colours.

“I want to thank the coach for playing the players, for believing in the players, and now we went away to Togo and we used the same new players, and I am very excited because we have opened new ground for Kenyan football., we want to be successful in the next 10 years and I know it is possible.

‘I can smell something big coming from this squad, I am seeing a new squad of confident players ready to take on Africa, we are building something good for Kenyans, all I can say is watch this space, something good is coming up for the country.”

On Kenya winning their first away match since 2015 when they beat Mauritius, Mwendwa said: “It is a shame that we had not won away since 2015, and a big shame we had not managed to do it ever since I took office as the federation boss.

“We had a difficult match [against Togo] because we wanted to win away, we won last in 2015 in Mauritius and 2013 in Seychelles and the last was 2003 in Cape Verde. So we thank God we have won away, and we need to make it a habit of winning away from home, it should open the door for us to win our away matches.”

Some of the new players in the Kenya squad include goalkeeper James Saruni, defender Clyde Senaji, and forward Hassan Abdallah.

The nominations for the best awards for the month of March were announced by the UAE Arabian Gulf League in the categories of best player, best goalkeeper, and best coach. 

The Nominations

For the best player award Khorfakkan midfielder Dodo, Al Wasl midfielder Fabio Lima, Paul-José M'Poku of Al Wahda, Al Ain forward Kodjo Laba, and Al Jazira defender Kalifa Al Hammadi are the contenders. 

Dodo scored thrice in March and was instrumental in propelling Khorfakkan to the 10th spot, keeping them away from the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Lima has also scored three goals and his most notable performance came against Ajman when he scored a brace in a 4-2 comeback win. 

Paul-Jose M'Poku was also in a rich vein of form and played a key role in Al Wahda's two wins against Al Dhafra and title contenders Al Jazira.

Laba was shortlisted for his four goals for Al Ain and Hammadi is also in the race for being a defensive stalwart for Al Jazira. 

In the best goalkeeper category, league leader's shot-stopper Fahad Al Dhanhani will be competing for the award against  Al Ain’s Khalid Eisa and Al Wahda’s Mohammed Al Shamsi. 

Whereas, Shabab Al Ahli coach Mahdi Ali is vying for the best coach award as he led his team to a 12-game unbeaten run. Bani Yas manager Daniel Isaila is giving stiff competition as he guided his troops to the top of the table with a historic 48 points on board. Al Ain coach Pedro Emanuel is also in the running for the individual prize. 

How to vote? 

The voting has opened on Monday at noon on the Arabian Gulf League website and mobile app and the lines will remain open for the next 72 hours. The winners will be announced on the social media platforms of the Arabian Gulf League. 

The next national camp of the Indian football team is set to be held in Kolkata in late April, Goal can reveal. 

After a 1-1 draw against Oman and a chastening defeat against UAE, India coach Igor Stimac is ready to hit the training pitch once again to work on his troops and rectify the mistakes before the World Cup-Asian Cup joint qualifiers in June. 

The national team had previously set their foot in Kolkata in 2019 when they hosted Bangladesh at the Salt Lake Stadium which ended in a 1-1 draw. 

With the Indian top-tier domestic season finished, the players will get a break before they convene again for the training camp apart from those from Bengaluru FC. The Blues will take the field on April 14, to play their AFC Cup playoff match. 

India are set to play their rest of the World Cup qualifying matches at a centralised venue in Qatar, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. They will restart their campaign by taking on Qatar on June 3, followed by locking horns against Bangladesh four days later. They will play their final group game against Afghanistan on June 15. 

Before entering Qatar, Indian players and staff will need to get a negative Covid-19 certificate. However, on arrival in Qatar, the contingent will have to undergo another Covid-19 test and be in quarantine till the result is declared negative, which usually happens within 24 hours. 

India are currently placed fourth in Group E with three points from five matches. Qatar top the table with 16 points while Oman are hot on their heels with 12 and a match in hand. India are virtually out of contention for the top two spots but a third-place finish is well within the reach of the Blue Tigers. That will book them a direct berth in the third round for the 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers.