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Malaba Youth Development Association (Myda) FC assistant coach Erisa Madanda has stated his charges are fully prepared for their debut in the Ugandan Premier League (UPL).

The team will be at home against the one-time UPL champions Police FC hoping to start on a high. The tactician has also commented on their postponed game against defending champions Vipers SC owing to their Caf Champions League assignments.

"The team is ready and we expect good results according to what is in the camp," the tactician commented ahead of their Tuesday afternoon game.

"The fact is that the league has started and we finished our last training session and I must confirm the mood is high and the boys are fully ignited.  

"[The game against Police] was supposed to be our second game but unfortunately we missed our first game against Vipers but as for this one, we have prepared the boys and they are ready."

The assistant coach has also explained what to expect from the 2005 champions.

"The team we are facing is a better side; a good one to face," Madanda continued.

"A team that has been in the league for so long, they have experience and a good coach, their programme and planning is better. But that one can’t scare us. We joined the top flight and have to face the very best.

"Unfortunately, we shall be without two players who tested positive for Covid-19, but we have a big pool of players who we can choose from."

Police FC drew 0-0 with Wakiso Giants in their opening game. They will miss the services of skipper Tony Mawejje who is nursing an ankle injury from the Wakiso Giants' game.  

There are a total of four games to be played on Tuesday in the UPL.

The 13-time champions Kampala Capital City Authority Football Club (KCCA FC) will be at home against Onduparaka FC. The Kasasiro Boys will be aiming at making it two wins in a row after an opening 2-0 triumph over Bright Stars.

Busoga United will be at home against Bul while Wakiso Giants will be hosting Kyetume FC.

Sadio Mane has “lost a little bit of belief in front of goal” after going six Premier League games without finding the target, says John Aldridge, with a lack of end product “playing on his mind”.

A previously prolific presence for the Reds has found the target just once through his last 11 appearances in all competitions.

That solitary effort came in a 5-0 Champions League mauling of Atalanta, with his last league goal coming in a Merseyside derby date with Everton on October 17.

An impressive return of 86 strikes for Liverpool through 186 outings suggests that the Senegalese star will come good again at some point, but Aldridge admits a spark is missing at present.

The former Reds striker told the Liverpool Echo after seeing a talismanic figure draw another blank in a 4-0 victory over Wolves: “I felt a little bit for Sadio Mane who deserved a goal for another tremendous performance and it was a pity the last one was taken off him and given as an own goal.

“He's playing really well but hasn't scored in the league since the derby at Goodison and it may just be playing on his mind a touch.

“He seems to have lost a little bit of belief in front of goal and I know what that's like but he's just got to keep getting into the positions and the goals will flow again soon, I'm sure of it.”

While Mane missed out on filling his boots against Wolves, Liverpool were delighted to welcome 2,000 supporters back into Anfield.

Aldridge hopes attendance figures will continue to rise over the coming months, with coronavirus-enforced restrictions starting to ease.

He added: “It was brilliant and quite emotional to see supporters back in Anfield for the first time since the pandemic struck and there's no doubt at all it helped the players.

“As Jurgen Klopp said, Liverpool fans always raise the bar and whether people like it or not, that's the truth. Our people are special and showed it again on Sunday night.

“As a player, you're always going to respond to that and it really was wonderful to see and hear.

“There's a big carrot for fans now because, if people stick to what they've been told to do, bit-by-bit hopefully we can get more of them back in the ground sooner rather than later.

“That's the incentive for people to act sensibly in the build-up to Christmas and over the holidays and if they do, hopefully we will see the numbers of fans allowed into the ground rise which is what we all want.

“We really don't want to see it get knocked back again because you could see against Wolves what it meant to the team and the manager to have 2,000 in so, if everyone plays their part, hopefully it can be 15,000 soon and more after that.

“But the only way that can happen is if people do what they have to do to beat this virus so let's everyone bear that in mind.”

Moise Kean has opened the door to a permanent Paris Saint-Germain transfer after a bright start to life in France.

Much was expected of Kean when he completed a €28 million (£25m/$34m) move to Everton from Juventus in the summer of 2019.

The Italian frontman established himself as one of the most exciting young players in Europe during his three-year stint at the Allianz Stadium, and Toffees supporters were initially hopeful that he could be the man to fire the club back towards the upper echelons of the Premier League.

However, the 20-year-old struggled to adapt to the demands of English football, and did not score his first goal for the club until January.

Kean ultimately finished the season with just four goals to his name from 37 appearances, leaving Carlo Ancelotti with a difficult decision to make over his future.

The Everton head coach eventually opted to send the former Juve starlet out on loan to PSG, whose acquisition of the struggling forward in October raised more than a few eyebrows.

Kean was seen as an unnecessary signing due to the fact Thomas Tuchel already boasted a fearsome forward line made up of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi and Angel Di Maria, but he has managed to silence his doubters at the start of the 2020-21 campaign .

The loanee has seen plenty of minutes with Icardi out injured, and has made the most of his opportunities to shine by scoring seven goals in his first 12 outings for the French champions.

No purchase option was included in the deal between Everton and PSG, but it has already been suggested that Tuchel will look to sign Kean outright when his temporary contract expires.

The Italy international has now hinted he would welcome the chance to extend his stay at Parc des Princes after rediscovering his best form over the past few months.

Asked to address the possibility of staying in Paris beyond the current season, Kean told a press conference ahead of PSG's Champions League clash with Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday: "I am very happy with my performance with PSG. It's a very good thing to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world. 

"I am focused on bringing good results. For the future, we'll see, you never know."

Kean also admitted that he is soaking up as much experience as he can from playing alongside Neymar and Mbappe - two players he looks up to as masters of their craft.

"I have the opportunity to learn a lot from them," he said. "They are two of the greatest players in the world. I am very happy to play with them. I learn a lot from these leaders."

The talented young striker added on the prospect of competing with Icardi when he returns to action: "He's injured, but for me, he's one of the biggest strikers in the world. 

"I'm looking to give my best for the team, but his return will be good competition. I will still try to give myself 100 per cent."

Three ‘rebel’ clubs are now facing expulsion from the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League after they refused to endorse the broadcast deal involving the federation and StarTimes.

A top source within the federation has exclusively told Goal the three clubs – Mathare United. Ulinzi Stars and Zoo FC – will be kicked out of the league by the federation’s National Executive Committee (NEC) sometime this week, after they refused to endorse the partnership.

The source has further told Goal the FKF has also reached out to the world governing body Fifa over the stalemate which has now stretched for four weeks, and Fifa has no problem with the decision to kick out the clubs because “they don’t own TV rights”.

“The three ‘rebel’ clubs are on the verge of being kicked out of the league by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of FKF,” the source, who did not want to be named, told Goal on Tuesday.

“They will be removed because the FKF has the obligation that every team affiliated to their league must sign the undertaking by StarTimes so that their matches are screened live on TV.

“It is already matchday two and they have refused to sign the endorsement, they have remained adamant despite perusing through the document, FKF has also written to them more than four times, and they are still saying they cannot sign, we cannot keep changing fixtures every week because of their stand, they will be kicked out.”

The source continued: “Something significant will happen this week because the TV rights belong to FKF and not the clubs, FKF have no choice but to crack the whip, we cannot wait for them any longer.

“We have talked to them for the last four weeks [on why they should sign the document], but they have refused, and now a decision has been made and the decision is to kick them out of the league.”

The source further said the FKF is ready to handle the team’s next course of action even if they move to court.

“We are ready for any action they will take, we can meet in court if they move to court, we don’t have time to waste,” the source continued.

Meanwhile, Goal also understands clubs that have already signed the deal have ganged up on the ‘rebel’ clubs, stating they cannot play against them if they don’t sign the deal.

“We cannot play against a team which has not signed the deal because we will not receive anything in return,” a chairman of a club in the league, and who did not want to be named, told Goal.

“It is either the three clubs sign the StarTimes deal so we can play against them or else they are removed from the fixtures, we suffered a lot last season without money and now that the FKF has managed to secure sponsorship, it is better we follow the laws.”

The 15 clubs in the top-flight have already received a Sh2million grant from sponsors BetKing and StarTimes, as per the signed contracts.

Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah says he would be a good fit for the Premier League, which he believes is the league in the world.

The Germany international was linked with a move to Leicester City during the summer transfer window, with Arsenal also reported to be showing an interest in him earlier in the year.

Tah, 24, believes the English top-flight is the best league of all and is confident he would suit many clubs.

"The Premier League appeals to me, it has always been like that. I always had the feeling that my style of play would suit England well," he said in an interview with  Goal and SPOX .

"The physicality of the league and the need to think quickly are qualities that suit my game. Opinions differ as to which league is the best in the world - for me it's the Premier League."

The former Hamburg defender has played just five times in the Bundesliga this season, though he has been a regular in Peter Bosz's side throughout the Europa League group stages.

Tah made his debut in the Bundesliga for Hamburg at the age of 17 and was hailed as one of his country's most promising players.

He has two-and-a-half years left on his contract with Leverkusen, but he hopes to make a step up to the highest level of the game before too long.

"It may sound strange because I haven't played that often lately, but I'm convinced that I can reach the top level in football," said Tah, who was recently the subject of a documentary in which DAZN followed him for a year.

"I've made a step forward, both on a sporting level and personally, but I don't know where I'll end up in the end.

"I have to be convinced that a transfer will help me. It depends on whether the club has their own philosophy or makes their philosophy dependent on the coach.

"Then the question arises as to which system the coach uses and what he expects from his players, especially in my position.

"Of course, how the team is set up is also very important. How big is the competition in my position, which guys would I play with? So there are some factors to consider."

Managers of the prestigious Nigeria Pitch Awards have disclosed that the seventh edition of the awards will be held on Tuesday, December 22 in Lagos.

The country’s longest-running football awards were billed for March, however, the lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic meant the event was postponed indefinitely.

However, a new date for the 2020 awards has now been confirmed.

“It has been our tradition since 2013 to schedule our award ceremonies to coincide with major Super Eagles match engagements,” said Shina Philips, president of the Nigeria Pitch Awards, in an announcement to the press.

“The seventh award ceremony was to honour deserving award winners for the year, 2019. Unfortunately, the circumstances engineered by attempts to halt the spread of Covid-19 forced a major postponement of the event.

“This year’s award ceremony will mark the first award ceremony which will be held in Lagos. As organisers and as a responsible corporate citizen, we are mindful of the need to observe all government laid down Covid-19 protocols in order to keep our guests safe.

“This is why physical attendance will be restricted as many nominees including members of the Super Eagles will follow the event online.”

Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi will battle Manchester United star and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen for the King of the Pitch accolade while Asisat Oshoala is in line for the Queen of the Pitch diadem alongside Paris FC’s Chiamaka Nnadozie and Onome Ebi.

Goal’s Samuel Ahmadu has also been nominated for the Football Journalist of the Year prize where he would be hoping to claim the honour for the second time on the bounce.

Known for its objectivity, the annual award ceremony is staged to reward key players in the country’s football sector and is sanctioned by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

During the 2018 edition staged in Port Harcourt, NFF boss Amaju Pinnick praised the work of the awards’ organisers while guaranteeing the football body’s backing.

“We are very proud of you even if we don’t tell you; we are indeed very proud of you. Organising an award is not an easy job,” said Pinnick.

“We will not only associate with you, we will also do one or two things for you.

“The awards have been running for the past few years and they [organizers] have been very consistent.”

Arsenal’s snubbing of Mesut Ozil has been questioned by Freddie Ljungberg, with the former Gunners player and coach claiming there are not “many better in the world” than a creative German midfielder.

Mikel Arteta has taken to freezing a World Cup winner out of his plans at Emirates Stadium.

Despite Ozil’s obvious qualities, and the lucrative contract he remains tied to, the decision has been taken to leave him out of Premier League and Europa League squads.

It may be that he is never seen in Arsenal colours again, with free agency due to be hit in the summer of 2021.

Many have suggested that Ozil’s absence from the Gunners fold is down to non-sporting factors, with it difficult to see why he would be overlooked completely if there was a chance that he could be required at some stage.

Ljungberg is among those left puzzled as they watch on from afar, with the Swede of the opinion that Arteta could do with a potential match-winner in the middle of the park.

He told Sky Sports of a long-running saga in north London: “When you have a player like that, and I don’t say he should play every single week, but when you have possession and you need to find that cute pass, I don’t think there are any better players than Mesut doing that.

“Of course you lose a bit defensively, but it’s a decision they’ve made. I don’t know why the decision’s been made and he’s outside the 25-man squad, so they can’t use him.

“But for those things, I don’t think there are many better in the world.”

Ljungberg, who took interim charge of Arsenal in the wake of Unai Emery’s dismissal in November 2019, is also looking for Arteta to settle on a system that allows the Gunners to establish much-needed consistency.

He added in the wake of a 2-0 derby defeat to arch-rivals Tottenham: “For me, in general terms, it’s just a little bit slow.

“If they could just go into general games, not just this game, with a bit of a higher passing tempo, go a bit quicker.

“You saw when they had success last season a few times, it went quite quick into [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and he opened up his legs, he had space to run in, so maybe passing a bit quicker.

“Then of course it depends how you set up the team. Arsenal, they played with a five, then only with two midfielders and that showed they couldn’t have a creative midfielder in the team really because they were just working really hard in midfield.

“He’s now changed to a back four and they will have a 10, I think [Alexandre] Lacazette played that role [against Spurs], so I think he’s trying to mix it up to have a bit of that creativity in the middle of the park.

“But as you see the stats don’t really lie.”

As a tough Indian Super League (ISL) encounter against joint-leaders Mumbai City beckons, Chennaiyin FC must play to their strengths, feels head coach Csaba Laszlo. 

Mumbai City, after losing their first game of the season, have steadily improved and have looked potent up front, exactly how Sergio Lobera likes his teams to play. After scraping to a 1-0 win over FC Goa, Lobera's side have blown away SC East Bengal and Odisha FC. 

However, Laszlo is not dazed by the prospect of playing one of the favourites to reach the play-offs. He felt that Chennaiyin needed to focus on their strengths, rather on the opponents. 

"We have to stay compact, help each other. If we can do this and play to our strengths, we can beat Mumbai. We have a lot of strengths, not just our opponents. We have to use our strengths," Laszlo said. 

"I don't think that always the best-rated team will win the game. You need a bit of luck but also a plan and structure. You can have desire and passion but you need structure. It is very important. For me, it is important to have structure and then have individual creativity. Definitely, we can win against any team." 

Mumbai City have not conceded from open play yet in their four matches so far, with the only goal scored against them being a penalty by NorthEast United's Kwesi Appiah. Chennaiyin, themselves, have not scored a goal in their last two games. 

But the head coach is confident that his attack can find their way through the Mumbai defence. 

"We will try to do that (breach a strong Mumbai defence). We are capable of scoring. Mumbai City is a strong team. But we are not weak. But we have shown we can play football. Last game we lost but this is a new game and I'm confident we can score goals."

Influential midfielder Anirudh Thapa suffered an injury early on in their previous game against Bengaluru FC but Laszlo did have positive news on his status. Though he might not be involved against Mumbai City, he is not expected to be out of action for long. 

"Yes, we are discussing with the medical team (Thapa). He's made good progress but we will decide only tomorrow. But it looks positive."

Mumbai City have a quite a few overseas players who have ISL experience, with the likes of Ahmed Jahouh, Mourtada Fall, Hugo Boumous and Bartholomew Ogbeche. The 56-year-old felt that having a settled team helps squads adapt quickly and perform well. 

"You have players who have come into ISL for the first time in many teams and the performances haven't been fantastic. Players who have played before know how the league is. The adapting period is very important. Personal attitude is also important.

"I think in my team, we have (Enes) Sipovic is new and has given good performances. Fatkhullo (Fatkhuloev) has played well. Isma (Goncalves) already scored. Jakub (Sylvestr) has been unlucky but I'm confident he will adapt quickly."

He further explained that Chennaiyin have already displayed good team spirit and togetherness, qualities that will help them be competitive in the league. 

"Every team is searching for their best XI and have better physical conditioning. No team had the best preparations. Teams who have been stable for a long time are working better.
 
But I am satisfied with the team spirit and togetherness and how we are developing. Not with the result. In these three games, we have showed that we are capable of being competitive."

Sergio Lobera's Mumbai City are on top of the table with nine points from four matches but the manager is not getting carried away. He knows that he has a job at hand when they take on Csaba Laszlo's Chennaiyin on Wednesday evening in the Indian Super League (ISL). 

"Our focus is not on the table. We are focussing on the next game. It will be a mistake to look at the table. We need to improve our style of play. We are already improving but there are a lot of things to do. Chennaiyin is a very good team. Hope to be a difficult game. They have a fantastic coach (Laszlo). We need to work very well. We played two days ago (2-0 win against Odisha FC). We need to be ready from the first minute. It will be a very competitive match," stated the coach. 

The manager stressed the importance of squad rotation as they are set to play their third game in eight days. 

"Squad rotation is very important. If you have a good squad, then you can use different players in matches. We have a full season ahead and happy with the fitness condition of my team. We need to work hard and believe in our style of play. Hopefully, our fans will be happy at the end of the season."

Mumbai City have conceded just one goal in four matches and currently have the best defensive record in the league. Lobera's team is keeping thing tight at the back but are also scoring at will, especially in the last two matches. Lobera asserted that balance is the key and keeping possession helps them to defend better. 

"The key in football is balance. We are an attacking team but we are defending as well. The best way to defend is to have the ball. When you have the ball, you can always score and are unlikely to concede. When you have time with the ball then the transition from defence to attack (for the opposition) becomes difficult. But we are working well in training. 

"But the concern is injuries. A short preseason leads to injuries. We are working in special circumstances and we do not have six-to-seven weeks prior to the season," explained the coach. 

Adam Le Fondre is in fine vein of form and feels he works well with fellow striker Bartholomew Ogbeche. The duo started together in the first match but since then Lobera has opted to rotate his options. However, it remains to be seen if the duo start together.

"We (He and Ogbeche) worked together in the pre-season together. It is not down to me who plays where and the team selection. We have got a strong squad and we can rotate and the results still come. We have got a good partnership on and off the pitch. 

"We are training in the right way. It is nice to get the wins and keep going in the right direction. The clean sheets are important and we keep building on that," commented the player. 

Jose Mourinho gave Arsenal a tactical lesson, according to Freddie Ljungberg, who says the nature of the defeat to Tottenham "hurts".

Arsenal suffered their sixth loss of the season in the North London Derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, and slipped to 15th in the Premier League standings as a result.

Son Heung-min's stunning long-range strike set Spurs on their way to victory in the 13th minute, with the South Korean allowed to run through on goal after picking up a pass from Harry Kane on the halfway line before curling the ball into the far corner of the net.

The Gunners dominated possession thereafter, but struggled to create any clear openings as Mourinho's side stuck to their shape vigilantly while looking for openings on the counterattack.

Tottenham eventually punished Arsenal on the break again just before the interval, with Kane finishing off a lightning-fast move after being teed up beautifully by Son in the penalty area.

Mikel Arteta's men were unable to find a way back into the game in the second period, with the home side ultimately left celebrating a famous 2-0 win which saw them return to the top of the league.

Ljungberg felt Mourinho set his team up perfectly to seal the victory, and he has been impressed with how the Portuguese has been able to bring the best out of the Spurs squad since his appointment in November 2019.

“I haven’t recovered yet,” the former Gunners winger and interim head coach told Sky Sports. “It was tough but Mourinho gave us a lesson in how to play a tactical game.

“It was interesting but it still hurts. I thought Spurs, I didn’t think they would be that far ahead or top of the league to be honest.

“But you look at Mourinho, he’s got them inspired, his players are all doing what he wants them to do which I think is the hardest thing when you play the kind of football he does.

“Hats off to him, they’re doing really, really well.”

Arsenal and Tottenham will both be back in Europa League action on Thursday, with respective fixtures against Dundalk and Antwerp on the cards.

The two sides will resume their latest Premier League campaigns three days later, with the Gunners set to play host to Burnley and Spurs scheduled to take in a trip to Crystal Palace.

Manchester United would have been Premier League champions in 2017-18 if Manchester City played by the rules, says Jose Mourinho’s former assistant Ricardo Formosinho, with the Blues found to have breached Financial Fair Play regulations.

Pep Guardiola claimed his first English top-flight crown during his second season at the Etihad Stadium.

His old adversary Mourinho had to settle for a runner-up spot, with a 19-point gap separating those at the summit from the rest of the chasing pack.

That is as close as United have to come to recapturing domestic dominance since Sir Alex Ferguson headed into retirement on the back of a 13th title triumph in 2013.

Formosinho believes the Red Devils would have emerged victorious under Mourinho’s guidance had they been competing on a level playing field, with City deemed to have bent the rules when it comes to splashing out on new recruits.

“We weren’t champions, it’s true, but we won the Europa League, the League Cup, the Super Cup and, in a fight with a Manchester City, who did not fulfil, as proved later, the Financial Fair Play, we were runners-up at a time when, having sporting truth, we would’ve been champions,” Formosinho told Record.

He added on current Tottenham boss Mourinho, who has enjoyed success wherever he has been in a distinguished coaching career: “People may ask why he’s the best. I answer that because he thinks faster and comes up with solutions faster.

“When talking about the growth of others at the tactical level, he goes far ahead strategically. He’s different for the better. I’d even say much better.”

United finished as runners-up in the Premier League under Mourinho with Romelu Lukaku leading their line in a No.9 berth.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who netted 28 times across all competitions in the previous season, was still around after committing to another short-term deal, but he had to work his way back from a serious knee injury.

The enigmatic Swede eventually departed Old Trafford in March 2018, as he headed to MLS to link up with the LA Galaxy, and Formosinho admits he was a big loss for United on and off the field.

He added: “In the last year we lost a great man and leader of the dressing room: Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

"He was an irreplaceable reference. We really missed him.”

Wakiso Giants have confirmed they will miss the services of midfielder Joshua Lubwama when they take on Kyetume FC in a Ugandan Premier League (UPL) match on Tuesday.

The midfielder was hauled off at half-time during the team’s 2020-21 season opener against Police FC on Friday as a precaution after he felt some muscle pain.

Ahead of their first home match of the season against Kyetume at Kabaka Kyabaggu Stadium, coach Douglas Bamweyana has revealed the player will not be available for the fixture and also stated he will make minimal changes to the squad that played the opening match.

“We pretty much have the same team from the previous game, we probably welcome Bukenya Lawrence on to the team and he comes in to replace the injured Joshua Lubwama,” Bamweyana said as quoted by the club’s official website.

On playing their first home game since March, Bamweyana said: “Generally, we are happy to play out first game at home against a very familiar opponent with whom we have not so bad record but we want to do better, win the game and get on the right track as soon as possible.”

The two teams will be meeting for the sixth time in the top-flight, with Wakiso managing one win and four draws.

In the corresponding fixture last season, the match ended in a 1-1 draw with Feni Ali scoring for the Slaughters while Gadafi Wahab levelled matters for Wakiso. 

After the Police game, Bamweyana praised the efforts made by his debutants despite securing a 0-0 draw. Edward Satulo, Joshua Lubwama, Rahmat Ssenfuka, and Ibrahim 'Ówen' Kasule are the players Bamweyana handed debuts.

“I was very pleased with all of them,” Bamweyana told the club’s website.

“[Satulo] was imperious at the back, Ssenfuka marshalled the midfield well and Owen when he came on, created quite a number of things and we were just unfortunate not to benefit from them.

“Lubwama did well only that he felt something like a hamstring and we had to withdraw him but he did a lot of good things, especially off the ball.

“The whole team did well and whatever we did or missed, it’s about the team and not individuals.”

The Tanzania national U20 men's team is currently in Saudi Arabia where they will camp in preparation for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Mauritania early next year.

The Ngorongoro Heroes are set to play two friendly matches while in the Middle East to shape the players and create chemistry between them ahead of the biennial competition.

"The national U20 team Ngorongoro Heroes safely landed in Saudi Arabia where they will play two international friendly games," the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) confirmed in a statement obtained by Goal.

"On Monday, the team had recovery training sessions to prepare the players for the forthcoming games."

The Ngorongoro were losing finalists in the U20 Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) Championship after going down 4-1 to Uganda's Hippos.

The Hippos got the goals from Richard Basangwa, Steven Sserwada, Ivan Bogere and Kenneth Semakule while the immediate former champions scored their only goal via Abdul Suleiman.

Uganda looked a dominant side all through the game and got the opener in the 12th minute from Basangwa’s strike. The Ngorongoro Heroes fought back and equalised at the half-hour mark from Suleiman’s effort before Sserwada scored the second for Uganda in the 44th minute.

The Hippos came from the half-time break more determined to bag the title and deservedly added the third goal in the 61st minute through Bogere. Semakule scored the final goal in the 72nd minute to seal Uganda’s victory against the hosts.

Both Uganda and Tanzania sailed to the final lap without losing a match, setting the stage for what was expected to be an epic final game in Arusha.

In the same competition, Kenya's Rising Stars ended the competition in fourth place after falling to South Sudan.

It was the second loss the Rising Stars registered in the tournament after Uganda had beaten them 3-1 in the first semi-final.

South Sudan went ahead in the second minute courtesy of Phillip Biajo’s goal but Stanley Okumbi’s side fought and equalised in the 10th minute when Nicholas Ochieng found the back of the net.

Nelson Elia scored five minutes prior to the half-time break to give South Sudan the lead yet again and Rising Stars’ concerted efforts in the second half were not able to help them level matters.

Ihlas Bebou scored one goal and provided one assist as Hoffenheim sealed a 3-1 triumph over FC Augsburg in Monday’s Bundesliga outing.

Featuring in his eighth game of the 2020-21 German topflight campaign, the Togo international gave a good account of himself to help Die Kraichgauer extend their unbeaten run to five across all competitions.

Florian Grillitsch put the hosts ahead after 17 minutes after profiting from a brilliant assist by Christoph Baumgartner. The Austrian cuts into the penalty area before sending the ball towards the back post, leaving Grillitsch with just a simple header from close range.

They almost doubled their advantage three minutes later after Stefan Posch picked out Bebou, who beats a man before teeing up Grillitsch. However, the latter’s strike zips just over the crossbar.

While Sebastien Hoenes’ men were pushing for a second goal, Augsburg levelled matters in the 31st minute with Daniel Caligirui winning an aerial battle versus Ryan Sessegnon to head home Michael Gregoritsch’s cross.

Barely a minute into the second-half, the hosts restored their lead through two-goal hero Grillitsch. Bebou headed the ball into the midfielder’s path, and he lifted it over an opponent before guiding it into the net with a curling left-footed shot.

Four minutes later, the Togolese star registered his name among the goalscorers. Andrej Kramaric played a first-time pass into his path, before surging into the middle of the penalty area to power a left-footed effort into the bottom corner of goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz.

Hoffenheim held on to their two-goal advantage for the rest of the game as Augsburg paid dearly for missing numerous scoring opportunities.

Bebou was in action from start to finish alongside Malian midfielder Diadie Samassekou, while Nigeria international Kevin Akpoguma, Algeria's Ishak Belfodil and Ghana's Kasim Nuhu played no part in the game.

For Heiko Herrlich's team, Nigeria's Noah Bazee was not listed as the WWK Arena giants marched to their fourth defeat of the season.

With this result, Hoffenheim stay in the 10th position with 12 points from 10 games, while Augsburg are 11th with same points although with inferior goal difference.

Bebou would be hoping to take replicate his goalscoring performance to Thursday’s Europa League dead-rubber showdown versus Genk.

Ulsan Hyundai defensive midfielder Won Du-jae, arguably Asian football’s most exciting defensive talent for the future, had already impressed his coach Kim Do-hoon without kicking a ball. He took on a challenge head on in the 2020 AFC Champions League East Zone centralized tournament being hosted in Qatar.

The Most Valuable Player of South Korea’s win at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championships in January had kept up a positive demeanour while in quarantine in the 2022 FIFA World Cup host nation after arriving from the national team camp in Austria where there was an outbreak of six COVID cases prior to the 17 November friendly against Asian champions Qatar.

Always complying with the comprehensive COVID safety protocols laid out and implemented by Qatar as the centralized hosting venue of the competition, the youngster successfully saw out his quarantine period in Qatar and came on as a second-half substitute in his team’s penultimate Group F game on 30 November to set up a goal.

Come the East Zone quarterfinal against Melbourne Victory on Sunday, Won went one better by opening his scoring in the tournament with a well-executed header, outsmarting taller and more physical Australian defenders in the process as his team won their sixth successive game, scoring more than two goals against the opposition.

This was not the first time he had the better of physical Australian opposition. During the semifinals of the AFC U-23 Championships in Thailand, his deft tackling and eye for the quick pass had floundered Australia, who were the perceived favourites ahead of the game.

Coach Kim’s utmost confidence in Won, therefore, comes as no surprise. Even the sheer enormity of the scope and nature of the challenge -- potentially negotiating a rampaging former FIFA World Cup and UEFA Champions League winner Andres Iniesta of Vissel Kobe during the tournament – does not deter Kim from reposing his trust in Won.

“Du-jae is the future of Korean football,” a visibly proud Kim told media following his side’s 3-0 win against Melbourne Victory. “My club and country have expectations of him and I believe that he has enormous potential to rise to any challenge. I believe that Du-jae can display his passing skills on the pitch against any opponent. I asked him to lead my defensive organization today and he showed his quality in that area also. He scored a good goal as well.”

Coach Kim, a former South Korean international striker who played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, alluded to the team spirit in his club’s ranks as one of the reasons behind the young players in his side, such as Won, not being overwhelmed by the reputations of those in opposition ranks.

“It is true some of our future opponents in the competition have big players such as Iniesta. But we also have experienced players in our ranks who have been to FIFA World Cups. Therefore, I do not think that anyone in my team will be afraid of the big players in the opposition,” he added.

If young Won were to fulfill his coach’s expectations against the likes of Iniesta and Renato Augusto, it would indeed be a spectacle to treasure for Asian football lovers in the host nation of the continent’s second FIFA World Cup.

It has been a tough debut season for East Bengal in the Indian Super League (ISL) so far as they have lost all three of their matches including the Kolkata derby. More concerningly, even after playing 270 minutes of football, they have not found the back of the net. 

The Kolkata giants, under Robbie Fowler’s tutelage, are yet to settle properly. Being the last team to enter the ISL this season did not really help their cause much as they got very little time to assimilate the squad and prepare for the season. 

By the time East Bengal confined their berth in the ISL, the best of Indian talent had already joined other clubs and they had to settle for the best of the rest. However, criticism could be levelled at the club for not filling their quota of seven foreign players. Out of the six foreign players, Aaron Amadi-Holloway (only foreign striker in the squad) got injured during the pre-season and skipper Danny Fox picked up a knock in just their second match of the season against Mumbai City FC.

Fowler does not have a proper foreign striker in his arsenal, a position in which every other team in the ISL has at least one top-quality overseas player. The lack of a quality forward is already reflecting in the team’s performances.

East Bengal can still fill their foreign quota if they sign a player who is a free agent. However, if they want to bring in a player playing at any club, they will have to wait until January. In any case, the visa formalities and the quarantine protocols ensure, it will be at least two weeks after signing before he can join the team. 

In the present scenario, the only thing the Red and Gold manager can hope is that his senior Indian players step up and deliver. It is high time the likes of Balwant Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua and CK Vineeth step up and use their experience to bail out the club.

Now, Jeje is coming back after a lengthy injury lay-off and expecting him to straightaway shoulder the burden of goalscoring is not realistic. Balwant Singh, on the other hand, has scored just two goals in his last 1328 minutes of football in the ISL, dating back to the start of 2018-19 season. Balwant has just 15 starts in this period. Vineeth's plight is also similar. From the 2018-19 season, the Keralite has scored four goals in 1611 minutes of football, which included 16 starts. 

The output from East Bengal's forwards is less than ideal for a club looking to make a mark in their inaugural season.

East Bengal’s backline has also been a cause of concern for the coach. The defence has already leaked seven goals in the first three matches and the coach even had to deploy defensive midfielder Sehnaj Singh as a makeshift centre-back in the absence of Danny Fox in their last game.

The Kolkata side have central defenders like Gurtej Singh and Rana Gharami who have experience of playing in the ISL, but Fowler has not used them in the central defensive position much. Gharami started their season opener against rivals ATK Mohun Bagan but since has not featured. 

Even full-back Narayan Das, who has been playing at the top level for many years and has even represented the national team, has looked shaky.

All Jamshedpur FC needed to do to beat ATK Mohun Bagan in their 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) clash on Monday was get their set-pieces right. Owen Coyle got his tactics spot on against Antonio Habas' men who were chasing their fourth straight win going into the fixture. 

In attack, the first thing that Coyle did was to field William Lalnunfela alongside star striker Nerijus Valskis and that move worked well whenever the team pushed forward in search of goals. 

The game was an end-to-end contest at times but both TP Rehenesh and Arindam Bhattacharya dealt with threats effectively - some of the saves were ones they are expected to make but there were a few outstanding stops in the mix as well. 

The biggest difference between the teams was how they used set-piece situations. Jamshedpur looked like an Owen Coyle team on the night - they had the characteristics that Indian fans were used to seeing from Chennaiyin last season. 

Importantly, Alex Lima was key in ensuring Jamshedpur FC denied ATK Mohun Bagan's midfielders any space to operate. 

Habas seems to have insisted on zonal marking rather than going man-to-man and it backfired. For the first goal, Nerijus Valskis was faced with no opposition inside the box as he jumped and headed the ball past Arindam to break open the deadlock. Was it a gift? No, it was a good delivery and a very good header. But could Bagan have done better? Most certainly, yes. 

The Bagan defence and midfield had an off day in their own half. Players who had been doing well up until Sunday, like Carl McHugh, couldn't keep up. 

Whatever Habas told his team at half-time did have an effect as the Kolkata-based club dominated proceedings for most of the second half. Coyle's team, albeit a bit too defensive, was clever during transitions. The teams cancelled each other out until once again Jamshedpur struck from a set-piece. 

It was Aitor Monroy's delivery (again). Valskis was the scorer (again). It is only natural to wonder how someone like Valskis had all the time in the world to slam home the delivery from the corner, not only because he one of the most prolific strikers in ISL but also since he already got on the scoresheet from a corner in the first half. Bagan did not adapt or react to the opposition's strengths and they were once again punished. 

Bagan did create chances as they chased the game towards the end, with Manvir Singh's pace causing problems to the Jamshedpur backline. However, Peter Hartley and co. dealt with them. 

Roy Krishna got his customary goal in the 80th minute although he was clearly offside and the goal should not have been allowed. It was only a consolation for a team that didn't play well and will hope it is only an off day. 

The question of home ground has been one of Selangor FC's sore points. The multi-purpose, state government-owned Shah Alam Stadium, which has been turning into more of a liability than an asset in recent years, has required repairs again, shutting the Red Giants out of it for at least the two coming seasons.

READ: It's time for Selangor to start letting go of cavernous, cumbersome Shah Alam Stadium

Towards the end of the 2020 season they were forced to share the UiTM Stadium as their home ground, while they plan to share the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) Stadium with Petaling Jaya City FC beginning next year.

However, rumours surfaced recently of their interest in one of their former home grounds; the Merdeka Stadium. The historic stadium, which was built in 1956 in preparation for Malaysia's independence from Great Britain in the following year, has not been used for professional football since 2015.

The ground that is situated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's financial capital city and Selangor's former state capital, was last used as the Red Giants' home ground back in 1994.

In a telephone call with Goal last Saturday, club CEO Johan Kamal Hamidon conceded that the Merdeka Stadium is an attractive location.

MBPJ Stadium. Photo from Getty

"To be honest, we've thought about it (using Merdeka Stadium as home ground). Although it is in Kuala Lumpur, it would not a problem for us. It is a more central location so it would be more accessible to our fans such as those from Kajang and Gombak. It's right next to an MRT station, so it'd be convenient for the fans, location-wise.

"But it will ultimately require too much work I presume. The truth is we haven't looked into it in detail," he explained.

At the end of the day, sticking with their MBPJ Stadium plan is still the most feasible option for the club currently, summarised Johan.

"This plan (MBPJ Stadium) is going ahead. We may use it for longer than one season, as long as the Shah Alam Stadium is not ready."

Paul Pogba can return to Serie A champions Juventus as he is unhappy at Manchester United, according to his agent Mino Raiola.

Pogba's representative Raiola said the star midfielder's time at United is "over" in Monday's preview teaser for an interview with Tuttosport amid speculation he is set to leave Old Trafford in the near future.

The World Cup-winning France international – who scored in Saturday's 3-1 Premier League victory at West Ham – has regularly been linked with former club Juve and LaLiga champions Real Madrid, while Pogba described a possible move to the Santiago Bernabeu as a "dream".

Pogba left United for Serie A powerhouse Juve in 2012 after his contract expired only to re-join the Red Devils in 2016 for what was then a world record transfer fee of £89million.

On the front page of Tuesday's Tuttosport, where the full interview will be published, Raiola is quoted as saying: "Yes, Paul Pogba can come back to Juventus.

"He's not happy at Manchester United."

Raiola's comments come as United prepare for Tuesday's blockbuster Champions League clash at RB Leipzig on the sixth and final matchday in Group H.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United require a draw to book their spot in the last 16 of Europe's premier club competition.

"Paul is unhappy with Man United as he is no longer able to express himself in the way that he would like and as he is expected to," Raiola said. "Paul needs a new team, a change of air.

"He is under contract for the next 18 months and it will expire in the summer of 2022."

Pundit Jamie Carragher was asked on Sky Sports for his views on how United should respond , and he said: "Get rid. I have been saying this for 12 months. 

"Oh my god, he is the most overrated player I have seen in my life."

Carragher feels Pogba would have been well aware of what Raiola was planning to say, and did not hold back with his views.

"I think the two of them are a disgrace," he said. "We will all look at the agent now, and say ‘ask Pogba what he thinks.’"

Pogba has made 13 appearances for United across all competitions this season, scoring twice.

The 27-year-old scored his first Premier League goal of the campaign as United came from behind to trump West Ham at the London Stadium.