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Chris Smalling says he was shocked at the way Manchester United handled his departure from the club.

The 30-year-old joined Serie A giants Roma on a permanent transfer this summer after a successful loan spell last season, when he was deemed surplus to requirements following the signing of Harry Maguire.

Smalling says he was only told late in the window that he wouldn’t be needed at Old Trafford – a decision which left him in "a sh*t situation".

“I guess that was maybe the lowest point at United,” Smalling told the Telegraph.

“That was the shock I didn’t expect. How it was handled... if I was told earlier that summer - and I don’t want to have a dig at Ole - I would have made other plans.

“I knew that my days under Ole were pretty much numbered. I was just a bit frustrated.

“One, I would like to have been told earlier and then, secondly, I was only able to go with just a day left of the Italian window being open.

“The English window had shut. I was left in a very sh*t situation. I had to decide. After I had that chat [with Solskjaer] it was a case [from him] of, ‘I’m not sure when your next game will be’.

“In an ideal situation I would have known early in the summer and made plans and it almost got to the stage where I had a day left.

“My wife had just had a kid as well. There was a lot going on that happened at the last minute.”

Despite his disappointment, Smalling bounced back in Italy, making 37 appearances in his first season and helping Paulo Fonseca’s side to a fifth-place finish.

His move was made permanent this summer despite at one point seeming unlikely due to the England international’s price tag, but Roma were keen to keep him.

Smalling missed the start of the 2020-21 season through injury but returned before the international break, and will be hoping his new side can keep up their early-season form which sees them fourth in the table. Roma host 15th-place Parma on Sunday.

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed Wilfred Ndidi is recovering well from his groin injury but will not play a part when they take on Liverpool on Sunday.

The Nigeria international suffered the injury during the Foxes’ victory over Burnley in September and has since been sidelined from games.   

Ndidi has only made two Premier League appearances for Leicester in the 2020-21 campaign, missing their last 10 matches. 

The midfielder was also not involved in Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game against Sierra Leone due to the injury problem.

Ahead of their clash against the Reds, Rodgers explained the 23-year-old will not feature in the encounter but expressed his delight with the progress he is making with his recovery.

"Ricardo’s in training with the group, which is great news, and he’ll most probably play in a reserve game next week. He’s progressing really well,” Rodgers said in a pre-match press conference.

"Wilf is out on the field. He still has a number of weeks to go, but he’s progressing well. Soyüncu, likewise, is maybe a few weeks away, but training with the squad."

Ndidi has been a consistent performer for Leicester since teaming up with the club from Belgian First Division A side Genk in 2017.

Ndidi has made more than 120 Premier League appearances for the Foxes since his arrival at the King Power Stadium.

Last season, the midfielder featured in 32 league games, starting 29 of the outings to help Leicester secure a Europa League ticket after finishing fourth.

Ndidi will hope to be fit before the Foxes’ December busy schedule to help his side finish as high as possible in the first half of the season.

Leicester City currently sit on top of the Premier League table with 18 points from eight games and a win over Liverpool would help them extend their lead in the division.

Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane insists that star defender Raphael Varane is non-transferable amid links with Manchester United.

United have been long-term admirers of Varane and the Premier League giants are reportedly preparing an offer for the 27-year-old France international.

But Zidane dismissed speculation over Varane's future at the Santiago Bernabeu, where the Frenchman has won three La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies among other honours since arriving in 2011.

"It's not just me [who wants to keep him]," Zidane told reporters ahead of Saturday's clash against Villarreal. "He is part of this club, we were very lucky to be able to bring him to Madrid.

"He has a great career, he's achieved a lot since he's been here. Of course, he is untransferable for the club, for the coach that I am, for people in general.

"That's clear and unambiguous. Now we can't stop people from talking. They're not just talking about Varane, but about all the players, Real Madrid ones and others.

"But for Varane, my position is clear, and it's the same as the club's position."

Varane has made seven La Liga appearances this term and 10 across all competitions for Spanish champions Madrid.

He has more clearances (27), headed clearances (13) and blocks (four) than superstar captain and team-mate Sergio Ramos in Spain's top flight this season, while Varane has an 80 per cent tackle success rate and 30 duels won.

Ramos is, however, unavailable to face Villarreal having picked up an injury while on international duty with Spain. There were fears that Varane would also be missing, although he was included in Zidane's squad for Saturday's match.

Eden Hazard is also back in the squad after missing the 4-1 defeat to Valencia due to coronavirus, although Eder Militao, Karim Benzema and Casemiro are absent.

Madrid are fourth in the standings, four points adrift of leaders Real Sociedad with a game in hand following the international break.

After beating Villarreal at Alfredo Di Stefano in July, Madrid could win two consecutive Liga games against Villarreal for the first time since September 2014.

Yanga SC midfielder Haruna Niyonzima is doubtful for his team's game against Namungo on Sunday after being involved in an accident on Wednesday night.

The Amavubi captain's car crashed on his way from the national team's residential camp in Nyamata to the capital Kigali. The player was injured as his car was involved in a head-on collision with an oncoming truck as he was trying to avoid hitting a man on a bicycle.

There were no causalities but the player sustained minor injuries.

If he misses out it will be a blow for the 27-time league champions who are aiming at going top of the table with a win if Azam FC falter away to KMC on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Ruvu Shooting went fourth on the Tanzania Mainland League table after a 3-0 win over Mbeya City.

The administrative side opened the scoring in the 12th minute when William Patrick tapped in a good cross from the right by in-form Abraham Mussa.

The hosts doubled the advantage in the 53rd minute this time around through a well-taken free-kick. Zuberi Dabi was fouled outside the 18-yard area and Mussa was given a chance to score. 

He managed to spot a gap and capitalized on it to double his team's advantage.

The scorer became the provider in the stoppages; the ball found its way to the right and Mussa took his time before picking Fully Zullu Maganga who headed home the team's third and fourth of the season.

Dodoma Jiji FC and Biashara Mara United settled for a 1-1 draw in another league match played on Saturday.

After a goalless draw in the first half, it was the visitors who opened the scoring after 62 minutes. The debutants gave away a penalty which was slotted in by Lenny Kisu.

However, the Francis Baraza-led team also conceded a penalty in the 78th minute and Khamis Mcha made no mistake from 12 yards to ensure the teams share the spoils. 

Tanzania Prisons were held to a goalless draw by Mtibwa Sugar. The hosts put in a good performance, creating several opportunities to get a goal, but the strikers left their scoring boots at home. 

Norhsharul Idlan Talaha or more affectionately known as Mat Yo, will have to seek greener pastures come the 2021 season after it was revealed that his contract with BG Pathum will not be renewed.

According to Goal Thailand, Mat Yo's contract will only stay at the Thai League 1 club until the end of his current contract tenure which is December of 2020.

The 34-year-old made his first big move outside of Malaysia prior to the start of the 2020 season, choosing to leave Pahang for BG Pathum.

He was selected to start in his very first game against Muangthong United way back in February but has only made one other start since, with only a mere three more substitute appearances.

Mat Yo has struggled to shine in the league and has yet to find the back of the net in a competitive game for BG Pathum but could still end up with a winner's medal as his club currently heads the standings.

On the homefront, Johor Darul Ta'zim bid farewell to Diogo Luis Santo and the Brazilian is touted as the one to take up Mat Yo's place in BG Pathum's side for the 2021 season.

Not only that, Thai international Teerasil Dangda is also expected to be added to the squad for next season, which explains why BG Pathum has decided against renewing Mat Yo's contract.

However with Mat Yo unlikley to be hanging up his playing boots anytime soon, he will not be short on offers from Malaysian teams ahead of the 2021 season.

Jose Mourinho says he is happier now than when he took the Tottenham job one year ago – and he feels he is still improving as a manager.

Friday marked the one-year anniversary of Mourinho taking the reins in north London, and the change in fortunes from the latter days of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure has been marked.

Spurs were 14th in the Premier League when the Portuguese took over and, going into Saturday’s game with Manchester City, are now second. It is a vindicating rise which Mourinho has enjoyed.

“I am even happier than I was when I got the job,” he said in his pre-match press conference.

“That for me is a very good feeling. If you ask me, ‘Do you see yourself here in one year’s time?’ — of course I do because I’m very happy here.

“We are at the beginning of a journey. Liverpool took five years to make it happen. City are on it for 10 years. Chelsea for 20.”

Following his unceremonious departures from Chelsea and Manchester United, plenty questioned Mourinho’s credentials when he took over at Tottenham.

He will no doubt have enjoyed proving his detractors wrong over the last 12 months. Far from being a spent force as some had suggested, he feels the experiences of a tumultuous first year in charge have helped him improve as a manager – 20 years after taking his first job at Benfica.

“Our job is the kind where if the passion stays you can only get better,” he said.

“It is a job where the accumulation of experiences can only make you better.

“For me, this has been an accumulation of new experiences. One year, a special year, with the lockdown and the consequences of Covid. Everything is so strange.

“We are all searching for perfection and perfection is impossible. We are far from perfection. We are not a perfect team. We are a much better team than we were, but we have a long way to go.”

A point behind leaders Leicester, Saturday’s game against Manchester City could see Spurs go to the top of the table if they better the Foxes’ result against third-placed Liverpool.

Bengaluru FC have got the better of FC Goa on most occasions in the previous editions of the Indian Super League (ISL), but Carles Cuadrat thinks that things could change this season as the Gaurs have a new coach in Juan Ferrando along with some fresh faces in the squad. The Bangalore-based outfit will face FC Goa in their opening game of the ISL season this Sunday in what promises to be an exciting tie.

"It is a very big challenge. They won the (League) Shield last season. They have worked on the squad as they will play in the AFC Champions League. They will surely be a tough opponent. Goa have a complete squad with a new coach. That means he will have new ideas. They have new foreigners as well. The challenge for Goa squad has been to prepare well and hope they have studied us well. We are ready for anything. I don't know (Juan) Ferrando personally. But Spanish coaches are tactically sound. They will have a plan for us. It could be a very tactical game," stated the Spaniard. 

Cuadrat, who led Bengaluru FC to their first ISL title in the 2018-19 season, believes that it would be too much to expect teams to flourish from the very first round and it could take up to a month to hit top gear. 

"All the teams are not arriving in the best condition in the first round of games. There are players who have arrived late, maybe due to visa problems. The fans have to wait maybe, one more month to watch better performances. It takes time and we completely understand. ATK Mohun Bagan started from October 1 and they had seven-to-eight weeks of pre-season. That is good for them. But surely all teams will play better in the coming weeks. 

"It should be an open game. The teams are not in the best of physique. The games will not have the same intensity as we had in January or February. The humidity is also a problem. The Covid restrictions are also there. It has affected all of us," explained Cuadrat.

But Cuadrat seemed to be reasonably happy with his team's preparations during the pre-season. However, he mentioned that it's important for the players to not always think and talk about football. 

"When we work in pre-season, we do two sessions. There was no big difference this season as well. We go from the hotel to the pitch and back. It was the same. Only thing is that it has been a short pre-season. But the situation will get more complicated in the next few weeks. When the footballers will not be able to talk with the family face-to-face. They will be around the same people discussing the same issues. We have to be smart and have to manage the situation well. We have to relax and not think only about football. To perform well you have to be in good physical, mental and technical shape. As part of the technical team, we are trying to give the best to the players."

Bengaluru struggled to score goals in the previous campaign and to make amends they have signed strikers like Kristian Opseth and Thai League's all-time leading goalscorer Cleiton Silva. The coach emphasized that his team has worked on their finishing skills as part of their pre-season preparation. 

"One more year we are challenging for trophies. The previous year was not good enough. Although we had good results in different aspects. We were the team who created the most number of chances. But it was about scoring goals. We have been planning and practising to get more prolific and clinical. Kerala (Blasters) had two options but they didn't get the goal and ATK were more clinical. Football is decided by narrow margins.

"The players know what we expect from them. The new players are doing a good job. The defenders understand what we demand from them and they are going to be important for us."

Dimas Delgado did not take part in the two-friendlies that they played as part of preparations but Cuadrat informed that he is available for the game despite having a small muscle issue. 

Football Kenya Federation Premier League side Wazito FC came into the match as favourites owing to their quality.

However, they failed to beat their organized opponents FC Talanta despite creating several goalscoring chances.

The Nairobi based side looked composed on the ball, stringing passes from the back, but could not beat their opponents who were organized.

Fredrick Odhiambo was preferred in between the sticks with Johnstone Omurwa, who was with the national team for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) double-header against Comoros, making a return to the team.

Musa Masika, Kevin Kimani, and Joe Waithira were part of the creative Wazito front line, but in the end, the spoils were shared.

It was the third pre-season game for the team after a 2-1 loss to Zoo FC and a 5-1 win against Narok combined respectively.

Kimanzi was appointed as Wazito FC coach, taking over from Fred Ambani who was fired alongside Babu Salim who was serving as his assistant.

"I am grateful and honoured to be here ... discussing the future of Wazito Football Club together with my able technical bench," Kimanzi said during his unveiling on Thursday morning.

"It was not an easy decision, it was a tough one because of the culture of the club [which is] what I need as an individual.  

"I am very happy to have pulled together a good technical bench to help in achieving the objectives of Wazito FC. We will do it for sure; we have a mission and we must achieve it."

After his appointment, Kimanzi will start his Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League campaign with a clash against Kariobangi Sharks on November 29 before playing away against Mathare United on December 5.

Wazito will then take on Sofapaka on December 9, tackling Ulinzi Stars on December 13, and then wind up their opening five fixtures with a clash against KCB on December 26.

The team is aiming at performing better this season after struggling to a 13th place finish in the abandoned 2019/20 season. 

Wazito XI vs Talanta: Fredrick Odhiambo, Kevin Okumu, Dennis Ng'ang'a, Maurice Ojwang', Johnstone Omurwa, Brian Musa, Fidel Origa, Musa Masika, Joe Waithira, Kevin Kimani, Michael Owino  

Sofapaka President Elly Kalekwa has revealed they are still waiting for striker John Avire to return and honour his one-and-a-half-year contract with the club.

The Harambee Stars striker left Kenyan Premier League (KPL) side Batoto ba Mungu under unclear circumstances to sign for Egyptian club Tanta SC last year, a move the former immediately contested and even filed a case with Fifa to have it reversed.

With one now gone, Sofapaka boss Kalekwa has told Goal they are still waiting for the player, who was in the Kenya squad for the Africa Cup of Nations double-header against Comoros, to come back and honour his remaining contract with the club.

“Our battle to have John [Avire] play for us is still on, it is a must whether he likes it or not we get justice, in fact, this is the right time because his contract with Sofapaka is now coming to an end,” Kalekwa told Goal on Saturday.

“He doesn’t have a contract with any team, he has a contract with Sofapaka, he has absconded duty for one and half years now, the contract he had with Sofapaka will end in December, but he has not been on duty for one year and a half.

“He owes us one and a half years, he is supposed to come back to Sofapaka and see through his contract, play for that period he has been out and we will make sure he will do that, he has missed duty, his contract ends next month.

“Avire must come back, he should plan and return home, to play and see through his contract, there is no short cut about this, I think he knows this very well, and even his agent [if he has one], understands the same, without that, whoever signs him from December, then they will have to pay Sofapaka a transfer fee.”

Avire, who made two appearances for Harambee Stars in the 2019 Afcon finals held in Egypt, was at the centre of a transfer tussle involving his parent club Sofapaka and former Football Kenya Federation Secretary-General Robert Muthomi,

Sofapaka accused Muthomi of allegedly engineering the striker's move to North Africa without their consent, a move that prompted him to step aside.

Orlando Pirates resume their bid to lift the Premier Soccer League (PSL) title for the first time since 2012 when they host SuperSport United on Saturday.

Interestingly, Pirates face Matsatsantsa who last claimed the league crown a decade ago as the two sides seek to reassert their dominance in South African football.

High in spirits after eliminating old foes Kaizer Chiefs from the MTN8 in convincing fashion, Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer could be having the right tonic he needs in his camp.

But SuperSport are no pushovers despite blowing hot and cold this season.

A win for Pirates could see them spend Saturday night at the top of the table if Swallows FC lose to TS Galaxy and Golden Arrows drop points against Chiefs.

Victory for SuperSport would also see them claiming top spot if Swallows fail to win.

TV Channel, Live Score & How To Watch

The game will be shown live on SuperSport TV and SABC. 

Squads & Team News

Pirates coach Zinnbauer will have to plan his starting line-up without winger Thembinkosi Lorch who underwent surgery on his knee last week and will be out for five weeks.

This follows an injury sustained in the team’s last league match against Bloemfontein Celtic.

Zinnbauer could also hand new signing Jean-Marc Makusu his debut after the DR Congo forward joined the club last week on loan from AS Vita.

Forward Frank Mhango is also expected to return from injury and an anticipated striking partnership with Makusu could make them the most dreaded attacking combination in the PSL.

The Pirates coach’s attacking options have also been boosted by the return of Tshegofatso Mabasa who is yet to play a match this season.

Defender Bongani Sam is also back from injury, while it is not yet clear if Thabiso Monyane and midfielder Nkanyiso Zungu have recovered.

Images of SuperSport preparing for the Pirates match on Friday showed forward Bradley Grobler training with the rest of the squad, a hint that he could be in line to play on Saturday.

The 32-year-old had pulled out of the Bafana Bafana camp last week due to injury.

Grobler has picked up from where he left off last season when he scored 14 league goals and this season he has two strikes in three games, making him a key player who coach Kaitano Tembo might not afford to miss against Pirates.

Grant Kekana and Luke Fleurs, as well as midfielder Sipho Mbule, who all missed the team’s last match against Bloemfontein Celtic were also spotted participating in full training.

Veteran centre-back Clayton Daniels will not take part in the match as he is still recovering following a car accident.

Match Preview

Pirates are still unbeaten this season in six games across all competitions and last tasted defeat the previous term in August, giving them nine straight matches without losing.

On the league front, Pirates have recorded one victory and two draws and go into this match on a high after booting out Chiefs from the MTN8 in impressive fashion.

The last meeting between the Buccaneers and SuperSport was in favour of the former who beat Matsatsantsa 2-1 in the PSL bio-bubble in August.

But United had thrashed Pirates 3-0 in the reverse fixture in Mbombela in August 2019.

In the last five years, Supersport have enjoyed superiority over the Soweto giants in league battles, winning four times, losing twice while the other four games have ended in draws.

Tembo and his men go into Saturday’s showdown smart from being eliminated from the two-legged MTN8 semi-finals by Bloemfontein Celtic after failing to win both at home and away.

This highlights their season in which they have been inconsistent, winning two league games and losing one.

Simba SC have suffered a huge blow in their pursuit to retain the Mainland Premier League after it emerged four key players have been ruled out of the match against Coastal Union on Saturday.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi coach Sven Vandenbroeck has confirmed to Goal Rwanda striker Meddie Kagere, Luis Miquissone, Jonas Mkude, and Chris Mugalu – will not be ready to play in the away fixture set for Arusha.

“We don’t have our four key players with us, Kagere, Miquissone, Mkude, and Mugalu, will all not play against Coastal Union,” Vandenbroeck confirmed to Goal.

However, the Belgian tactician has confirmed the return of midfielder Bernard Morrison, who has missed the last three league matches, including the Kariakoo Derby against rivals Young Africans (Yanga SC), due to the suspension from Tanzania Football Federation (TFF).

The Ghanaian midfielder Morrison was suspended and fined Tsh500, 000 after he allegedly fought a Ruvu Shooting player in a match Simba went on to lose 1-0.

The midfielder, who signed for Simba from Yanga, also missed matches against Mwadui FC and Kagera Sugar.

Morrison has now been named in the squad which left for Arusha on Thursday in readiness for Saturday's match, with coach Sven Vandenbroeck hinting at giving him a starting role in the away match.

“It is every coach’s happiness to have your full squad available and I am happy to have Morrison back for the match against Coastal Union,” Vandenbroeck told reporters in Dar es Salaam before the team left for Arusha.

“I don’t know if he will start but I have him in the squad and we have forgotten about the past now, he is in the squad, and who knows, maybe he can start for us.”

However, one player who will miss the clash against Coastal Union is winger Garson Fraga, who is still nursing a knee injury sustained during their league match against Biashara United.

Simba are now third on the 18-team league table after accumulating 20 points from 10 matches, while Azam FC are topping the log on 25 points while Yanga are second on 24 points.

While Simba will be battling against Coastal Union, Azam will face KMC at Uhuru Stadium also on Saturday while Yanga will come up against Namungo at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Sunday.

Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill has revealed John Obi Mikel has made the club stronger with his performances.

The 33-year-old teamed up with the Potters in the summer after leaving Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor by mutual agreement.

The midfielder has continued to make his experience count for the Bet365 Stadium outfit in the 11 games he has played for the club so far.

Mikel has helped the club keep five clean sheets since his arrival to the club to their current eighth spot on the Championship table.

O'Neill is delighted with the solid defensive performances from his club and lauded the impact of the former Super Eagles captain.

“Our number of clean sheets has been impressive,” O'Neill said in a pre-match press conference.

“I think even going back to the start of this calendar year, I think we rank among the best in the division in terms of clean sheets. It’s important how we defend as a team, not just a back four.

“John Obi Mikel has made us stronger in that area as well, we’re stronger in midfield and we’ve been stronger as a unit in how we defend from the front."

Mikel, who signed a one-year deal with the Stoke has previously revealed his desire to help the Championship club gain promotion to the Premier League at the end of the current season.

The midfielder made his name during his time with Chelsea, where he spent 11 years and won a number of trophies including the Champions League, Europa League and Premier League titles.

The 33-year-old had previously featured in the Championship with Middlesbrough after leaving Chinese Super League side Tianjin TEDA.

Mikel will hope to inspire Stoke City to their sixth win of the season when they take on Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

This will be the first World Cup to be held in the Middle East, and just the second in Asia, the global showpiece is set to run for 28 days between November 21 and December 18 at eight stadiums.

Saturday marks exactly two years to the opening game at the 60,000 capacity Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

“I like the people in Qatar, they are open and sincere,” Eto’o, a Global Ambassador for the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), told the tournament’s official website.

“I also like the fact you always feel safe and secure in Doha and throughout the country. These things should offer football fans a level of reassurance when they come to Qatar for the World Cup. I believe they will be able to have a great time visiting the country and watching the best players in action during the tournament.”

Eto’o has featured at four World Cup tournaments for Cameroon, an experience that elevates his knowledge of the event. One thing that will be different between Qatar 2022 and past tournaments in recent times – will be the travel distance between stadiums.

The longest distance will be just 75km (Al Bayt Stadium to Al Janoub Stadium) while the shortest distance will be 5km (Al Rayyan Stadium to Education City Stadium), allowing fans an opportunity to attend up to two matches in a day during the first round of the competition. This will make the tournament the most compact showpiece in recent times.

“The players will not be so tired because they won’t have to travel to games by plane,” four-time African Footballer of the Year winner Eto’o said. “They will be based in the same city and have the optimum time to train and prepare. That will be good because they will be fresher when they take to the pitch and compete.

“The players will have the chance to use the best facilities in the world, whether it is the spectacular new stadiums that will host matches or the world-class training facilities. One thing is for sure, what the players will experience in Qatar will be a reward for their efforts in qualifying for this World Cup.”

Eto’o knows Qatar quite well, in part due to a short spell with Qatar SC between 2018 and last year.

“I enjoy visiting lots of different places when I’m in Qatar. Sometimes, I like to go to the Villaggio Mall and on other occasions, I enjoy visiting the Katara Cultural Village, which has many shops and restaurants. I also love Banana Island, which is a brilliant holiday destination if you want to get away from it all,” said the striker, who has also played for Inter Milan and Chelsea.

“I’m sure fans will find many interesting places to visit when they arrive in this magnificent country in 2022.”

Set to host about 1.5 million fans, the tournament – the 22nd edition of the World Cup – will have stadiums fitted with innovative cooling technology.

ATK Mohun Bagan's performance against Kerala Blasters carried the hallmark of a typical Antonio Habas side. They sat deep, relied on counter-attack, made the most of an error by the opposition to get the goal and then stifled Kibu Vicuna's men in the attacking third for the remaining 23-odd-minutes to seal the three points. 

It was a battle of two contrasting philosophies. Vicuna likes to dominate possession, whereas Habas believes in a more pragmatic approach. The two-time ISL (Indian Super League) winning coach laid his customary trap and his opposite number walked into it.

Blasters' were leading the charge in the first half and even started the second half on a brighter note. Bagan sat patiently at the back and absorbed pressure. With just Edu Garcia and Roy Krishna upfront, Bagan made two lines of four while defending and Blasters could not find a way to break the resistance. This might have given the Blasters think-tank a false sense of control, which they desperately long for. 

The Men in Yellow were under the illusion that they were dictating the proceedings, however, it was the Mariners who were creating meaningful goalscoring opportunities. And with a prolific goalscorer like Roy Krishna leading the lines, it was a matter of when, not if. 

Even though the Fijian was looking a bit rusty in the opening half as he failed to capitalise on a couple of gilt-edged opportunities, he made up for his errors in the second half. A striker of his pedigree will get at least one on target which would bulge the net and the miscommunication between Vincente Gomez and Sergio Cidoncha gifted him the perfect opportunity to get off the mark for this season. He took five attempts to score the eventual winner which shows that he needs more competitive action to fire on all cylinders. 

In fact, the entire team needs more minutes to get in the groove as they gave away possession cheaply on a few occasions and at times were late into tackles. The booking of Pronay Halder and Edu Garcia are a testament to this.

The Green and Maroon brigade have a week in hand before the Kolkata derby against East Bengal and it remains to be seen what Habas has in store for Robbie Fowler's team. If the British manager expects that Bagan would adopt the same style against them, then there are chances that he might get caught on the wrong foot. 

Previously, Habas has shown that he can be flexible with his tactics and with the quality of players at his disposal, it would not be surprising if they take the game to East Bengal. Against Bengaluru FC in the second leg of the semi-final, they thew caution into the wind and overturned a 2-0 deficit to beat the Blues at the Salt Lake.

If the attacking trio of Garcia, Krishna and David Williams get a start next Friday, football aficionados should be in for a treat. 

Ex-Gor Mahia official Omondi Aduda has openly blamed current club officials for the problems facing their coach Roberto Oliveira Goncalves.

As Goal exclusively reported on Friday, the Brazilian tactician is currently embroiled in a tussle with Caf after it emerged he did not have the required Caf A license to handle the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions in Caf Champions League assignments.

The revelation by the African body came as the team prepared to honour their preliminary round first leg fixture against Armee Patriotique Rwandaise FC (APR) of Rwanda on November 28 in Kigali.

Aduda, who worked as a Gor Mahia CEO before the team elected new officials in an exercise held on August 8, has now blamed the same officials for negligence and not being abreast with changes in the world of football.

“Someone at Gor Mahia slept on the job,” Aduda told Goal when asked why Caf had reacted that way. “Caf did not question his [Oliveira] qualifications, do you know that none of the foreign coaches have Caf A license, and what usually happens is that the licenses they hold must be equalized in tandem with the Caf licensing criteria?

“Caf doesn’t have problems with his [Oliveira] certificates, that is not right, even those other foreign coaches that we have had, what you do is you send their papers for equalization so that those certifications they get from their countries are equalized at every given level.

“Caf through club licensing keeps on reviewing every day, so for these, they now insist that the head coaches, particularly those for clubs participating in Champions League and Confederation Cup should have improved to hold an equivalent of Caf A license, which all the coaches, should get because the CAf A license is being conducted in Africa only.

“But if you employ a coach from outside Africa, he must have a Caf B license or an equivalent if it is Uefa pro, for instance, it is better than Caf A but you will pass with it as Caf A, then there is Uefa B like now Oliveira has A license from Brazil and so what someone should have done is to equivalent the license with Caf.”

Aduda continued: “Sometimes we always tend to ignore things and the biggest problem is those people masquerading as football administrators and they don’t know the rules and regulations, and they ignore everything, remember the FKF gave a circular that all Premier League and Super League clubs should accredit their coaches, and what Gor Mahia officials did, they slept on the job and did not do that.

“If they did that by even paying Sh100, 000 as requested by FKF, the papers of Oliveira should have been fixed at that time, which someone did not do.

"Now the best that ought to have been done is to take his Caf A license from Brazil, write to the Brazilian federation and ask them one, if the license is valid back home, and two what is the equivalence of the license, because on the letter from Caf it is a B license, which is equivalent to a Caf C, and while in Rwanda he did a Caf C course, so that is the actual position.

“And Gor Mahia are now to blame for the whole saga because they have officials who don’t understand football, you have a secretary general, who doesn’t understand football, you have a former rugby man, who has now been put in as the CEO, sometimes you wonder, and when I was in office and doing all these things people thought we don’t know what we are doing.

“We should have known all these and fix them, we must keep abreast of the changes that happen, if you are in football you must keep abreast with the changes like now I know there are officials in Gor Mahia if you ask them how many substitutions are allowed per match, and they don’t know and they pretend to lead football.

“There is no way particularly when the team is engaged in Caf, you must be abreast with each and every regulation which Caf always give out periodically, then you cannot get into this kind of messes, because it is not the first time we are hiring a first foreign coach.

“He was in Rwanda [coaching Rayon Sports], and he coached the team without trouble, even against us [in Caf competition], and he even reached the quarter-finals with the team, he has also coached in Tunisia with the same papers, if there were changes this time around, it was the honours of the club to ensure that we keep abreast with those changes and act on them.”

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

When Qatar won the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup back in December 2010, one of the points raised by critics was whether the Middle East nation had a strong footballing team to compete amongst the best in the business.

However, last year, they won the Asian Cup and would enter the 2022 World Cup with the title of ‘Asian champions.’

Two years from now on November 21, 2022, Qatar would play their first ever World Cup game at the Al Bayt Stadium in what will be the tournament opener. All eyes will be on the performance of the Middle East nation and Qatar Football Association (QFA) General Secretary, Mansoor Al Ansari promises that their national team continues to make important strides in order to make a mark at the World Cup.

“We have a strong plan and programme for our players which is ongoing. We played against Costa Rica and South Korea recently. We are participating in the CONCACAF Gold Cup next summer and we will be participating in Copa America next summer. All of these are great opportunities for our players to gain more experience on the international front and getting them ready for the major event in Qatar in 2022.

“Today we are the Asian champions competing in the World Cup, we are very proud but it doesn’t mean we stop (progressing) to improve so that they can maintain and develop further,” said Mansoor Al Ansari to Goal.

Qatar took a set of talented players and gave them the best facilities and exposure in order to prepare a strong group, keeping the 2022 World Cup in mind. This programme has certainly brought dividends as most of their national team players have come through a proper system with the Aspire Academy also playing a key role.

Al Ansari was asked whether he would recommend a similar strategy to some of the other Asian nations who are looking to make a mark in the world of football. He also pointed that there is no secret formula per say and that each country has to chart their own way looking at what works best for them.

“I believe every association and every country should evaluate the best opportunities in their environment. What worked for us might not work in another country. What works in other countries might not work in Qatar so there has to be a lot of research done and lot of trial and error until you are not able to find the most successful formula. There is no one formula.

“The process that has been put is an ongoing and continuous process to ensure that it keeps up with fast moving time driven technology in regard to sports performance and the technical aspect. There is a lot of development in how the teams are playing. It is not a one-way solution.”

Al Ansari, who is also part of Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Finance Committee, pointed that it’s crucial for all the different departments within an association to work cohesively to achieve a common goal.

“Every association knows their strengths and weaknesses and they will accommodate their own formula which they think is the best. You cannot compare a small country with 3,00,000 people with a big country that can have millions of people. In Qatar, we have a very unique setup.

“We achieved this because we are all working together as a unit. When you have Aspire Foundation, Aspire academy, Aspetar, Aspire logistics then you have the Qatar Stars League and you have the association. We all work together in a very healthy ecosystem that allows us to develop our players. We also have a very strong coach development process. We have a strong refereeing programme under the football association, and we have strong football performance development programme in collaboration between Aspire and the football association."