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Mauro Icardi has said he feels honoured to play alongside forwards of the stature of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Paris Saint-Germain have attacking options that are the envy of the world, with Icardi, Neymar, Mbappe, Moise Kean and Angel Di Maria at the disposal of coach Thomas Tuchel.

Icardi is not a guaranteed starter, whereas Neymar and Mbappe are certainties to feature in Tuchel’s best XI when fit, but there is no jealousy from the Argentina international.

Instead, the 27-year-old has spoken in glowing terms of two of the world’s best attacking talents.

“For me, playing with attackers of this level is an honour,” Icardi told Telefoot. “Kylian and Neymar are among the three or four best players in the world - they show it in every game.” 

Icardi numbers Sampdoria and Inter on his list of former clubs, but he claims the level of the squad in Paris is superior to any he has been involved in before.

“I've been in football for many years now,” he said. “This squad that was formed last season, I have not seen it anywhere else.”

PSG suffered heartbreak last season when they fell to a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the final of the UEFA Champions League.

Icardi has confirmed that the aim is once again to become the dominant force in European football.

He said: “What everyone is looking for at the club is to create a competitive team to win our first UCL. That's what we all think; what we all expect.” 

PSG return to Champions League action with a home game against RB Leipzig on Tuesday.

The meeting with the German side is arguably a must-win encounter for PSG as Tuchel’s side are third in Group H, with just one win to their name from a trio of games.

They were beaten at home by Manchester United and in Leipzig and another defeat could potentially see them six points adrift of the top two spots with only a pair of games remaining.

They head into the game with RB Leipzig on the back of a shock loss to Monaco on Friday, but Tuchel can now call on Neymar and Mbappe who are both fit again following spells on the sidelines.

Frank Leboeuf says he's "worried" about Anthony Martial following his poor start to the season, with it his belief that the Manchester United star must learn how to be a "killer" in the box.

Martial is still on the lookout for his first Premier League goal of the 2020-21 campaign after drawing another blank against West Brom on Saturday.

The Frenchman was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance early in the first half as he saw his close-range effort saved by Baggies goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, and generally struggled to affect the game after being asked to lead the line once again by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United ultimately needed a Bruno Fernandes penalty to secure an unconvincing 1-0 victory, with the Portuguese currently pulling away as their leading goalscorer with six to his name from eight top-flight outings.

Martial's only two goals of the season to date have come in the Champions League, and calls for summer signing Edinson Cavani to replace the 24-year-old in Solskjaer's line up are increasing with each passing game.

The Red Devils forward was also guilty of wasteful finishing while away with France during the international break as he failed to score in Les Bleus' 1-0 Nations' League win over Portugal despite being played through on goal three times.

Leboeuf is growing more and more concerned by a fellow countryman's lack of form, and has urged him to develop a ruthless streak in the final third in order to become a more potent marksman.

Asked to assess United's latest performance, the France legend told ESPN: "Poor, really poor.

"I’m worried about Anthony Martial. He is a fantastic player and when he’s confident, he is okay.

"He played with the international team and missed three chances against Portugal.

"He missed another chance today. For a world-class player, it was an easy chance.

"He has to be a killer. I’m not pleased with any of those players. What I saw was a poor performance.

"Even West Brom could have scored two goals. It’s not a team who can compete at the top if they perform like that against West Brom.

"It has to be better – this is Manchester United."

Mutiu Adepoju has stated he is pleased with Real Madrid’s performance in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Villarreal despite the absence of Sergio Ramos.

Captain Ramos, 34, was ruled out of the game having picked up a hamstring injury in Spain's game against Germany and will also miss fixtures against Inter Milan and Alaves.

In the tight affair at the Estadio de la Ceramica, Zinedine Zidane’s men settled for a point after leading for 74 minutes.

Mariano Diaz, who made a return into Los Blancos’ line-up for the first time in 18 months gave Zidane’s men the lead after just 107 seconds thanks to an assist from Daniel Carvajal.

However, the hosts levelled matters through Gerard Moreno from the penalty spot in the 76th minute after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois felled substitute Samuel Chukwueze in the box.

Reacting to the outcome of the game, the Nigerian football great and ex-Real Madrid midfielder agreed the Santiago Bernabeu giants missed the ‘leadership qualities’ of the legendary defender and added that the team gave a good account of themselves.

“Yes! Definitely. Ramos is one of the best defenders in the world and his leadership qualities were missed, but I still feel the players who were on the field did very well,” Adepoju told Goal during Saturday's La Liga watch party in Lagos.

“It was a very enticing game – very interesting. But teams did very well right from the blast of the whistle.

“Real Madrid got their goal in the first half after making use of their opportunity, while Villareal came out stronger in the second half to equalise as they bombarded Zidane’s team.”

With this result, Real Madrid sit in fourth position on the log after accruing 17 points from nine outings, with the La Liga ambassador warned that it would be prejudicial to rule the 13-time Champions League winners out of the 2020-21 Spanish top-flight title just yet.

“That’s too early,” he continued. “You can’t rule out any team now even Barcelona because this is the 10th week and we still have like 28 more matches to go.

“There are so many points to play for and everyone, as it stands, has an opportunity to be crowned as champions at the end of the season.”  

Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Mohammed Kudus reveals he has made significant progress on his road to recovery after undergoing surgery for a leg injury.

The 20-year-old went under the knife after suffering a meniscus injury while in Champions League action for the Dutch giants against English champions Liverpool.

The game was his maiden appearance in the elite European inter-club championship after sealing a five-year deal reportedly worth € 9 million from Danish Superliga side Nordsjaelland in July.

"The operation went well. I have received nice messages from everyone. I want to thank everyone for those boosts," said Kudus in a video interview with his club.

"It |injured leg] is almost back to normal now. I can do almost everything again, such as driving and walking without crutches. I am doing rehab and it is now back to normal."

According to Ajax last month, Kudus' injury will keep him in the treatment room for "many months".

He was just beginning to find his feet in Amsterdam, having scored once and provided three goal assists in four competitive appearances for the Eredivisie outfit.

"I watch every game [of the club since my injury]. In my mind I am with them, even though I am physically not there. I support them at every game," Kudus revealed.

"Of course I was new, but my teammates and the staff helped me. The African fellow players made it easy to find my way around."

Although Ajax has failed to give a definite injury return date for Kudus, media reports say the attacker is expected to be out for between three to six months.

The midfielder's recent setback made him unavailable for Ghana's 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying double-header against Sudan earlier this month.

In his absence, the Black Stars beat Sudan 2-0 in Cape Coast, five days before falling to a 1-0 away defeat in Omdurman.

Kudus is likely expected to be back in action by March next year when the Afcon qualifiers resume.

He has so far made two appearances for Ghana, including a scoring debut against South Africa in an Afcon qualifier last year.

Barcelona have confirmed Gerard Pique has suffered medial and cruciate knee ligament injuries.

The defender was involved in a freak collision with Angel Correa during Barcelona’s defeat to Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday.

After receiving treatment, Pique left the field at the Wanda Metropolitano in tears - which suggested the problem was a serious one.

Barca have confirmed that to be the case, with the club issuing a statement on Twitter which read: "Evidence shows that Pique has a grade three sprain of the medial lateral ligament and a partial injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Evolution will determine future availability."

No timeframe has been mentioned with regard to his absence, but a cruciate ligament injury - even a partial one - would suggest a period of months on the sidelines as opposed to weeks.

The absence of such a key defender will be a huge blow to Barca coach Ronald Koeman.

At 33, Pique is in the latter stages of his career but he is still a commanding presence at the heart of the Blaugrana’s defence so to lose him ahead of what is an intense period of the season will be notable.

As well as revealing the injury to Pique, Barca also confirmed Sergi Roberto is facing two months on the sidelines with a thigh injury.

"Tests performed this Sunday on Sergi Roberto have shown that he has a rupture in the femoral rectus of his right thigh,” read a statement from the club. “The approximate time he will be out is two months.”

Barca’s loss to Atletico leaves them 10th in the table, with 11 points to their name from eight games. 

The Catalans travel to Dynamo Kiev in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. Following the trip to Ukraine, Barca have a run of eight games - Osasuna, Ferencvaros, Cadiz, Juventus, Levante, Real Sociedad, Valencia and Valladolid - prior to a week-long break over the Christmas period.

It is a run of games that will shape their Liga season. Koeman’s side are well placed to advance to the knockout stages in the Champions League, having amassed three wins from as many games in Group G, but to be potentially out of the domestic title race before Christmas would not sit well in Catalunya.

Jack Harrison has described Mikel Arteta as "inspirational" and feels the Arsenal manager is fully deserving of his burgeoning reputation.

Harrison’s Leeds United entertain Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, and the winger is keen to draw on what he learned from the Spaniard during the short time he worked under him at Manchester City.

The 23-year-old had a pre-season working under Arteta at City in 2018, and he says he learned so much from the now Arsenal coach and Pep Guardiola.

"I only worked with him for one pre-season and watching the way he worked alongside Pep was inspirational,” Harrison told Sky Sports News. “Watching all the advice they gave to the players was something I really tried to learn something from.

"It was only a short experience being part of their pre-season but I've been really grateful for that, just learning how they conduct their training sessions.

"He (Arteta) wouldn't even remember saying certain things to me and other players around me as well. It was only small to him but it can make a big difference to us as players especially being so young and wanting to learn so much as well.

"You can tell he's very intelligent, he knows a lot about the game and working along with Pep you can see why he's got the reputation he has so it will be another interesting one going into this weekend."

Arsenal travel to Elland Road as favourites for the game, which is of little surprise as the Whites conceded eight goals - four each against Leicester City and Crystal Palace - in their two games prior to the international break.

Kalvin Phillips is back in the Leeds fold following a shoulder injury, and he will be key to stifling Arsenal’s attacking play.

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is in no doubt that he will continue to encourage his side to attack.

“We need to continue to attack well - and to reduce the errors caused by us doing that,” Bielsa said. “We need to not lose the ball in our own half, to finish the attack in the opposition half so there is no counter attack.

“We need to press in the opposition half so they don’t get into ours very easily. That’s what we have to look at.

“Trying to attack is what the fans want and you have to try and be efficient with the style you choose.

“I take risks so the game can be beautiful. Taking another option would mean I don’t care and that I will only go whichever way makes it possible to win.”

Olivier Giroud has admitted that his current situation at Chelsea is worrying, and says he'll have to make a decision on his future in January.

Giroud has scored 29 goals in 95 appearances in all competitions since joining Chelsea from Arsenal in January 2018.

The 34-year-old has also helped the Blues win the FA Cup and Europa League, enhancing his reputation as one of the most reliable centre-forwards in the Premier League in the process.

He did, however, fall out of favour under Frank Lampard in the first half of the 2019-20 campaign, and came close to leaving Stamford Bridge amid interest from Inter and Lazio in the winter transfer window.

Giroud ultimately ended up staying at Chelsea, and enjoyed an impressive revival post-lockdown amid Tammy Abraham's struggles for form in the final third.

The veteran striker finished the season with ten goals to his name from 25 outings, but has fallen back down the squad pecking order following the summer arrival of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.

Werner has quickly established himself as one of Lampard's first names on the team-sheet, while Abraham has enjoyed a mini-resurgence to move ahead of Giroud again in the Blues' manager's selection plans.

The former Arsenal star has now hinted that he may have to start looking for a new club when the transfer market reopens unless his situation improves dramatically in the coming weeks.

"It's worrying. I thought I still had a role to play at Chelsea but my playing time is getting reduced a lot. It's going to have to change or a decision must be made," Giroud told Telefoot.

"I am clear-headed about my situation: I will have to make a decision in January. I hope to make the right one, as I have always done."

Giroud went on to express his belief that he still capable of playing at the highest level despite his advancing his years, before vowing to overcome the latest challenge in his illustrious career.

"Even if some people talk about my age, I still feel very good physically. I have a lot of desire and freshness, and what makes a career last is also the head," the Frenchman added.

"We would like things to be a little easier, but we grow through adversity. And as my buddy [Laurent] Koscielny often says: I am the best when my back is against the wall."
 

Leeds United winger Jack Harrison is looking to draw inspiration from team-mate Kalvin Phillips and work his way into the England squad.

Harrison has made a bright start to life in the Premier League, scoring the Whites’ first goal back in the top-flight at Liverpool in September, and is hoping his efforts catch the eye of England boss Gareth Southgate.

The Three Lions coach is keeping tabs on Leeds’ progress, as Phillips was included in his plans prior to a shoulder injury, and Harrison - who is on loan at Elland Road from Manchester City - is eager to make the step up to international level.

“Growing up I always said to myself it's been a dream of mine to play in the Premier League and I think now that I'm here I have to raise the bar again and international football is that next step,” Harrison told Sky Sports News.

“I love to be able to go away on international breaks, and to play with the national team would be a dream so it's something that I'm working towards.

“I do extras here and there, doing what I can to try and get to that next level.”

Phillips is the most talked about player in Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa’s ranks, and Harrison feels the midfielder is being rewarded for committing to the Whites.

Harrison said: “I couldn't be more happy for him, especially having had the opportunity to leave Leeds and potentially play with the national team earlier.

“He decided to stay at Leeds and be a part of an historic moment. He's become a legend here, he really deserves everything he gets coming to him and I'm so happy that he's made the national team.”

Leeds have made a promising start to life back in the Premier League, with three wins from their opening eight games. 

Bielsa’s side have impressed with their high-octane approach to matches, but they have at times been porous at the back. 

Prior to the international break, the Whites twice conceded four goals - against Leicester City and Crystal Palace - and Bielsa will hope that the return of Phillips from injury will provide a shield for the defence and allow Harrison to cause problems further up the field.

Neymar is a "much more mature player" at Paris Saint-Germain than he was at Barcelona, according to Rafinha.

PSG forked out a world-record fee of €222 million (£198m/$263m) to bring Neymar to Parc des Princes from Camp Nou in August 2017.

The Brazilian had established himself among the very best players of the modern era during his time at Barca, scoring 105 goals in 186 matches while also getting his hands on two La Liga titles and the Champions League.

However, he struggled to reach the same heights during his first two seasons at PSG, with persistent injuries and disciplinary issues preventing him from fulfilling his full potential.

Neymar pushed for a return to Barca last summer after growing frustrated with his situation in the French capital, but the Spanish giants were ultimately unable to reach a final agreement with his current employers.

The 28-year-old bounced back from that disappointment by getting back to basics behind the scenes in Paris with a view to rediscovering his best form.

Neymar ended up inspiring Thomas Tuchel's men to a domestic treble as well as their first-ever Champions League final, but could not prevent them losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the showpiece event earlier this year.

The ex-Barca superstar has since insisted that he is happy at PSG, and although his injury problems have returned at the start of the 2020-21 campaign, Rafinha thinks a fellow countryman is now in a far stronger place mentally than he ever was at Camp Nou.

The 27-year-old midfielder, who played alongside Neymar in Catalonia between 2013 and 2017, told Telefoot: "I found a much more mature player than at Barca.

"Neymar is world-class, one of the best in the world. It's a privilege to play with him."

Rafinha was speaking ahead of PSG's crucial Champions League clash with RB Leipzig on Tuesday, which they cannot afford to lose after dropping to third in Group H following a narrow defeat in Germany on matchday three.

"The game against Leipzig is extremely important. It is a key meeting, and there is only one way out of this meeting: it is by winning," he added.

Football Kenya Federation President Nick Mwendwa has alleged Comoros employed dirty tricks against Harambee Stars in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Moroni.

Kenya went on to lose the game 2-1 but Mwendwa has now claimed there were ‘tricks’ that their Group G opponents staged before matchday four action.

“I was personally warned,” Mwendwa told Radio Jambo saying he had anticipated the dirty games from Comoros.

“We were required that before anyone boards the plane one must test for Covidd-19, we did that on Thursday and we were all negative.

“But I had smelled some dirty tricks on the part of Comoros. They came on the night before the match [the first game in Nairobi] and we were supposed to test them 24 hours before the game.

“That was not possible and what we did was just to ask for their certificates which had the results of the tests they had done at their place.

“We arrived in the morning hours and no one came to see us and they waited until during the pre-match meeting that they raised the Covid-19 test issues.”

Mwendwa said the push and pull concerning the Covid-19 tests dragged on to the point that it almost forced the cancellation of the game.

“Their secretary-general had told Caf they only have one hospital in the country and all the tests must be done there. The surprise was that no one was working in that hospital on Saturday and on Sunday,” added Mwendwa.

“Before we retired to bed deep in the night, I was awoken by our officials who said Comoros demanded that all the players must be tested.

“They came in the morning again and said if there would be no tests then the game was not going to be played but we protested because I knew this was the dirty games I had anticipated.”

The local FA chief also claimed the testing kits were faulty and produced results that showed captain Victor Wanyama was Covid-19 positive.

“They did not even have proper testing kits and the available kits had already expired because the expiry date read 2019. We made complaints to Caf,” he stated.

“We agreed to test finally but as the game was about to kick-off [assistant] coach Ken Odhiambo came to me and told me the results are out and four of our players were Covid-19 positive.

“Looking at the list, Victor [Wanyama] was second and at that point, I was convinced of the dirty games on their part. I insisted that our players were negative and asked them to list for me three hospitals that the tests were carried out.

“I was ready to have the game not played even if we were to give them a walkover. Fortunately, Caf called and stated that our certificates were valid and that is how the game delayed and finally played.”

Comoros won the game and are second on the group as they search for a maiden Afcon qualification.

Posta Rangers coach Sammy Omollo has stated his team missed bench power in the abandoned 2019/20 season.

The Mailmen started the season on a high but went on to struggle and by the time the season was annulled, they were in 11th position with 30 points that came from the 23 games they had played. However, the former Kenya international is confident this time around it will be different.

"Last season we had no problem with the way we started," Omollo told Goal on Sunday.

"Our main problem was on the way we finished and it happened because we did not have strength on the bench. Remember, I did not have the privilege of recruiting players we wanted, but this time around it is not the case.

"With the kind of players we have, I am confident we will not suffer the same way we did in the 2019/20 season."

The 51-year-old had set a target of finishing in the top eight positions in the abandoned campaign. However, this time around, he believes it will be better since his charges have enough quality.

"I do not want to say I want a top-eight finish, one thing for sure is that it will be better," Omollo continued.

"We are more competitive and hungry for success and I am sure we will deliver. We will give our best."

On Saturday, the team played two friendly games; Ezekiel Okare helped them to a 1-0 win against Nairobi City Stars.

Against Gor Mahia, the Mailmen, once again, started strongly and their efforts paid dividends when former Ulinzi Stars forward Elijah Mwanzia connected a rebound. K'Ogalo looked lost and were uncharacteristically off colour.  

"I am satisfied with my players because we are developing with every match," Rangers coach Omollo told Goal after Saturday's game.

"We drew 0-0 with Tusker FC in our initial pre-season friendly, before registering a 1-0 loss to Gor Mahia. However, we have rectified our mistakes and you could see on the pitch.

"My defense was strong throughout and we managed to keep a clean sheet. Gor Mahia are a tough team and when you get a win plus a clean sheet against them, definitely it shows we are doing okay.

"I feel we are ready for the start of the season."

Thomas Muller says he's open to a return to the Germany squad, with Joachim Low being urged to recall the Bayern Munich icon after a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Spain.

Germany missed out on qualification for next year's UEFA Nations' League finals after being dismantled by Spain at La Cartuja Stadium in Seville on Tuesday.

A Ferran Torres hat-trick and goals from Alvaro Morata, Rodri and Mikel Oyarzabal gave La Roja a comprehensive victory which saw them finish top of League A, Group 4 on 11 points.

Low's position in the dugout has been called into question after Germany's worst competitive defeat in 89 years, while there has also been a clamour for exiled stars to be brought back in from the cold ahead of the 2021 European Championships. 

Ex-Die Mannschaft boss Jurgen Klinsmann has been among those to suggest Muller still deserves a place in the international set-up, as he told ESPN last week: “The team lacks a leader, it's sad to see.

"It lacks a personality that after the second or third goal sends out some signals, does something, does a foul, interrupts the game, gets in the face of the Spanish players, and that raises the big question about Thomas Muller.

“Muller is a leader. He's the leader of the pack at Bayern Munich still because he keeps the young players in line. Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry... they all follow Thomas Muller on the field and that's why Bayern is unbeaten in I don't know how long in the Champions League.

“It's a big problem for Germany when we're just six or seven months out from the Euros.”

Muller, who won 100 caps for his country before being axed from Low's squad alongside Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng in March 2019, has now come out to address the possibility of reviving his international career.

The Bayern star told Sky Germany of the pain he felt after the Spain humbling: "That certainly hurts. Of course, you suffer for your team-mates in the club, with the players you know, with whom you have played - and also a little with the spectators.

"As I said, none of us (he, Boateng and Hummels, the editor) has resigned."

Muller was speaking after Bayern's 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday, which allowed arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund to close the gap on them at the top of the table to just one point.

The 31-year-old will be back in contention for a place in Hansi Flick's starting XI when the defending European champions take on Red Bull Salzburg at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday.

Adrian Rabiot is a "complete player", according to Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo, who says he has "rarely seen someone so strong both physically and technically".

Rabiot made his seventh Serie A appearance of the season as Juve secured a comfortable 2-0 victory against Cagliari at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

The result ensured that the Old Lady moved up to second in the league table on 16 points, one behind current leaders Milan having played a game more.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a stunning individual effort in the 38th minute, and doubled his account four minutes later when he volleyed home at the back post after meeting a flick-on from a Juan Cuadrado corner.

Juve finished the match having had 24 shots at goal, and Rabiot was the architect of most of their best moments in the final third before being substituted for Weston McKennie with twenty minutes left on the clock.

The French midfielder is beginning to establish himself as one of the most important members of Pirlo's squad, but the Italian head coach thinks the 25-year-old can reach an even higher level if he develops his self-confidence.

"He is a complete player, I have rarely seen someone so strong both physically and technically," Pirlo told Sky Sports of Rabiot post-match.

"He doesn't even know the potential for improvement he can have, and we work on the mental side of things to make him understand that he is a champion. He is improving game after game."

Eusebio Di Francesco was also impressed by Juve's technical prowess on the ball, with the Cagliari boss admitting the home side possessed too much quality for the visitors to play their own game.

“The idea had been to press Juventus and attack them, but their superior quality pushed us back, they kept forcing us deep and at the end of the day that will eventually lead to a goal,” Di Francesco told DAZN.

“We had a slightly different identity after the break, but they adjusted too and because dangerous on the counter-attack when we made errors in transition.

“The intention was not to come here and defend in search of a point, we were pushed back and had to deal with that situation from there.

“Paradoxically, we ran more risks of conceding in the second half when we attacked them more, because the spaces opened up behind us.”

Juve and Rabiot's next chance to shine will come when the Old Lady face Ferencvaros in a Champions League stage encounter on Tuesday night.

Pirlo's men are currently sitting second in Pool G on six points, three behind leaders Barcelona after winning two and losing one of their opening three matches.

The Bianconeri are due back in Serie A action away at Benevento four days later, with the fixture list continuing to pile up amid the coronavirus crisis.

Gor Mahia have revealed they are shopping around for a local coach who can step in for Roberto Oliveira Goncalves.

This is after the Confederation of African Football (Caf) and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) confirmed the Brazilian tactician, who joined K’Ogalo as a replacement for Steven Polack, will not be allowed to sit on the bench for Caf and FKF Premier League matches because he doesn’t have the correct qualification papers.

On Friday, Caf wrote to the FKF questioning his qualifications and further warned he will not be allowed to sit in the dugout during their Champions League preliminary round first leg match against Armee Patriotique Rwandaise FC (APR) of Rwanda on November 28 in Kigali.

As if not enough, the FKF also came out to clarify that indeed, the former Rayon Sports tactician did not have qualification papers, with president Nick Mwendwa saying he will not be allowed to coach the team in the FKF Premier League set to kick off on November 28.

Gor Mahia have now confirmed through their secretary-general Sam Ocholla that they are in advanced talks with qualified coaches in Kenya to temporarily lead the team in their continental assignments.

“We initially had five people [Jacob Mulee, Francis Kimanzi, Twahir Muhiddin, Zedekiah Otieno, Sammy Omollo] who have those requirements, but we have zeroed in on Omollo and Otieno,” Ocholla is quoted by Standard Sports.

“We are trying to get one of them on a temporary basis because they are the only ones who are available.

“We are still negotiating with FKF and their clubs. FKF is involved because they have to cover us as the national governing body. Therefore, our fans should be patient and trust the office; we are going to sort out this mess.”

On what will happen to their Brazilian coach, Ochola explained: “We are going to resolve the issue and the coach is going to be given his documentation hopefully by next week. It was just a small oversight from our side but this federation is going to standardise his certification.

“We have already met FKF president Nick Mwendwa and he has advised us on how to go about it.”

In a separate interview, Oliveira has come out to defend himself by saying he is a qualified coach with 25 years of experience.

“Listen I don’t talk this about this story, but I prefer to talk about my players and my preparations and because two years or three years ago, I work in the Champions League with Rayon Sports in Rwanda," Oliveira told reporters after the team’s friendly against Posta Rangers on Saturday

"I qualified Stade Tunisien of Tunisia for Confederation Cup, okay I know sometimes in football it has more problems, but it is not a big problem.

“Because I have experience as an ex-player in the national team and also as a coach in 25 years and the last time here [in Nairobi with Rayon Sports], against Gor Mahia, I think everybody remembers very well about this game, and me too, because strong Gor Mahia was a strong team and we beat them 2-1.”

Caf has already outlined a possible ban that Gor Mahia are likely to face should they fail to abide by the orders.

Aliko Bala has signed for Egyptian Premier League side Aswan FC as a free agent from Zulte Waregem.

The Nigerian winger would be hoping to revive his faltering professional career in the North African country, having been out of action since 2019.

Aswan announced this move on their Twitter handle: “Please welcome our new Nigerian winger, Aliko Bala who came from Zulte Waregem FC.”

After an impressive spell at Kaduna-based Golden Boot Soccer Academy, Bala joined Slovakia’s AS Trencin in 2015 alongside compatriot John Chia.

With six goals from 32 outings in his maiden season, he was signed by Zulte Waregem for an undisclosed fee. There, he won the 2017 Belgian Cup with the Regenboogstadion giants, albeit, he was an unused substitute in the final against KV Oostende.

Following his inability to tie down a place in the Belgian elite division side, Bala was loaned to Hapoel Acre and Hapoel Marmorek, where he was a fringe player.

On return to Zulte Waregem, his contract was not renewed and has been in search of a new team. Luckily, he has now been snapped up by the Egyptian side on a three-year deal that runs until the end of the 2022-23 season.

The Jos-born player now adds to Aswan’s long list of signings alongside Ahmed Said, Ahmed Salem Safi, Abdelwahab Ismail and Omar Al-Dah.

Having finished in 14th place in the Egyptian top-flight last term with 37 points, they would be aiming to improve on that position this campaign under new boss Samy El Sheshini.

SuperSport United coach Kaitano Tembo has conceded that his side surrendered midfield dominance to Orlando Pirates after the Soweto giants came back from the half-time break a different outfit to claim a 2-1 victory.

After Teboho Mokoena gave SuperSport an early lead, Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer made a double substitution at the beginning of the second half, throwing on Terrence Dzvukamanja for Deon Hotto while Nkanyiso Zungu came on for Thabang Monare.

Five minutes later, SuperSport conceded a penalty while chasing possession as Pirates bossed the middle of the park prior to winning the spot-kick, which was converted by Zakhele Lepasa for their equaliser.

Later on, Collins Makgaga replaced Vincent Pule and Fortune Makaringe made way for Linda Mntambo.

The midfield changes proved crucial for Pirates, who forced SuperSport to chase the ball for the better part of the second half.

“We had a very good start to the game, we were more positive and we scored early as well,” Tembo told the media.

“From there I thought we would be able to try and manage the game. In possession, we did well and out of possession defensively we did well. We denied them too much space to play.

“But the second half was a little bit difficult with the changes they made. They started dominating in midfield. But still, I thought we played well and considering that we played in phases. The main issue for me was that we didn’t look like we would score and we didn’t really deserve to win the game.”

In the absence of veteran defender Clayton Daniels, who is recovering following a car accident, Tembo threw into the fray 20-year-old Luke Fleurs to play as a centre-back in his first game of the season.

His partner at the heart of the defence, Grant Kekana was also playing his first PSL match of the campaign after a spell on the sidelines due to injury.

For Pirates’ first goal, Fleurs and Siyabonga Nhlapo were adjudged to have combined to bring down Lepasa inside the box as SuperSport desperately pursued the ball.

The goal that sank SuperSport saw Fleurs fail to deal with a harmless-looking cross which was then pounced upon by substitute Tshegofatso Mabasa, who had only been on the pitch for six minutes.

“In the critical phase, three minutes before the end we went to sleep. Luke is a youngster, he hand a fantastic game, he played well. He can only learn from these mistakes and get better from there,” Tembo said.

“But to be fair, defensively we have been struggling this season because of injuries. Those two players [Fleurs and Kekana] only started playing today. They have been out since the season started. But I thought they had a good game apart from those two goals we conceded.”

Matsatsantsa have conceded five goals in four league games and would be trying to improve at the back in their next match against struggling Maritzburg United on Friday.

Although the Red Giants are yet to announce their new signings, over the weekend the club revealed the squad members who have been retained for the coming season.

Among those retained by the club are three of their former youth players, who collectively had their breakout season back in 2017 under then head coach Maniam Pachaiappan. Due to a power struggle and financial difficulties, Selangor started the season needing to rely on a number of youth players and teenagers.

Among those younger players who will stay on at the club next season are Sarkunan Krishnansamy, Namathevan Arunasalam and Malaysia international Syahmi Safari. It is believed that when they were promoted to the first team in 2017, they each signed a five-year contract.

However, in Sarkunan's case, the midfielder revealed to Goal earlier this week that he would be sent out on a loan.

READ: Sarkunan seeking greener pastures and improvements away from Selangor after disappointing 2020

Former Malaysia U-23 centre back Rodney Celvin was also announced to remain on their books, but it is believed that he too will be sent out on loan. He had joined the club this season.

Forward Sean Selvaraj's stay too was announced, reiterating his earlier revelation to Goal that he his contract with the club will run until the end of the 2021 season. He had mostly been playing bit parts since first joining them from boyhood club Negeri Sembilan ahead of the 2018 season, but found renewed purpose this season under caretaker head coach Michael Feichtenbeiner, who entrusted him with match starts.

READ: Sean Selvaraj important part of Selangor's future - Feichtenbeiner

Despite rumours of interest from other clubs, the 2020 Malaysia Super League top-scorer Ifedayo Olusegun will remain a Red Giant in 2021.

Goalkeeper and Malaysia international Khairulazhan Khalid meanwhile will remain as the longest-serving squad member, with the announcement of his stay. The Pahang product had joined them since the end of the 2015 season, and for the past two years has been the Red Giants' number one pick.

The club also announced that 19-year old Mukhairi Ajmal will stay on. After making his Super League debut at age 17 with PKNP FC in 2019, the midfielder was signed by Selangor to their reserve team ahead of the 2020 season. He then became one of their reserve players to receive competitive first team minutes under Feichtenbeiner.

Winger Wan Zack Haikal meanwhile revealed to The Star that he too will get another season. The unlucky former Malaysia international only made his first competitive appearance for the Red Giants this season despite having signed with them after the end of the 2018 season. He picked up another anterior cruciate ligament injury in the 2019 pre-season which ruled him out for the whole season, and later took some time to return to full fitness this season.

Unfortunately, one of the then young players who made his league debut in 2017 will not remain next year. 24-year old midfielder Faizzudin Abidin announced on his social media that his time with the Red Giants has ended. In 2019, his loan spell at Pulau Pinang ended prematurely due to a lengthy injury, and he never saw competitive, senior level action again since.