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Julian Nagelsmann has joked that he wants to "tackle down" Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of RB Leipzig's Champions League meeting with Manchester United on Wednesday. 

Nagelsmann, now in charge of RB Leipzig, grew up a Bayern Munich fan and was hoping to see his side clinch a treble against United in the 1999 Champions League final. 

Bayern were up 1-0 heading into stoppage time before Teddy Sheringham equalised and Solskjaer netted a dramatic winner in one of the most famous nights in United's storied history. 

The result saw Man Utd clinch a treble of their own, and Nagelsmann has said he still hasn't completely recovered from that heartbreaking defeat. 

"The first thing is, I'll tackle him down tomorrow," Nagelsmann joked about the current Man Utd head coach. 

"I wasn't the happiest person. My dad was a Gladbach fan at the time, and he annoyed me a bit. He was happy that Bayern didn't win. I wasn't that happy."

"I will still greet Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in a normal way of course and no longer be angry.

"Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – there have been a few very, very great players who have been there and are currently there still.

"It's a club with a lot of tradition."

United got off to a slow start this season, which reached a low point in a 6-1 hammering at the hands of Tottenham before the international break. 

Solskjaer's side have shown improvement after the international break though, defeating Newcastle and PSG while drawing with Chelsea at the weekend. 

Nagelsmann is wary of his opponents on Wednesday, noting their improved recent form.

"The last few games have gone in the right direction. They are difficult to defend and have a lot of quality in the final third," he said. 

Still, Nagelsmann is confident his side have enough to win the game and maintain a perfect start in the Champions League after last week's 2-0 win over Istanbul Basaksehir.

"We are confident enough to say that we want to win the game," Nagelsmann said. "Six points at the start would be excellent and a step on the way to the next round."

Liverpool have left Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino out of the starting line-up for their Champions League clash with FC Midtjylland tonight.

The star attacking trio will be on the bench for Jurgen Klopp’s side, which shows four changes from Saturday’s Premier League win over Sheffield United.

Gini Wijnaldum also misses out for the Reds, with Klopp opting to bring in James Milner, Xherdan Shaqiri, Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi for the visit of the Danish champions.

It means Liverpool look set to persist with the 4-2-3-1 system which edged them past the Blades at the weekend, with Shaqiri starting on the right, Jota on the left and Minamino operating behind Origi.

For Shaqiri, it is a first Champions League start since that epic semi-final against Barcelona in May 2019, while Origi makes his first since the 2-1 win over Genk last November. 

Minamino, meanwhile, will make his first European start for the club, having impressed as a substitute in last week’s 1-0 win over Ajax in Amsterdam.

Klopp has kept faith with his defence, with Fabinho once again partnering Joe Gomez at centre-back and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson operating as full-backs. Alisson Becker, who returned from injury against Sheffield United, starts in goal.

Jota, the match-winner at the weekend, retains his place along with captain Jordan Henderson.  

With five substitutes permitted in European competition this season, Klopp knows he will have plenty of options should he need to change the game, even despite the absences of Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip due to injury.

Salah, Mane, Firmino and Wijnaldum are joined on the bench by youngsters in the shape of Curtis Jones, who started against Ajax, as well as Neco Williams, who could be in line to make his European debut. 

Victory for Liverpool would put them in a commanding position, with Ajax travelling to Serie A fliers Atalanta in the night’s other Group D clash. 

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Gomez, Robertson, Henderson (c), Milner, Shaqiri, Minamino, Jota, Origi 

Subs: Adrian, N. Williams, Jones, Wijnaldum, Salah, Mane, Firmino, Kelleher, R. Williams, Cain

Joshua Kimmich scored a late 20-yard stunner to secure Champions League holders Bayern Munich a 2-1 victory over a Lokomotiv Moscow side that threatened to cause an upset.

Leon Goretzka scored his second goal in as many European matches to give Bayern the lead, the midfielder finishing a sumptuous passing move after 13 minutes as Hansi Flick's men rose to the challenge of playing lively opposition in front of a raucous crowd at RZD Arena.

Lokomotiv struggled to deal with the threat of Kingsley Coman and Thomas Muller on either flank, just as Atletico Madrid did in the 4-0 defeat against the German and European Champions six days earlier.

Bayern, who thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-0 between their two opening Group A matches, looked set to drop points when Anton Miranchuk equalised 20 minutes from time.

But Kimmich kept a cool head to restore the visitors' lead, controlling Javi Martinez's pass before lashing home from outside the box.

Uganda Revenue Authority (URA FC) have announced the signing of striker Steven Mukwala from Vipers.

The player has signed a two-year contract with an option to extend the same and leave the Venoms.

The Tax Collectors have confirmed the signing on their official club website by stating: “URA is delighted to announce the signing of striker, Steven Mukwala Dese from Vipers on a two-year contract, with an option to extend for a further year.

“Steven [Mukwala] won the Golden Boot in the just concluded Uganda Premier League 2019/20 season scoring 13 goals in 22 appearances for Maroons FC where he was on loan from Vipers.”

On penning the deal, Mukwala said: “URA is a big club and I feel so delighted and proud to be part of it. They’re an organized team with a playing style that matches mine.”

“I definitely hope to score more goals here than I scored at Maroons. URA has very good creative attacking midfielders who I think are working together. I will be able to convert the goals.

“It’s only fair to note that URA has very good strikers and it won’t be easy to break through the team but when given chance, I will give my best to see that I help the team get the goals and maybe win the trophy afterward.”

“The coach, board, and everyone affiliated with URA should expect to see 100% efforts from me and I want to try and win the trophy with URA FC this coming season, why not?”

His arrival comes just three days after the club confirmed they had signed midfielder Brian Nkuubi also from Vipers on a three-year deal.

Nkuubi was also delighted to have joined the Tax Collectors as he revealed: “I’ve seen a lot of good players at URA and I expect competition for positions. I have enough experience and I feel I can add a lot to the club in the coming season.

“I want to continue playing at a high level and compete with the best on the title and the club seems on the right path to providing that.”

"This will give me more exposure as a player. The fans should expect hard work from me.”

Other new signings by URA include Jackson Nunda, Galiwango Arafat, Hannington Ssebwalunyo, and Davis Ssali who joined earlier in this window.

Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku has backed new Black Stars coach CK Akonnor to ultimately come good despite the mixed results in his first set of assignments.

Appointed head coach of the West Africans in January, Akonnor has had to wait until earlier this month to lead the team into action due to the disruption of the international match calendar by the coronavirus pandemic disruptions.

It was definitely not a good start for the former Wolfsburg captain as Ghana succumbed to a 3-0 defeat to Mali in a friendly fixture in Turkey. Three days later, the Black Stars bounced back with a resounding 5-1 triumph over Asian champions and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar in a second friendly tie.

“We are here to fix the fundamentals and to get it right. When we get it right we will be very competitive," Okraku said, as reported by Citisports.

“Once that happens soon the big trophies will start to land via the Kotoka International Airport once again.

“We are very positive and given the support that the entire country has offered us we will be able to bring that target of envy [Afcon title] one more time.

“The Black Stars are on the hearts of everybody and you see clearly from his first two call-ups that he is a deep thinker.

“He is bringing in quality and it's just a matter of time this team will start to gel and we will be competitive and interesting again.

“It's been a long time the Black Stars played interesting and entertaining football."

The October friendlies are part of Ghana's preparations for the upcoming 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying double-header against Sudan in November.

The Black Stars are looking to consolidate their spot on top of their qualifying group, having beaten South Africa and Sao Tome and Principe for a flying start to the series in November last year.

Akonnor has been tasked to not only qualify Ghana for the 2022 World Cup but also to guide the team to win the Afcon tournament in Cameroon.

Ghana have been searching for an elusive fifth title since ruling the continent in Libya in 1982.

Jadon Sancho's slow start to the season could be down to constant speculation over his future, according to Borussia Dortmund head coach Lucien Favre. 

Sancho was consistently linked with a move to Manchester United over the summer as the Red Devils made a strong push to land the England international. 

Dortmund, however, managed to rebuff every attempt United made to land Sancho, who is now set to spend another season with the Bundesliga outfit. 

Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke hinted recently that United's move for Sancho was "misjudged", but also did not rule out a future sale.

In the meantime, Sancho has not yet hit the heights he enjoyed in recent seasons, notching one goal and three assists in his first six outings for Dortmund in 2020-21. 

At a press conference ahead of Wednesday's Champions League encounter with Zenit, Dortmund boss Favre said that it would be only natural if one of his star forwards was distracted by all the headlines.

"Every player has slow periods," Favre explained. "There was a lot of talk about Jadon in the summer, something like that can also have an influence.

"But no player is consistently in top form for a year, that's impossible. You have to accept that."

After losing their opening Champions League match at Lazio last week, Dortmund go into Wednesday's match looking for all three points against the Russian outfit. 

Zenit also lost their first group-stage game, falling 2-1 at home to Club Brugge.

Favre, though, felt the result was harsh on Zenit, saying the St. Petersburg club will present a stern challenge for Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.

"In my opinion, Zenit lost unnecessarily against Brugge. They missed a few great chances which shows how dangerous a team they are," Favre said.

Roman Burki made his return to Dortmund's starting line-up at the weekend in a 3-0 Bundesliga win over rivals Schalke.

The Swiss goalkeeper had missed a game due to illness before he was on the bench for two games behind Marwin Hitz. When asked, Favre would not be drawn on which goalkeeper he would select for the match against Zenit. 

"I’m not going to say anything about the team tomorrow. I don’t want to give any information to our opponents, you have to understand me," Favre said.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) has dismissed Kaizer Chiefs’ appeal against a two-window transfer ban on Tuesday.

As a result, the Soweto giants will not be able to register players for two consecutive transfer windows due to the illegal signing of Andriamirado “Dax” Andrianarimanana in 2018.

Dax's former Malagasy club, Fosa Juniors lodged a complaint to Fifa stating Chiefs didn’t justifiably compensate them for the transfer of the player.

Fifa then ruled in favour of Fosa and the box-to-box midfielder was handed a four-month ban.

The Madagascar international has since served his suspension and he is now on the books of Black Leopards. 

Chiefs lodged an appeal to Cas last month and the court has since released the following statement:

"The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) has issued its decision in the appeal filed by the Malagasy player Andriamirado Aro Hasina Andrianamimanana (the Player) and the South African club Kaizer Chiefs FC (collectively, the Appellants), against the decision rendered by the Fifa Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) on 5 December 2019 (the Challenged Decision)," a statement read.

"In such a decision, the Fifa DRC noted that the Player and Kaizer Chiefs entered into a new contract when the player was still under contract with Fosa Juniors FC/Madagascar. Given these circumstances, the Fifa DRC concluded that the Player unilaterally terminated the Employment Contract with Fosa Juniors FC without just cause."

"As a consequence, the Player was ordered, together with Kaizer Chiefs FC, to jointly and severally pay a compensation of MGA 157’572’000 (approx. USD 40’000) to Fosa Juniors FC."

"In addition, a four-month period of ineligibility was imposed on the player, and Kaizer Chiefs FC was banned from registering any new players either nationally or internationally for two entire and consecutive registration periods."

"The Cas Panel in charge of this matter has dismissed the appeal and confirmed the Challenged Decision in its entirety."

This means Chiefs will not be able to register former Bidvest Wits duo of Sifiso Hlanti and Phathutshedzo Nange since the club are banned until July 2021.

Amakhosi have also been linked with former Wits goalkeeper Brandon Peterson. 

Simba SC winger Francis Kahata has stated Ruvu Shooting managed to get maximum points away to Simba SC because it was 'just their day.'

Fully Zullu Maganga scored the only goal in the 35th minute to help his charges get maximum points. Wekundu wa Msimbazi could have at least salvaged a point but John Bocco failed to convert a penalty.

"In football, you can either win, draw or lose and it is unfortunate we lost," Kahata told Goal on Tuesday.

"It is not that we played badly because every player who was given a chance did his best. Luck was not on our side; it was Ruvu's day and it is the only way I can explain the loss."

It was the second consecutive loss for the Wekundu wa Msimbazi after falling by the same margin to Tanzania Prisons. The defending champions have a relatively strong squad, so where is the problem?

"Other teams are prepared as well and just like us they are targeting wins," Kahata explained.

"It is extra harder for big teams like Simba and Yanga SC because the so-called smaller teams give their best to frustrate us and get a positive result.

"This is a tougher season and no team will find it easy. Losing is part of football; so we hope we can catch up with forthcoming assignments.

"We still have the best player; lest we forget, they are the ones who have been winning matches for the team."

On Tuesday, Simba SC captain John Bocco sent an apology to the club’s fans after the team suffered a second straight Mainland Premier League defeat on Monday.

The results have seen Simba drop the pace in their chase to retain the title with rivals Young Africans (Yanga SC) overtaking them to position two, while Simba are now in fourth.

Bocco, who was making a return to the team after an injury, and also missed a crucial penalty with 10 minutes left to the final whistle against Ruvu Shooting, has now apologized to the fans and promised a better performance in their next league assignment.

"On behalf of the players, I want to apologise for the two defeats we suffered against Prisons and Ruvu Shooting," Bocco said as quoted by the club’s social media pages. "We fell against teams that we should not have but we promise it will not happen again.

"Our promise to the fans is that we will rectify mistakes from the two matches and come back better and stronger to win the coming games."

Juventus defender Danilo acknowledged that the Italian side will miss Cristiano Ronaldo if he is unable to play in Wednesday's Champions League clash with Barcelona.

The Portuguese star's status has been up in the air since he tested positive for the coronavirus during the international break after featuring in 0-0 draws with Spain and France.

He is currently under investigation for breaking quarantine rules while away on international duty, having travelled back to his house in Italy via a private air ambulance after contracting Covid-19.

Ronaldo went on to miss Juve's draw with Crotone and win at Dynamo Kiev in their Champions League opener before then posting another positive test a day later, preventing him from returning for the Serie A clash against Hellas Verona over the weekend.

In order to play in Wednesday's clash with former La Liga rivals Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Ronaldo will need to test negative on Tuesday as protocol states a player must have a negative test 24 hours before kickoff.

Facing the very real possibility of heading into a difficult Champions League tie without Ronaldo, Juventus will need other players to step up if he is to be ruled out, Danilo says, although doing so will be easier said than done.

“These are the best matches to play,” the Brazilian said. “We want to win, we must be concentrated.

“Any team would miss a player like Cristiano. But we have faith in all the players. We have people who want to do well and help us play a great match.”

Juventus are currently in their first season under Andrea Pirlo, who took over this summer following Maurizio Sarri's departure.

The legendary midfielder has guided Juventus to two wins and three draws in his first five Serie A games, with the club currently sitting fifth in the league.

Danilo has featured in all but one of Juve's matches this season, and the former Manchester City and Real Madrid defender says he feels more than ready to play his part as the club continues its adjustment to Pirlo as manager.

“I feel good in this way of playing,” Danilo said at a press conference. “We often have the ball and therefore there’s no difficulty.

“I don’t know for tomorrow, but I’m ready to do my best. We have to move fast and be focused. We are on the right path.”

Harambee Stars coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee has named Twahir Muhiddin, Ken Odhiambo, and William Muluya as part of his backroom staff.

Meanwhile, Haggai Azande has also been named as the goalkeeper trainer replacing Lawrence Webo.

While appointing ‘Ghost’ to handle the national team on a three-year deal after the sacking of Francis Kimanzi, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa confirmed to Goal they had given him a free hand to pick his backroom staff.

“It is upon him to give us the names he wants to work with,” Mwendwa told Goal after the appointment. “We don’t want to choose for him which coaches he can work with, we have given him time until Tuesday to give us names and that is what we will go with.”

On Tuesday, ‘Ghost’ confirmed he had settled for the experienced Muhiddin, who currently works as the technical for FKF Premier League side Bandari FC, Odhiambo, who handles the same side, and Muluya of Kariobangi Sharks to assist him.

“This is an experienced bench which is also abreast with modern football,” ‘Ghost’ told Goal after naming the new technical team. “We needed some international experience and it is the reason I have settled for the three coaches.”

The 52-year-old Mulee, who was the last local coach to take Kenya to the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Tunis, Tunisia, is set to start training the squad of 40 players which he named three days ago as they prepare to face Comoros in a double-header set for November.

Among the professional players in the squad include goalkeeper Arnol Origi, captain Victor Wanyama, Johanna Omollo, and striker Michael Olunga, both of who missed the international Fifa friendly against Zambia a week ago.

The first match against Comoros will be played at Kasarani on November 11, while the second has been slated for November 15, away. Kenya is second in Group G of the 2021 Afcon qualifiers with two points, off identical 1-1 draws with Togo and Egypt.

Provisional Squad; Goalkeepers: Arnold Origi (HIFK, Finland), Robert Mboya (Tusker, Kenya), Brian Bwire (Kariobangi Sharks, Kenya), Ian Otieno (Zesco United, Zambia), Timothy Odhiambo (Ulinzi Stars, Kenya).

Defenders; Johnstone Omurwa (Wazito, Kenya), Brian Mandela (Unattached), Joash Onyango (Simba, Tanzania), Daniel Sakari (Kariobangi Sharks, Kenya), Andrew Juma (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Mike Kibwage (Sofapaka, Kenya), Joseph Okumu (Elfsborg, Sweden), Samuel Olwande (Kariobangi Sharks, Kenya), Baraka Badi (KCB, Kenya), David Owino (Zesco United, Zambia), Hillary Wandera (Tusker, Kenya), Eric Ouma (AIK, Sweden), David Owino (Mathare United, Kenya).

Midfielders; Kenneth Muguna (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Victor Wanyama (Impact Montreal, Canada), Ismael Gonzalez (UD Las Palmas, Spain), Eric Johanna Omondi (Jonkoping’s Sodra, Sweden), Cliff Nyakeya (Masr FC, Egypt), Antony Akumu (Kaizer Chiefs, South Africa), Musa Masika (Wazito, Kenya), Bonface Muchiri (Tusker, Kenya), Lawrence Juma (Sofapaka, Kenya), Johanna Omolo (Cercle Brugge, Belgium), Ayub Timbe (Unattached), Peter Thion’go (AFC Leopards, Kenya), Hassan Abdallah (Bandari, Kenya), Elli Asieche (Sofapaka, Kenya), Mathew Olaka (Unattached), Moses Mudavadi (Kakamega Homeboyz, Kenya), Austin Odhiambo (AFC Leopards, Kenya).

Forwards; Michael Olunga (Kashiwa Reysol, Japan), Benson Omala (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Masud Juma (JS Kabylie, Algeria), John Avire (Tanta FC, Egypt), Oscar Wamalwa (Ulinzi Stars, Kenya).

Reserves; Dennis Sikhayi (Wazito, Kenya), James Kinyanjui (Mathare United, Kenya).

Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking forward to seeing Dayot Upamecano in action at Old Trafford on Wednesday amid reports the Premier League side want to sign the RB Leipzig defender.

United host the Bundesliga leaders in the Champions League Group H clash and the 22-year-old is likely to start in the heart of the visitors' defence.

The Red Devils were heavily linked with a move for the France international in the summer transfer window, while Liverpool, Arsenal and Real Madrid are also said to be interested.

Upamecano revealed in September that he had held talks with several clubs despite signing a contract extension with Leipzig in July and he has not ruled out making a move in the near future. 

Solskjaer stopped short of confirming his side's attempts to land the former Red Bull Salzburg star, but he says he is aware of his quality.

"There's always rumours and speculation about good players for Manchester United," Solskjaer told reporters during at a press conference.

"I've always tried to respect [that] they are players for other teams and don't want to comment on every player we are linked to.

"But since he's playing against us tomorrow, I know he's a very good player and we can see him close up tomorrow."

Leipzig, who reached the Champions League semi-finals last season, are unbeaten in all competitions this term, while United sit 15th in the Premier League and have suffered shock defeats at home against Crystal Palace and Tottenham.

Solskjaer has been impressed by the improvement Julian Nagelsmann's side have made in recent seasons and knows what to expect in the midweek clash. 

"They are a club that has come up through the ranks very impressively and almost improved every season," the Norwegian coach added.

"Last season, third in the Bundesliga, they've started really well, got to the semi-finals and are really going for the big trophies.

"You have a young, proactive, interesting coach to watch who's very adaptable and with players who've got high energy, high tempo - all in all, they've been very interesting to follow the last few years."

Watch any Spanish or Portuguese-language commentary of a football match and you'll be graced with the familiar, elongated monosyllabic cry of "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!" whenever a player scores, no matter how big or small the game.

It is a signature component of Spanish-language commentators, who scream the word with an incredible amount of gusto and passion.

But why do they celebrate strikes in such a way? Goal takes a look.

Screaming "goooooool" during matches by commentators has been a tradition throughout Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries for decades.

The first known instance of the phenomenon dates back to 1946, 14 years after the first ever football game was broadcasted live on Brazilian radio.

Sao Paulo announcer Rebello Junior had stretched out his scream of "gol" ("goal" in Portuguese/Spanish) to the heavens until he was out of breath, which encapsulated the joyous, frenetic passion of the fans celebrating in the same stadium - and then broadcasting that same emotion to the rest of the world.

The energy that was so evident in Junior's voice is something that is so familiar to any football fan, since that kind of celebratory joy is the universal language.

“When it comes to narrating a goal in soccer,” said Jose Carlos Araujo of Radio Transamerica, who is known as one of the most famed executors of the celebration, “there’s a big dose of artistry involved.”

In 1958, columnist Max Gehringer wrote that Swedish football fans in the stadium turned to where Brazilian sportscaster Edson Leite was positioned every time a goal was scored just to watch him scream "GOOOOOOOL".

The cries that originated all over Latin America were then carried over to other European countries. Spain-based commentators since have adopted the celebration, and German broadcasters have their own version in which they scream "TOOOOOR" ("Tor" is German for "goal"). 

The cry became popular with Spanish-language broadcasters in the United States when Andres Cantor arrived at Univision to commentate on the 1990 and 1994 World Cups. He was already known amongst Spanish-speaking audiences, but his cries of "GOOOOL" became especially famous in the 1994 World Cup - which earned him an invitation to an appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” where he re-enacted his celebratory cries.

“It’s very flattering when [fans] recognise you, and it’s very funny when people start yelling their guts out in front of you,” Cantor told CNBC.

“Basically I’ve lost my identity. Many people know me by name, but many people say, ‘Hey, you’re Mr. Goal!’ so it’s like, OK, let me change my last name from Cantor to ‘Mr. Goal’.”

Cantor became synonymous with the cries of "GOOOOL" in the U.S., just when North Americans started showing more of an interest in football.

“I called every single game of the ’90, ‘94 and ’98 World Cup,” he says. “That was 50-some games in a month. That was very strenuous on the voice, so I took voice lessons with a voice coach that Gloria Estefan used.”

Having to scream "GOOOOOOOL" for several minutes on end is, of course, no easy feat, and requires great vocal skill and technique.

“It will depend on how much air I have in my lungs, really," explains Cantor. "Sometimes, I live the game with so much passion and intensity, a 90th minute goal will find me very, very tired.

"But... I’ve never timed myself, it just goes on the merit and importance of the goal I am calling.”

Galvao Bueno, a famous sportscasters in Brazil, compared the cry it to “a tenor’s high C,” which is one of the most difficult notes a tenor’s voice can hold.

“It’s your crowning achievement,” said Bueno. “Or your moment of defeat.”

“On days I’m narrating, I don’t drink coffee,” commentator Alex Escobar has said. “And the day before, I don’t drink alcohol.”

Maritzburg United have signed Algerian defender Fares Hachi and midfielder Tyroane Sandows as coach Eric Tinkler seeks to arrest a difficult start to the season.

Having previously played for Mamelodi Sundowns and Chippa United, Hachi joins Maritzburg from French lower league side Lyon Duchere.

He will be joined by midfielder 25-year-old Sandows who comes in with the experience of having played in the Brazilian Serie A with Gremio.

Sandows has also played in Serie B with Figueirense and went to the 2016 Rio Olympics with the South Africa national Under-23 side.

“From everyone at the Team of Choice we would like to extend a warm welcome to Fares and Tyroane and hope that their stay with us will be a fruitful one,” Maritzburg United chairman Farook Kadodia told the club website.

“Fares' vast experience will be valuable to our backline and his time with Sundowns is something we took into account. Tyroane is an exciting young player who has enjoyed a unique footballing journey. He's eager to show what he can do in his home country and we at Maritzburg United are excited to have had the chance to introduce him to the Premier Soccer League.”

The new arrivals join the likes of Jose Ali Meza who also recently signed for Maritzburg from Sundowns as well as Gabonese midfielder Nathanael Bongo Mbourou who started playing at the end of last season.

Utility player Tebogo Tlolane has also returned for another loan stint from his parent club Orlando Pirates.

Tinkler is keen for redemption after his side were knocked out of the MTN8 competition by Kaizer Chiefs, before losing their league opener to Baroka FC. 

Meanwhile, Maritzburg United have parted ways with assistant coach Vincent Kobola.

The 35-year-old had been Tinkler’s understudy since January 2019, having also previously worked with the Maritzburg head coach at Cape Town City.

“Vincent played a crucial role in our club's history in the nearly two years he spent with us and we will always be grateful for his contribution,” said Kadodia.

“After recent discussions with him, both parties agreed to part ways by mutual consent. We would like to sincerely thank Vincent for his service to the club.

“His professional approach and close relationships with the players were much valued. We trust he will go on to enjoy a successful future as a coach and we wish him the very best.”

Speculation that Kobola could no longer have space in Tinkler’s backroom staff became rife when the head coach roped in Delron Buckley and Rowen Fernandez to his technical team.

Danish club Vejle have withdrawn Ghana striker Raphael Dwamena from team engagements due to a relapse in his heart condition.

On loan from Spanish La Liga side Levante, the 25-year-old was looking to make a big comeback this season after a similar health problem truncated a loan spell with Real Zaragoza in the Spanish second division last term. 

He has made five league appearances for the newly-promoted club Vejle and scored twice.

"After the club's promotion to the 3F Superligaen, Vejle Boldklub signed a contract with Raphael Dwamena," the Danish outfit had announced on their official website. 

"The Ghanaian attacker came to Norreskoven after a heart operation in January, where the 25-year-old attacker had an ICD-Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator implanted.  

"This has been continuously monitored by Vejle Boldklub's health staff and medical team throughout the start-up, on the training ground and during the club's matches.  

"There has now been a single case where Raphael Dwamena's limit values ​​when monitoring the heart have been too high, and this unfortunately also means that Vejle Boldklub must now take Dwamena off the field."

It is the third time Dwamena's career is having to take a hit by his heart condition. In 2017, the Nkawkaw-born saw a move to Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion cancelled for reportedly failing a medical in relation to his heart condition.

"I am truly grateful for the opportunity that Vejle Boldklub gave me to play football again. Now I have been taken off the field and am under medical supervision," the forward said. 

"Despite not being able to be on the pitch, I still want to help the club achieve its goals. Therefore, I would also like to say to both my teammates, the staff and the fans that I am proud to be part of the Vejle Boldklub family."

A Red Bull Salzburg academy product, Dwamena joined Swiss side FC Zurich in 2017 following an impressive loan spell with Lustenau in the Austrian second tier.

In the summer of 2018, he transferred to Spain to join Levante.

"That there has now been one case where the limit values ​​have been too high, we must, based on a health professional assessment as a club, take the consequence. Raphael is therefore taken off the field," Vejle technical manager Jacob Kruger said.

"We are, of course, sorry on Raphael's behalf, but the parties have been aware from the outset of the consequence that would have been the case if Raphael's monitoring had exceeded the limit values ​​in the measurement. 

"Raphael Dwamena has in her short time in Vejle Boldklub shown a great human format, a professional approach to her profession and a desire to learn from her towards our young players. We will now help Raphael in the new situation."

Dwamena is a full Ghana international, scoring twice on his debut in an Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Ethiopia in 2017.

There is a predictable pattern to the public perception of genius.

First, we are startled by it, usually in the aftermath of an eye-catching demonstration. It is almost impossible to comprehend that level of mastery, and its sudden emergence often takes us unawares. Then, when the shock wears off, we are in awe of it, but awe is a taxing state, both physically and mentally, and so in time it becomes unsustainable, and we become accustomed to it.

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment in which Sadio Mane’s genius became apparent (perhaps, if one were pushed, that quick-fire hat-trick against Aston Villa in 2015, whilst still on the books of Southampton, would qualify), but what is clear enough is that, far too quickly, we are on to that third stage.

Perhaps some of it is to do with the collectivist nature of Liverpool’s success.

The imperative of modern football is self-denial, and the individual has never been more subsumed into the whole than he is in the present day’s conception of football.

The influence of certain individuals is unmistakable, but – and this is especially important in the waning of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – increasingly the manner in which football is understood is as one approach against the other, with the players who make up that approach less distinct individuals than pieces.

As such, it is easy to look upon Mane’s unpredictable agility, his unforeseeable explosiveness, his understated movement and his unmistakable impact on Liverpool’s play as merely a feature of the system as a whole.

Some pieces are, however, more high-powered than others.

Within the context of Liverpool, this is easy enough to accept with, say, a player like defensive stalwart Virgil Van Dijk, for whom dirges have been written and garments rent over the last two weeks; Mohamed Salah, by virtue of his goalscoring, embodies the team’s pointy end, and so is considered in the same wise.

So why not Mane?

It would appear that, for most, the things he does no longer hold requisite wonder.

This is, after all, a player who, many agree, should have finished higher than fourth in the Ballon D’Or voting last year, and yet by the time it came to decide who the Premier League’s best player for 2019/20 was, neither the Football Writers’ Association nor the Professional Footballers’ Association saw fit to bestow their respective Player of the Year awards on him.

Unfortunately, the upshot of this is that, years down the line, the heft of his legacy within the Premier League might very well become the subject of debate. Even right now, to weigh him up against some of the finest Africans historically in the division is problematic, despite the fact that he has, for all intents and purposes, outperformed the vast majority of them on the pitch.

As we have established, however, football’s focus has shifted greatly over the last two decades, and so, while in terms of performance, he has already far outstripped some of the legendary African Premier League icons like Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Emmanuel Adebayor and Tony Yeboah, he remains behind some of the more totemic presences like Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and Mohamed Salah.

The first two are pretty much unassailable, being the bulwarks upon which club dynasties were built – Chelsea and Manchester City respectively, and while he got a share of the Golden Boot two seasons ago, he cannot consistently outscore Salah.

His purview is subtler, geared more toward the functioning of the collective; he will score, but Jurgen Klopp’s attacking set-up is meant to maximize the Egypt international’s goal threat, not his.

Within Liverpool, however, there can be no doubts as to his worth, or his genius. On Saturday night, he once more put on a demonstration, playing decisive roles in both goals against a winless but typically resolute Sheffield United.

His far-post header, saved by Aaron Ramsdale, fell perfectly into the path of Roberto Firmino for the equalizer, and his cross, swung in with his left foot, found Diogo Jota for the winner.

It was the sort of contribution that perfectly encapsulates his value, but also the sort of impact that is so easily collapsed into the wider narrative of the Reds finding a way.

It seems then that Mane is doomed to exist in a crevice of the mind, universally acknowledged but not enough of an individualist that he consistently gets the acclaim he truly deserves from the wider public.

Simba SC midfielder Jonas Mkude has conceded the team and fans are undergoing tough times, especially after recent back to back defeats.

Wekundu wa Msimbazi lost by a solitary goal to Tanzania Prisons and on Monday, they played Ruvu Shooting hoping to get back to winning ways. However, it was not the case.

Fully Zullu Maganga outpaced his markers before playing the ball to his colleague whose first touch set the skipper in a one on one situation with Kakolanya.  

Maganga made no mistake from three yards, sending his team into the break with a deserving lead which turned out to be the winning goal.  

Simba were given a lifeline in the 80th minute when they were awarded a penalty after foul play by their opponents in the danger zone. Bocco, who had been introduced, took it but despite beating the goalkeeper, he could not beat the crossbar.

"Football results can at times surprise you, you can be shocked since you get what you least expected," Mkude told reporters.

"We tried to give our best [when playing Ruvu Shooting] but we could not get a positive outcome. 

"The coach made some changes to the team [after our loss to Tanzania Prisons] and we followed his tactics but it did not happen as we planned."

"We are in a very difficult period especially our fans because of the result we got [against Ruvu Shooting]. No fan can understand us especially after the recent results, but it is football and we have no option but to accept what has happened."

The next assignment for Simba will be at home against the Shinyanga-based Mwadui hoping to get back to winning ways ahead of the Kariakoo Derby against sworn rivals Yanga SC which is scheduled for November 7.

"Our focus is now on our forthcoming game where we want to at least get a positive outcome," Mkude continued.

"The coach [Sven Vandenbroeck] has seen the mistakes made which led to our losses and I know he will rectify them before we play our next game."

Simba are currently fourth on the Tanzania Mainland League table with 13 points from seven games.

Benfica coach Jorge Jesus has labelled Bernardo Silva "ungrateful" after the Manchester City winger said the Portuguese giants are in need of a new president.

Ahead of the club's presidential election this week, Silva posted a lengthy statement on social media in which he praised long-time incumbent Luís Filipe Vieira but claimed Benfica have become complacent in recent years and lack ambition.

Silva joined the Lisbon side's youth academy at the age of eight but made only three appearances for the senior team before he left to join Monaco and subsequently moved to England.

It was Jesus who gave Silva his first chance in the Benfica team and the 66-year-old says he has avoided talking about the Portugal international since his departure, but could not stay silent in the wake of the player's recent criticism.

"For many years I never wanted to talk about Bernardo Silva, because he also messed with me for many years. It's okay with me," he said at a press conference. 

"Now with the club president who helped him grow, who continues to provide great conditions for young people to go out to better clubs, as is the case with him. It is very ungrateful.

"There are many defects that a man can have, but the worst thing is to be ungrateful. You can have a different idea, but you can't be ungrateful.

"I was the one who added Bernardo Silva to the team. We went on tour several games and when we arrived in Portugal, he asked me: 'Mister, what are your ideas about me? I want to know if I will play'. 

"I said: 'If you play, what do you mean? Explain it to me... Nico [Gaitan] comes out and you play? Does Salvio come out and you play? What do you want me to do?"

"Silva said: 'I have a contract to leave, I'm going to earn 20 times more, and I need to help my family. I need the coach to let me out'. 

"'Then talk to the president, it's not me,' I replied. If he’s listening to me, let him say that this is the truth, it wasn’t because I put him on the left side.

"After all these years I’m telling you because he was ungrateful to the president of Benfica. I didn't know how to make up for what Benfica and what the president did for him."

Matthias Ginter says Karim Benzema "looks a bit odd" on the pitch at times, but has talked up the threat the Real Madrid "poacher" will pose Borussia Monchengladbach.

Madrid are scheduled to take in a trip to Borussia-Park in the Champions League on Tuesday night, where they will be aiming to banish the memory of a shock 3-2 home defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk on matchday one.

Zinedine Zidane saw his side concede three first-half goals against the Ukrainian outfit at Santiago Bernabeu, and they were ultimately unable to get anything out of the game despite a stirring fight-back in the second period.

The Blancos bounced back from that defeat by beating Barcelona 3-1 in the first Clasico of the season on Saturday, but cannot afford to let their standards drop again against a Monchengladbach side eager to impress on Europe's biggest stage.

The Bundesliga outfit opened their first Champions League campaign since 2016-17 with a 2-2 draw against Inter at San Siro, and will be expected to provide Madrid with an equally stern test on home soil.

Benzema will likely be tasked with leading Madrid's attack again despite a goal-shy start to the campaign which has seen him score just once in seven appearances.

The Frenchman is, however, fifth on the list of the Champions League's all-time top scorers, and a man who has played against him in Europe for Borussia Dortmund is wary of the danger he could pose Marcos Rose's side.

Ginter, who left BVB to join Monchengladbach in 2017, thinks Benzema has an unorthodox style, but knows full well that he comes alive in the penalty area having seen him deliver the goods in the final third for Madrid on a consent basis for over a decade.

"I think it's clear that Karim Benzema is a very good player," the Germany international told a pre-match press conference. "He's a top striker who's been at this level for many years.

"Sometimes he looks a bit odd, but when he gets inside the box, he's a poacher. It's difficult to play against him, but I think we'll be able to defend as a team.

"I faced him a few years ago, so I know his style. He's a top attacker."