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Sergino Dest is hoping to spend at least “one more year” with Lionel Messi at Barcelona, with the United States international among those waiting on transfer extension developments at Camp Nou.

The Liga giants continue to run the risk of seeing a six-time Ballon d’Or winner walk away for nothing in the summer of 2021.

Messi will, as his current deal runs down, be free to speak with any suitors from January – with the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain said to be heading that queue.

Those in Catalunya hope exit talks can be avoided, with there an understandable desire on their part to get a talismanic presence tied down on fresh terms.

The clock is ticking for Barca, and Messi has already made one push for the exits, but Dest is looking for the modern-day icon to remain alongside him and spearhead more quests for major honours.

The USMNT star told the Associated Press of the Messi departure talk: “I hear those things, too, but I don't know what is true or not.

“I hope I can play with him for one more year. But we will see. Everyone wants to have him in this club, but it is his choice.”

Dest has not looked out of place in a star-studded Barca squad since completing a summer move of his own from Dutch giants Ajax.

He is just 20 years of age, and is now operating under the brightest of spotlights, but the talented right-back is taking everything in his stride and believes he has found the stage where he truly belongs.

Dest added on making a high-profile switch: “I was not nervous at all, it was just that I am ready and happy to play.

“If I would be nervous, I shouldn't have come to Barca. For me it is my time to show what I have got, try to do my best and help the team out.”

Dest shunned the chance to link up with Champions League holders Bayern in 2019, as he delayed a big career call, and has no regrets at having favoured Camp Nou over the Allianz Arena.

He said: “It was not easy, but this is my dream club. So that is why I chose Barca.

“I saw some chances. They had some new players for the team. [Ronald] Koeman wanted me at Barca, so I thought they had a good plan for me. And right now I am playing, so I am happy.

“I had to take it because you never know when the chance happens again.”

SC Villa coach Edward Kaziba has exuded confidence they will start their 2020-21 Ugandan Premier League (UPL) season with a win when they take on BUL FC on Friday.

The Jogoos, who are the record winners of the league with 16 titles, will open their campaign against a team which beat them 2-1 at Bugembe Stadium in Jinja Town last season.

Coach Kaziba is, however, convinced they have done enough to take on their bogey side and has promised a winning start.

“It is our first game of the campaign, we are going to Jinja prepared to win the game,” Kaziba said as quoted by the club’s official website.

“We have been training very well, there has not been any external disruptions from our preparations for this game.

About the players who have not been called to the matchday squad, Kaziba said: “Derrick [Ndahiro] is out of this fixture as he continues to steadily recover from an injury.

“Saidi Keni will also not take part in this encounter due to licensing issues. The rest of the team is in perfect shape waiting for kick-off.

"Some of the new players we recruited during the pre-season transfer window will be given their chance to debut for the Jogoos.

“We come into this game well aware of how a similar fixture ended last season. The technical team has studied the mistakes from that game and has been able to introduce the players to new tactics so that they do not fall victim of the same mistakes. On this occasion, we are more physically and mentally prepared.”

In a recent interview, Kaziba said his target is to see Villa play entertaining football and score beautiful goals.

“The club’s target this season is to entertain and win with style,” Kaziba said as quoted by the club’s official website. “We finished third last season, an improvement from the previous season, and as a progressive club, we must aim higher this season, we are Sports Club Villa.”

The UPL kicked off on Thursday with KCCA FC winning their opener against Bright Stars 2-1 and due to the strict Covid-19 pandemic standard operating procedures, fans will not be allowed in stadium.

Patrick Vieira has been sacked from his position as manager of Ligue 1 club Nice.

A club statement released on Friday morning said: "Having arrived at OGC Nice in the summer of 2018, Patrick Vieira is no longer the coach of OGC Nice as of today.

"In an interview after last night’s meeting, the Nice board informed Patrick Vieira of their decision to end their collaboration."

Nice have confirmed Adrien Ursea as interim manager for their trip to Reims in Ligue 1 this weekend.

Former Arsenal midfielder Vieira has departed Nice after two and a half years in charge, with the club having lost their previous five games in all competitions and been eliminated from the Europa League at the group stage.

The 44-year-old former France international had also been criticised by fans for Nice's uninspiring style of play, and he leaves the club, who are hoping to qualify for Europe again this season, 11th in the Ligue 1 table.

His last domestic game in charge saw Nice draw 1-1 with Dijon, currently bottom of Ligue 1, while Vieira's final match came on Thursday as they lost 3-2 to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League, with a number of Nice fans protesting against his management outside the stadium before kick-off.

Vieira arrived at Nice in May 2018 having previously been in charge of MLS side New York City FC and having worked on the coaching staff at Manchester City following his retirement as a player.

In his two full seasons in charge of Nice, Vieira took the club to seventh and sixth in Ligue 1, earning Europa League qualification last season thanks in part to the French football campaign being ended early as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

During his playing days, Vieira was one of the most respected central midfielders in football, helping France win the 1998 World Cup on home soil and the European Championships two years later.

At club level, he is most closely associated with Arsenal where he played between 1996 and 2005. He won three Premier League titles, most notably being part of the Invincibles side which won the 2003-04 domestic league without losing a match.

Vieira was linked with the Arsenal manager's job both when Arsene Wenger and successor Unai Emery left the role, which is currently occupied by Mikel Arteta.

Mikel Arteta was always a “big risk” for Arsenal, says David Seaman, but the Spaniard is being backed to get things right at Emirates Stadium if given time in which to turn their fortunes around.

The Gunners took a calculated gamble when appointing their new head coach in December 2019 following the departure of Unai Emery.

Former Arsenal captain Arteta returned to north London and took on the first managerial post of his career. While he boasted Premier League experience from his playing days, and had been working alongside Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the 38-year-old was a rookie tactician thrown in at the deep end.

Early success was enjoyed, with FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs, but the wheels have started to fall off in 2020-21.

Inconsistency remains an issue for a side that has made its worst start to a season in 39 years, but Seaman believes Arteta will prove to be the right choice if patience is shown.

The legendary former Arsenal goalkeeper told The Target Men Podcast: “Overall, I’ve been impressed with Mikel Arteta.

“When he first signed for Arsenal, I thought it was a big risk because it’s his first job and it’s a big job. After Emery and the latter years of Arsene, we weren’t getting any better, so for Mikel to take over was a tough ask.

“At the time I thought Patrick Vieira might have been a better choice because he’d already had experience, but after I saw Mikel’s first press interview, I was really impressed.

“Since then, I like how he’s affecting the team, but he needs to be given time from the board to make it his own team.

“The game against Wolves showed that Arsenal are still lacking in confidence and a clear idea of what is expected of them.”

Arsenal have made it through to the last-32 of the Europa League this season, with continental progress maintained in a 4-1 win over Rapid Vienna, but a domestic spark is still being sought and the next opportunity to find one will present itself on Sunday in the north London derby with Tottenham.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has no intention of retiring as a coach any time soon, with the Portuguese tactician stating that he could have 10 to 15 years left in his career.

One of the most successful and respected trainers in the game, Mourinho has won trophies in every country he has worked and could be forgiven for a loss of motivation after amassing such an impressive haul of silverware.

The 57-year-old insists that is not the case, however, with his mission to deliver glory at Spurs just the latest task on his agenda as he plans to continue plying his trade potentially into his 70s.

“I'm 57, very young in relation to my job, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I have 10-15 years ahead of me,” Mourinho said at Web Summit, the world's largest annual tech conference.

“There is a difference between success and a successful career. I always believe that there is a huge difference. Success is a moment. Success can be related with your talent, but can be just the fact you are in a certain place in the right moment, in the right time. 

“Another thing is a successful career, which is based on year after year after year, I always wanted that kind of career. It’s part of my DNA. If I love what I do, if I feel fresh, it’s motivation, I always like to take players into a different dimension.

“I know that people probably don’t think this about me but I consider myself a very humble person, I always try to learn, I always try to be better and this is a kind of job where experience only can make us better. I really believe today I’m much better than I was 10 or 20 years ago.

“Everybody says my career is long, which is true, but I don’t see the end. I feel exactly the same passion, the same desire to learn every day. I think it’s just a pleasure. My white hair for sure has nothing to do with a stressful job!”

Mourinho's journey to becoming one of management's all-time greats is all the more impressive given how difficult it was to become a top-level coach without having had a storied playing career – and he feels that will be remembered as something of a trailblazer.

“Today, people believe in different ways to become a football manager,” he said. “There are different ways to arrive there - 20-30 years ago the biggest barrier was the fact people were totally focused on former players.

“They forgot that with the evolution, with times, people studying and following an academic career and mixing an academic career with some football experiences - even if not at the top level as a player – [can still be a success].

“The fact that today any kid that loves football and is not hugely talented to become a top football player, any student who decides to go in another direction and goes to sports science, to football methodology and follows an academic career in the search of scientific knowledge can be as good or even better than others. 

“That was the barrier I had, nowadays people don’t have anymore. Honestly, I think it’s quite a legacy that I leave behind.”

Georginio Wijnaldum has been warned against leaving Liverpool for more money at Barcelona or Real Madrid, with Philipp Degen urging the Dutch midfielder to avoid following Emre Can’s lead.

The Netherlands international is only tied to the reigning Premier League champions through to the summer of 2021. He will become a free agent if no fresh terms are agreed, with the option for him to enter into talks with interested parties from January.

La Liga giants Barca are said to be leading the chase for Wijnaldum’s signature if an exit is sought on Merseyside, with Ronald Koeman eager to be reunited with his fellow countryman at Camp Nou.

Degen can appreciate why such a move would appeal, especially with no transfer fee involved, but he believes walking away from one of “the top teams ever” could be a mistake.

Liverpool have seen seasoned stars making similar calls in the past, with versatile Germany international Can opting to link up with Juventus in 2018.

Former Reds defender Degen, who now works as an agent, told the Liverpool Echo: “This is a big question - the same, a little bit, as Emre Can.

“In football, I always say to every player that of course, in the end, you want good money, but in my life, I think a very important part in life is to see not only money, but everything.

“I don’t know if it is only because of money, but he is in one of the top teams ever. What is the next step? Real Madrid? Or maybe Barcelona?

“I don’t know but I don’t think he will be a star in these teams. If I were him, I would be thinking very hard. We have a very tough time in this world with coronavirus and we cannot go to the stadium and see the people.

“I don’t know exactly what his status is and why he hasn’t signed, so maybe it is money, maybe he wants to move - but if I am him and I am part of this club which won the Champions League and the league - I stay in Liverpool.

“Sometimes a club really wants to keep you, sometimes a club wants to keep you, and sometimes a club doesn’t want to keep you. This is three points.

“The one who really wants to keep you will do everything. The clubs who just want to keep you, they don’t do everything. And the clubs who don’t want to sign you, they leave out the contract. There is always three parts.

“I don’t know which part Liverpool is exactly on that so I don’t know, but if I am him, he can sign in five weeks, six weeks, but I would really think about it. He is at one of the best teams in Europe and you have to be a high, high club where he wants to move.”

Wijnaldum has remained a key man for Liverpool this season despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, with the 30-year-old making 17 appearances across all competitions.

Former AFC Leopards forward Boniface Ambani has claimed he has been vindicated after head coach Tomas Trucha resigned.

Ambani claims the suspicion he had around the former Township Rollers coach arrival at the Den has been proved right after a short while. Trucha, who oversaw just one Football Kenya Federation Premier League game which Ingwe won 2-1 over Tusker, left his position with claims of threats on his life from unidentified club members.

“My gods always vindicate me,” Ambani said on a Facebook post.

“The coach was on a mission and there is a lot behind all his hasty move. As I always say, don't fight naked truth.”

Ambani used his criticism of the Nairobi Governor Mike ‘Sonko’ Mbuvi to state he has always been on a mission to find the truth over matters he believes in. He has also alleged Trucha’s signing was an underground deal but did not mention people he suspects to have been part of it.

“Sonko [Nairobi’s impeached governor] once mocked me but I was right and I can see that he has been beaten hands off at the City Hall,” he added.

“Here he [Trucha] has pocketed enough and left the club naked and these are known as underground deals. He had a wonderful holiday, sampled the country for a month or so and left

“Never fight the truth.”

Another former AFC Leopards star Francis Xavier replied to Ambani’s post by stating those in leadership must be ready to face the challenges that come with their positions and never rely on hearsay.

“Leadership is no cup of tea. You don't rely on rumours and hearsay to run an institution and attack people,” Xavier replied. “Shame will catch up with you and your personality will be put on a blade.”

In a separate post, Ambani said the club chairman Dan Shikanda must not attempt to link him with any threat directed towards the immediate former coach.

“Kindly keep your hands off my name and get the name Ambani out of your mouth. And for your information, I have all along been quiet and I only point issues affecting football and I won’t stop,” he posted.

“Let it sink into your head.

“I fear no one! the threats you direct at me please take it somewhere else. Always talking of Ambani and group, do you even know how busy I am at the moment in the western region?

 “When somebody threatens you, the simplest thing to do is to go to the police and report and look for that person who threatened you.

“I only told you, stop parading fake agents at the club. As simple as that.”

Trucha has already been appointed as Penang FC head coach in Malaysia and Anthony Kimani has taken over at the Den as an interim coach.

NorthEast United remain unbeaten after three games but Gerard Nus' side have looked toothless in attack. They have scored just one goal from open play and the rest have come from dead-ball situations. 

But the Spaniard feels that it is just a matter of time before they start scoring from open play as they have been focussing on this same in training. They next face East Bengal on Saturday at the Tilak Maidan, Goa.

"We are working to create chances from open play and set-pieces. We will not have only one plan. We are focussing on ourselves. We watched them (East Bengal) play and they did not have the results they wanted. But they are going to be difficult and a threat to us. It will be a tough game. We know how good they are with the ball. They are well organised during set-pieces. We are going to stop them and create chances against them. That's the plan. Not a single game is easy. It has just started. Everybody has the energy and it will be a tough challenge," stated the coach. 

East Bengal have a specialist set-piece coach in Terence McPhillips but Nus isn't concerned as he is confident that his side will also pose a threat.

"Terence and I have a history with Liverpool. But not at the same time. He was there as a player and I was there as a coach. It is great to have a set-piece coach. It is an important area of the game. But we prepare set-pieces for every game and this will be no different. We will do what we can do best." 

Nus does not want to set a long-term goal for the season and instead believes in taking one step at a time. He wants his players to give their all and get the best possible result.

"We want to compete. We have started in a good direction. We have to improve a lot. The goal for this season is to be competitive. We have to take one game at a time. We will do everything we can to win. We will analyse the opponents. We put a lot of passion to control the game. Everyone is putting in good energy. If someone is not willing, he is free to go. We have created a bubble inside a bubble. We are not here for holidaying in Goa.

"I think you have to get the best possible from your squad. We have many new faces. We have six foreign players and many Indians who are new. This is a short season. We have established a plan since day one. We have started to bring in tactical ideas. We have a clear idea of how to do things. We know how to defend and how to deal with various situations. If everybody sticks to the plan then the job becomes easier," he explained. 

Nus has faith on all the 28 players at his disposal and interestingly, said that he doesn't subscribe to the idea of having a best XI. 

"I don't have the best XI. I have 28 players and I want all of them to play. Sometimes some players don't train well or are not fully fit. It is not only about who starts but those who come in as well. They change the games as well. I don't believe in a best XI. I am sad that I can not give chances to everyone. Having just two friendly games also didn't help as I could not give chance to everybody. 

"Many experiences in football help you grow. It helps you adapt. If you learn from those you can prevent the negative ones. And you can do the positive ones more often. Being an assistant coach, you understand the way to approach. It helps you to do the job in the best way possible."

NorthEast United's centre-back pairing in Dylan Fox and Benjamin Lambot have gelled well at the heart of defence. But on Friday they will have their hands full as they will have to deal with a tricky Anthony Pilkington. However, Fox remains confident that his team can keep a check on the former Norwich City player. 

"He (Pilkington) has a lot of experience. We will not take him lightly. We are capable of keeping him quiet. I have good chemistry at the back with Lambot. We are taking game by game. We have been defending from the front. That is a good positive. I enjoy playing with him," said the defender. 

Former AFC Leopards star Boniface Ambani has called out the club’s chairman Dan Shikanda over claims ex-coach Tomas Trucha's life was threatened.

Trucha resigned on Wednesday after Shikanda claimed threats were directed to him and his agent by some Ingwe members, but Ambani has now claimed the chair erred in parading fake agents and picking threats as the only reason why the Czech left.

“What is his [Shikanda] problem now?” Ambani asked in a Facebook post.

“So what did I do? When a sick man wants to die he will even claim a chicken has eaten his food. I have no business with you Shikanda but do what you were asked to do.

“Kindly keep your hands off my name and get the name Ambani out of your mouth. And for your information, I have all along been quiet and I only point issues affecting football and I won’t stop.

“Let it sink into your head.

“I fear no one! the threats you direct at me please take it somewhere else. Always talking of Ambani and group, do you even know how busy I am at the moment in the western region?”

The former youth coach stated if the threats towards the coach were real, it should have been reported to the state security agents.

“When somebody threatens you, the simplest thing to do is to go to the police and report and look for that person who threatened you,” he concluded.

“I only told you, stop parading fake agents at the club. As simple as that.”

As AFC Leopards accepted Trucha’s resignation, they stated the events were disturbing.

“This has been occasioned by the coach feeling that his safety is not guaranteed since his manager, Mr Prince Channis, has been threatened by people purporting to be Ingwe supporters,” the resignation acceptance statement read.

“This is disturbing and unacceptable for anyone who claims to be a supporter of this esteemed club.”

Shikanda, without specifically mentioning names, said some members had resorted to acts that are aimed at destabilising the club owing to the good work going on.

“But now what they have decided is to stabilise the team and make sure that Trucha does not operate peacefully,” Shikanda said. “I do not know what they want. The coach is definitely not happy with what is happening.

“The same people were saying he does not have papers and that he is just a tourist. But when they saw his credentials they went silent.

“If I invite you to a place and people start threatening will you be comfortable in that place? There are a lot of threats on our coach and his agent and the people who are bringing all these threats are also agents.”

Trucha’s departure left the club at the hands of Anthony Kimani and Tom Juma as interim head coach and an assistant, respectively.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has officially disbursed the first grant to Premier League clubs.

Goal can exclusively reveal the money was wired to the clubs' accounts on Friday but ‘rebel’ clubs Zoo FC, Mathare United, and Ulinzi Stars have been left out, after their decision not to sign the endorsement deal between the FKF and broadcast partners StarTimes.

Some of the clubs, who have already received the grant from both BetKing and StarTimes, say it will go a long way to boost their preparation for this weekend and upcoming league matches.

“We have received Sh2million and it is a boost for us,” Nzoia Sugar chairman Evans Kadenge told Goal on Friday.

The three ‘rebel’ clubs had been given the chance to peruse through the StarTimes deal and confirm if they will sign the same, but it seems they did not agree with it.

A source, privy to the money issue, has now told Goal the three clubs have been left out of the first grant.

“Both Zoo, Mathare United and Ulinzi Stars will not receive the Sh2million from BetKing and StarTimes,” the source told Goal. “All the other clubs have been sent the grant, those in KCB have already received the amount and the rest will have money hit their bank accounts before the end of business on Friday.”

Gor Mahia, who were also among the ‘rebel’ clubs, have been sent the first grant as the FKF have used the letter of endorsement signed by club secretary-general Sam Ochola.

In a recent interview, FKF president Nick Mwendwa said they will move on with their activities with or without the ‘rebel’ clubs.

“We don’t have time to waste, we have given them time to sign the deal and we are waiting for their response,” Mwendwa told Goal. “It is upon them to see if they sign or not, but as FKF we are not waiting for anyone, we already have a bus of 15 teams and will proceed with what we have.”

The 2020-21 season kicked off last weekend with eight matches played across the country and three of them televised live by StarTimes.

AFC Leopards opened the season with a 2-1 win against Tusker.

Anthony Martial needs to “up his game” at Manchester United, says Dimitar Berbatov, with the France international urged to use Edinson Cavani as a role model when it comes to being a fearsome number nine.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been tinkering with his options when it comes to a central striking berth.

After parting with Romelu Lukaku in the summer of 2019, Martial and Marcus Rashford have been given opportunities to prove that they can lead the line.

Both have delivered personal best returns when it comes to goals, but questions continue to be asked of whether either is a long-term solution for United down the middle.

Experienced Uruguayan Cavani has been acquired to help aid that cause, with the 33-year-old proving that he has lost none of his touch through productive early outings in England.

Berbatov believes the former Paris Saint-Germain star could be the perfect teacher for Martial, with it clear that the 24-year-old Frenchman needs to improve his game in order to become a reliable option for the Red Devils.

The ex-United frontman told Betfair: “I was thinking about him [Martial] and there were fans messaging me on social media about him asking what is going on with him and why he isn't producing and scoring goals. He needs to up his game, not only him but the whole team too. In the really important games he need to shine even more.

“I've been surprised with how well Edinson Cavani has performed, the guy is 33 years old and he's running around the pitch like he's a 25-year-old, fighting for the ball, making spaces, the passion he had is still there and that is something that Martial needs to look at and improve on. He needs to bully defenders and get dirty from time to time.

“He has the other attributes like technique, speed and stamina and other things like that, but in some games, like the one against PSG, you need to be a bit nasty and when you have an opportunity to score, you need to score.

“I hope it's just a blip for him because I like him as a player and as a human, I hope he can continue and get better with his development. I can tell that Solskjaer likes him a lot as well with the amount of game time he is getting. Hopefully, after the games, win or lose he looks for advice from Ole, and with Cavani there he can see how he is moving around and they've both been in the French league so they will know each other.

“The examples are around him, he only needs to look around him and ask, it's as simple as that. On the training pitch he just needs to stay and work on things that may be missing from his game.”

Martial has just two goals to his name this season, and none through his last six appearances for club and country, and will be looking to find a spark as United head towards the hectic festive period.

Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Thomas Muller was voted as the best player in the world in his position, beating out strong opponents and becoming the next player to cement his position in the Goal's Top eleven powered by FIFA 21 as we attempt to identify who you think are the best footballers around the world.

Muller led the table with 42% of the votes (20500) beating out the rest of the competition. Bruno Fernandes was second with 23% of the votes (11000) followed by Ziyech (17%), De Bruyne (16%) and Dybala (2%)

Stay tuned to this space as we ask for your help to identify the best players in their respective positions globally.

Gennaro Gattuso has agreed a new contract with Serie A side Napoli, according to director Cristiano Giuntoli.

Gattuso, 42, is currently contracted to Napoli until the end of the season after replacing Carlo Ancelotti in December last year.

Since taking charge, former Milan boss Gattuso has guided Napoli to Coppa Italia glory in 2019-20 – the club's first piece of silverware since 2014.

Giuntoli was asked about Gattuso's future prior to Thursday's 1-1 Europa League draw at AZ.

"I know the lawyers are exchanging the contracts," Giuntoli told Sky Sport Italia. "We have reached an agreement and the paperwork was written up this week. I don't think there will be any problems.

"Gattuso is a little more agitated on a daily basis than Carlo Ancelotti was, but that's just their personalities. They are both great professionals."

Interviewed after the stalemate in Alkmaar, Gattuso preferred to speak about his team rather than his own personal business, stating: “Contracts are not my priority, it’s about daily work. We’ll see, but I am happy to work with a contract that’s four or five months long, I don’t mind.”

On the match itself, the Italian added: “We could’ve killed the game off, we didn’t, and in the end I think we were lucky to get a point.

“We allowed them too much of the ball as time wore on, we made mistakes. If you analyse it, both teams had chances, we could easily have lost too.

“It wasn’t a great performance. There were four or five situations we could’ve read better. In recent times, we’ve had a lot of support off the bench, but that didn’t really happen today.

“Now we have to see it out with Real Sociedad. It’s a pity, because we could’ve finished it all off today and we were in the position to achieve that, but we ended up almost losing.

“There are some positives, but I focus on the negative first. We didn’t control the game during the 90 minutes, whether we had the ball or not. There are positives, we created the chances against a very talented team with a lot of pace.

“We lost our way in the second half and the substitutes didn’t contribute very much. I know that I’m a pain for my players and keep hammering them constantly. I tried to do this work differently, I can’t, so they just have to get used to it.”

Napoli are fifth in Serie A this season, six points adrift of unbeaten leaders AC Milan after nine games.

Gattuso's outfit make the trip to bottom side Crotone on Sunday.

Wakiso Giants head coach Douglas Bamweyana is hopeful of a good Ugandan Premier League (UPL) season owing to the preparation they have had.

The Purple Sharks open their campaign on Friday with a tricky fixture against Police FC. The tactician has also expressed his feelings ahead of the restart of domestic football in the country since March.

"[Friday’s] game comes with mixed feelings; it is exciting, to begin with. Obviously, after a long time away from the action we are looking forward to getting onto the pitch and doing what we love," Bamweyana said ahead of the game.

"As far as our preparations are concerned, we are very happy with how the preparations have gone. On a personal note, I am happy with our preparations, and I am happy with the squad.

"We cannot wait to go out onto the pitch and do what we love, so we are looking forward to achieving what we feel is a challenge to the status quo.

"I stand from a privileged position because I feel we have the quality to compete with anybody in this league and therefore I don’t think we need years to get the team ready."

The tactician pointed out his charges have prepared well for the new season despite the challenges coming with Covid-19. He has also explained what he is expecting against the Cops.

"We are fortunate to have prepared well for this season. We know that as a group we might have blips throughout the season here and there but we know the league is a marathon," Bamweyana continued.

"So, we are confident our preparations and the quality in the side gives us a chance and puts us on the right track.  

"It is true that as a club we did not do so well against Police last season, but I believe last season was the last season. We are banking on how well we have prepared for this season and we are confident.

"On a personal level, I don’t think I have such a bad record against Police, there have been a couple of draws but it is not about individuals, it’s about the group rather than the individuals."  

Robert Lewandowski believes the decision to cancel the 2020 Ballon d’Or was made “too early”, with the prolific Bayern Munich striker missing out on a chance to claim a prestigious Golden Ball.

The 32-year-old frontman admits to having enjoyed the “best season” of his remarkable career to date in 2019-20.

Bayern swept aside all before them en route to another historic treble last term, with their talismanic No.9 leading the way as he plundered 55 goals across all competitions.

Lewandowski appears to be getting better with age, with the stunning standards he has set for himself continuing to be raised as he becomes ever more productive.

His exploits have already been recognised by the UEFA Player of the Year award, while he remains a strong favourite to claim FIFA's The Best prize.

No one, though, will be adding a Ballon d’Or to their collection, with France Football opting against selecting their cream of the global crop in a coronavirus-impacted 12 months.

Lewandowski remains disappointed by that decision, with every other major honour having been handed out in 2020.

The Bayern star told the Daily Mail: “Someone had to decide that this year there would be no Ballon d'Or.

“Maybe they decided too early because every [other] trophy has been decided. So many players, coaches, journalists know that, for me, it was the best season.

“We did what we did and it was spectacular. I'm glad everyone has seen it. These awards are something nice, amazing.

“But I also know that every personal trophy is for the team. The team without the striker finds it difficult to work but the striker without the team doesn't work either.”

For now, Lewandowski’s focus is locked on chasing down more collective silverware at Bayern, with Hansi Flick’s side determined to defend their Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and Champions League crowns.

With the German giants already through to the last-16 in Europe, Lewandowski said: “We have won this trophy but it is clear once is not enough.

“We are still hungry. We want to taste this feeling with the fans, in a full stadium. Maybe after this season we will have a double celebration.”

Remaining competitive in 2020-21 will not be easy, though, with a short summer break, lack of supporters in grounds and a gruelling schedule making life difficult for all concerned.

Lewandowski added: “After [last] season when we [finished] and opened the new one, with such a short time to prepare, it is very hard —very hard for the body.

“Every player, every team. It's going to be impossible to compare this season to last year or next year.

“This is so hard. So many games, such a hard time and then the European Championship straight away. You have to think about your body and, in March, how it will be. 

“Will we be ready when the most important games are coming? You are a professional footballer and you have to adapt.”