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Former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards has hit out at social media trolls claiming he is only now on television because of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Richards, who won the Premier League and FA Cup with City and became England’s youngest-ever defender in 2006, has emerged as one of the most entertaining and engaging pundits around English football in recent seasons.

However, despite his popularity among his colleagues and many fans, he claims to receive regular comments apparently suggesting he is only employed as a pundit because he is black.

“You know, I’m in a privileged position, and I did this through hard work,” Richards told Sky Sports after working on City’s 3-1 win over Wolves on Monday.

“The hard work that I have put in is not going to be tarnished. I’ve got people on Twitter, I’ve got people on Instagram [saying], ‘Oh, Micah Richards is only on air because of this whole Black Lives Matter movement’.

“But I have had conversations with corporations that I have worked for way before this, and now I am getting tarnished with the same brush – ‘Oh, he’s only on TV because of Black Lives Matter’.

“Which is disheartening for me because I put in the work. I work every single day at my craft. I have been a professional footballer, I have won the Premier League, I have played at the highest level and I am still getting stones thrown at me.

“So if I have got to fly the flag and people want to throw stones at me, I’ll happily take it because I know I have put in the work.”

Richards raised similar issues last month when some disgruntled fans targeted him and fellow pundit – and fellow former league winner and experienced international – Alex Scott after Matt Le Tissier, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas were sacked from Sky Sports Soccer Saturday.

Ian Wright hit out at what he called “stinking-mouthed racists” who claimed they had been removed in order to introduce more black and female pundits onto the show.

Richards praised Scott on Monday, saying: “She is absolutely incredible, one of the best I have ever worked with.

“It is even worse for her because she is a woman, and she is seen as black as well. It’s double jeopardy, she is in a worse position.

“All you see on Twitter and Instagram is, ‘What is a woman doing working in men’s football?’. She knows football inside and out more than most people.”

Former Barcelona star Dani Alves wants to leave Sao Paulo, with the defender looking to depart the club just 13 months after making a return to his native Brazil.

Alves joined Sao Paulo last August on a deal that runs through December 2022, having previously stated his dream of playing for the club.

The long-time Brazil full-back, who was handed the No.10 shirt, scored on his debut, a 1-0 win over Ceara.

However, after just over a year with the club, Alves is now hoping to leave, with a number of internal political issues serving as the key reason that the former Barca and PSG defender is hoping to move on.

Alves has been left frustrated by the behind-the-scenes issues at Sao Paulo, as well as the criticism he has faced from the club's fanbase.

He was recently the target of criticism from sections of the club's supporters after attending a party with friends during the coronavirus pandemic, while he was also the subject of fans' ire after being recorded playing a musical instrument while dealing with an arm injury.

Despite his frustrations with the club, Alves is determined to make his exit an amicable one, as he looks to leave the team on good terms if possible.

His goal is to make a move back to Europe, having played 38 matches while scoring eight goals since returning to South America.

Prior to his move to Sao Paulo, Alves was a free agent after the expiration of his deal with PSG, having joined the Parisians in 2017 following a one-year stay with Juventus.

In 2017, the full-back earned interest from the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea before opting to make the move to Paris.

Alves is best known for his time at Barcelona, though, having joined the club in 2008 after establishing himself as one of the world's most dynamic attacking full-backs as a member of Sevilla.

He made 391 appearances for Barca, scoring 21 goals as the club won La Liga six times as well as three Champions League titles.

Internationally, Alves has earned 118 caps for Brazil and was part of the country's 2019 Copa America-winning squad.

Ivan Rakitic has admitted he was never close friends with Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez during his time at Camp Nou.

The Croatia playmaker brought his six-year spell in Catalonia to an end earlier in the transfer window, rejoining former club Sevilla in a cut-price deal.

There had been reports that Rakitic had not gotten on well with Barca’s star pair but, while he acknowledges they weren’t close, he says he had nothing but respect for them.

"I've said my side,” Rakitic told El Desmarque. “My relationship with them was never one of close friends. I believe that's hard in a group of 23 or 24 players.

“My closest friends were Andres Iniesta, [Marc-Andre] ter Stegen, [Kevin-Prince] Boateng and Junior Firpo last season.

“But I respect them both. They were my team-mates for six years and are very important players. I've always got on incredibly well and have the utmost respect for them.

“During the coronavirus lockdown, we've all been very close together, almost neighbours. I'm very thankful for how they've treated me over the years."

Returning to the club where he spent four productive seasons between 2011 and 2014, Rakitic will be fully focused on his club commitments at Sevilla, having also announced his retirement from international football.

"Saying goodbye to the national team is the most difficult decision of my career, but I felt that it was the moment when I had to break through and make that decision," he said in a statement.

"I enjoyed every game that I played with my country and the unforgettable moments of the World Cup will remain among my favourite memories of my life."

Rakitic played 106 times for Croatia, scoring 15 goals and reaching the 2018 World Cup final.

Sevilla are due to start the 2020-21 season with the UEFA Super Cup against Bayern Munich on Thursday, after winning the Europa League.

With La Liga having already gotten underway, they will be playing catchup when they play their first domestic fixture at Cadiz on September 28.

They then play Levante before Rakitic will return to Camp Nou for an away fixture at Barcelona on October 4.

Arthur Masuaku has urged West Ham United players to take the positives from their 2-1 loss against Arsenal to their next Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

David Moyes' men are yet to win a league game this season after suffering back-to-back defeats, to Newcastle United and Arsenal at the London Stadium.

On Saturday, Michail Antonio's effort could not save West Ham against Mikel Arteta’s side goals from Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah, which sealed maximum points for the visitors.

"It was a decent team performance, but not the result we wanted," Masuaku told the club website.

"We just have to take the positives from this game because as a team I think we played well.

"We need to keep going from Sunday and hopefully, with a bit of luck, we can win the next game."

Masuaku played for 90 minutes against the Gunners before he was replaced by Felipe Anderson at the death of the encounter.

The DR Congo international rued West Ham's missed chances on Saturday, however, he wants the team spirit maintained in their Carabao Cup outing Hull City on Tuesday before they host Wolves for Sunday's Premier League match.

"We showed a great team spirit and we played well as a team," he added. "Last week was a poor performance against Newcastle, and the Gaffer told us that we need to change this - we need to play as a team and be hard to beat.

"I think we played well and had chances to win the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t, but we have to be positive.

"If we have the opportunity to kill the game we just have to do it. We’ve shown that we can compete against these teams. We have a strong team and if we play like we did tonight, we will win games."

Kaizer Chiefs chairman Kaizer Motaung believes the management has done its best to assemble a solid technical team this season. 

This follows the appointment of Dillon Sheppard and Arthur Zwane as Gavin Hunt's assistants for the next three years. 

Motaung promised that the trio will receive all the necessary support they need to make their tenure a success.  

"We believe we have put a solid technical team together and we will give them all the necessary support they require," Motaung told the Amakhosi website. 

Zwane has been coaching for the past nine years while Sheppard only became a mentor three years ago, but they have a leader in the technical team as Hunt has been around the coaching circles for almost three decades. 

And Motaung said the 2019-20 league runners-up needed these three South African-born coaches to be competitive and stronger.    

"The wealth of experience among the three gentlemen is what we need to ensure we compete and build a strong team," he said. 

Furthermore, Motaung confirmed that both Sheppard and Zwane will work as Hunt's assistants and double-up as co-coaches for the club's MultiChoice Diski Challenge (MDC) team. 

Zwane had been in the position since the inception of the MDC league while Sheppard was also in charge of the Bidvest Wits MDC team before the club sold its PSL status, and 'Chincha Guluva' is confident the transition from the development to the senior team will be smooth.    

"The fact that Arthur and Dillon will concurrently work with the senior team as well as with our reserve side means that the transition for the young players to the first-team squad will be easier," continued the 75-year-old football administrator.  

"We have an abundance of talent." 

While the aim is to nurture the talent from the reserve team using the experience of both Sheppard and Zwane, Motaung said getting positive results also are as important. 

"However, they will need nurturing while we also need to focus on winning. Both assistant coaches have youth football experience and we believe they will continue to share their knowledge with our other youth coaches and players," concluded Motaung. 

Former Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper John Tlale has hailed the signing of Ricardo Goss from Bidvest Wits, saying the young keeper will gain from the reigning Premier Soccer League (PSL) champions' participation on the African continent.

The treble winners are set to return to the Caf Champions League next season and Tlale is confident Goss will benefit from the likes of veteran keepers Denis Onyango and Kennedy Mweene.

Although he believes the young keeper might struggle for a regular spot at Chloorkop under coach Pitso Mosimane at first, the former Bafana Bafana keeper is confident the ex-Clever Boys net-minder will be able to fight for a place in the national team.  

“We need to congratulate him on getting a contract in a team like Sundowns. I know there are concerns that he might be overlooked for Bafana Bafana because he will compete with Onyango who is the best in Africa,” Tlale told Isolezwe.

“What’s important is to know that Mweene an Onyango whom he will fight for the jersey with is getting old, that means he stands a good chance to become the future of the club when it comes to the plans of the coaches.

“He must just fight for the jersey and he must not give up because he might not play a game in a season as he would wish. He is fortunate because Sundowns play in Africa.”

On the former Abafana Bes’thende keeper’s chances at the 2019/20 treble winners, the Kroonstad-based legend backs the 26-year-old to challenge the veteran duo.

“He must just learn and study as much as he can from Onyango and Mweene who are very experienced. That will help him if we look at the competition for the Bafana Bafana jersey,” he added.

“I think he has joined Sundowns at the right time. Honestly, we must look at the fact that football is game of results, and if he gets if the coach [Mosimane] gets the results, why must he change the team?

“I played for Sundowns and I would start 28 matches and the other games would be given to [Ronnie] Kanalelo. It is important to have patience.”

Apart from the likes of Zambia’s Mweene and Ugandan skipper Onyango, the former Golden Arrows player will compete against Jody February, who will join from Ajax Cape Town and Reyaad Pieterse.

Nairobi City Stars top scorer in the National Super League (NSL) Davis Agesa has stated he is ready for the challenges of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

Agesa’s goals played a key part in Nairobi City Stars’ NSL exploits before they were promoted to the top-flight because they were leading when the second-tier was cancelled.

“Yes, I feel I am ready and hungrier for the KPL challenge,” Agesa told the club’s website.

“Well I can say it’s day-to-day progress that I challenge myself to be better than yesterday so hopefully I keep my name more on the score sheets and keep raising City Stars flag high.”

Agesa was the Simba wa Nairobi’s top scorer in the last four seasons in the NSL between 2017 and 2019/20, with 17 goals.

Nairobi City Stars were relegated to the second-tier in 2016 after being part of the KPL in the 12 previous seasons. Agesa scored seven goals in their maiden NSL season and that included the only hat-trick the club registered in 2016.

Agesa bagged the hat-trick against Talanta FC in September at Nairobi's Camp Toyoyo, when they won the tie by a 4-1 margin. The striker had scored his first-ever Nairobi City Stars brace a week earlier against Isibania FC at the same turf.

In the 2018/19 season, he scored three goals after he had left the club for a short stint in Asia. In the last campaign that was cancelled because of the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, the Kenyan striker found the back of the net six times.

The goals make him the striker with the most NSL goals for the Kawangware club ahead of Gambian and former Kariobangi Sharks star Ebrima Sanneh.

Sanneh and Ugandan striker Sande Katuma have both scored 15 goals in two seasons in the Super League.

Former KCB and AFC Leopards striker Ezekiel Odera and Peter Mwangi Wainaina enjoy the third and fourth spots in the chart with 14 and 10 goals, respectively.

As Nairobi City Stars prepare for a KPL return, Agesa will hope to tap into his experience in the top-tier after featuring for Thika United before they were relegated in 2018.

Abel Eturude has claimed Premier League sides Express FC and Sports Club Villa are sleeping Ugandan Premier League lions.

The midfielder explained why he thinks his new club Express and the Premier League record champions SC Villa have been performing below their capabilities.

“SC Villa and Express, I wouldn’t like to compare them to Onduparaka because those two are just sleeping lions but very great teams with great history even at the continental level,” Eturude told Sports Nation.

“But I wouldn’t rule out Onduparaka because it took a single season to make a brand for themselves, so they can build on that to make the team much greater.”

The former SC Villa midfielder was unveiled recently by Express after agreeing to a two-year contract and explained what motivated him to make the move.

“I made a decision that had a lot of risks especially with my career as a football player,” Eturude added.

“I felt I let my friends, fans and family down at some point. It hurts because I personally hate discouraging anyone but I always believed all things happen for the good.”

As he hopes to start a new life at Express, the Ugandan has revealed what he would want to achieve with the club.

“Yes, I have my personal plans and ambitions especially after being out of action for a full season,” he stated.

“I will need to work hand in hand with the technical team which is willing to help me out because they know my capabilities.

“Besides my own plans, God has the best and perfect plans for me and I will need to trust in him more.”

Eturude had expressed his satisfaction for joining the Red Eagles after a season without action due to illness.

“I feel so great to join Express, it’s a big club with great history and it’s one of the few clubs at least every football player would love to play for,” Eturude explained.

“This club has great ambitions and I believe we shall work hand in hand with the technical team and the fans so that we restore the pride of Express. In God all things are possible.

“Express are a big brand in Ugandan football. I was contacted by the club and they told me about their ambitions and why they needed my services.

“They have the head coach I have worked with and I know his capabilities.”

Eturude is among the many Ugandan players who have switched loyalty ahead of the 2020/21 season that is set to start on October 17.

Romain Saiss and Adama Traore will start for Wolverhampton Wanderers in Monday’s Premier League outing against Manchester City.

Having started their 2020-21 campaign on a winning note thanks to a 2-0 victory over Sheffield United at the Bramall Lane with Raul Jimenez and Saiss finding the net, Wolves would be hoping to make it two at a bounce against the visitors.

To achieve this, manager Nuno Espirito Santo has handed the Morocco international and Mali prospect.

For Manchester City, there are playing their first game of the new season and Pep Guardiola’s men are eyeing all points at the Molineux Stadium.

Bernardo Silva and Oleksandr Zinchenko will play no part against Wolves after suffering muscle injuries in training, as Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez will start from the bench.

Kenya international Mark Makwatta scored a hat-trick as Zesco United defeated Division two side Neelkhant FC 8-0 in a pre-season friendly game staged at the Trade Fair Grounds, Ndola.

The eight-time Zambian champions are preparing to bounce back after a disappointing 2019/20 campaign, in which they finished fifth. With new players coming in, it was a good time for Timu ya Ziko to showcase their talent against a lower-tier side.

The Ndola-based charges bolstered their squad with the signing of Bruce Musakanya, Lazarus Phiri, and Kampamba.

Interestingly, Kampamba and Musakanya were on the score sheet as Zesco managed to get four goals in the first half. 

Harambee Stars strikers Jesse Were and Makwatta were on target as well as the hosts dominated. 

After the break, Makwatta completed his hat-trick with Kampamba also getting another goal to complete his brace. Another goal came from Logic Ching'ondu.

Kenya coach Francis Kimanzi will be impressed with the news, considering the fact that he is preparing the national team for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations to be held in Cameroon.

Meanwhile, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa revealed they are in talks with other countries for possible friendlies for the Harambee Stars.

After Caf released a new condensed calendar for both the Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualifiers, countries are expected to be in a rush to prepare their teams for international football's return.

Mwendwa said one of the countries they have approached is Sudan but did not give a clear indication whether the northern neighbours have accepted FKF’s request.

"Caf calendars are already out and we have been in talks with two countries to see whether they can come and engage Harambee Stars in friendlies," Mwendwa told NTV.

"It has been quite hard to get a willing nation for friendly action because of the situation around the [coronavirus] pandemic.

"We must engage in friendlies to prepare the team for qualifiers. Sudan and other nations are among the countries we have had talks with."

The FKF chief said the big issue now is getting the local players fit for those qualifiers given that they have been out of action for almost six months now.

Inter chairman Steven Zhang has been handed a fine by the Italian football federation for his criticism of Serie A president Paolo Dal Pino over his handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Zhang was highly critical of Serie A's decision to continue matches in March, calling out Dal Pino specifically for disregarding public health.

At the time, the league had announced that Inter's clash with Juventus, a potential title-decider, would be played on March 8 in what turned out to be the last round of fixtures before the league temporarily shut down due to the coronavirus.

Zhang wrote on his Instagram story: “Playing around the calendar and always putting the public health as secondary consideration.

“You are probably the biggest and darkest clown I have ever seen. 24 hours? 48 hours? 7 days? And what else? What’s your next step?

“And now you speak about sportsmanship and fair competition?

“How about we don’t protect our players or coaches and ask them to play for you 24/7 non-stop?

“Yes, I’m speaking to you. Our Lega President Paolo Dal Pino. Shame on you. It’s time to stand up and take your responsibility! This is what we do in 2020!

“Everybody around the world, doesn’t matter if you are Inter fan or Juve fan or no fan at all. Please be safe!

“This is the most important thing for you, your family, and our society.”

Inter went on to lose the match 2-0, with Aaron Ramsey and Paulo Dybala firing the eventual champions to victory, moving them one step closer to the title.

And, in addition to the defeat on the day, Zhang and Inter have now been hit with sanctions for the chairman's pre-game rant.

Zhang has been ordered to pay an €8,000(£7,400/$9,400) fine while the club will also be required to pay a fine of  €5,000 (£4,600/$5,900).

The 28-year-old businessman became the youngest ever chairman of Inter in 2018, having been instrumental in Suning Holdings Group's acquisition of Inter in 2016.

Suning Holdings Group owns 68.55 per cent of the Nerazzurri.

Inter finished last season second in Serie A and will begin play this weekend against Fiorentina. 

Amaju Pinnick disclosed has that he is not in haste to contest the Confederation of African Football (Caf) presidential election.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) boss was removed from his role as the body’s first vice-president in 2019 – with South Africa’s Danny Jordaan taking his place – although no reason was given by president Ahmad Ahmad.

With the presidential election scheduled for Morocco in 2021, the 49-year-old revealed that he has a lot of things to ponder about before deciding if he will stand in the polls – citing that the body needs to address a lot of issues.

"The truth is that you need to look at indexes, you have to look at your family - family is the most prized asset that I have - so for example if my family said "don't" then I won't," Pinnick told BBC Sport Africa.

"Then you have your larger family which is your football family - your exco, your congress - if they decide to give you the go-ahead then you go to the government.

"Then from the government, you also look at some of your friends - it is not easy you have to consult your zone - you have to consult your colleagues because they are the voters.

"You have to let them know that even if you get elected, we will need to look at the reality.

"What is the reality? There are a lot of things wrong fundamentally in Caf right now - our credibility is at the lowest ebb our integrity is nowhere to be found - so we have a lot of challenges unless we keep deceiving ourselves.

"Human beings make mistakes and the only way you can correct those mistakes is to ensure that you know you have made these mistakes and genuinely want to correct it if that's the case we can't sit there and do nothing.

"Nobody is in a hurry. I am not desperate, I am going to be just 50 in December so there is a lot of time for me if I want to pursue a career path in football administration in the future."

Although Ahmad has refused to disclose whether he will run for a second term, a strong North African challenge is expected for the race to the hot seat.

Jadon Sancho might leave Borussia Dortmund one day, director Sebastian Kehl has admitted – but it won’t be in this transfer window.

Manchester United have been desperate to sign Sancho, but the Bundesliga club made clear early in the summer that he would not leave unless their asking price was met.

Dortmund wanted a deal to be completed before their pre-season training camp started on August 10, and United failed to meet the reported €120 million (£108m/$141m) asking price before then.

United have remained keen on a move, with shortcomings in their squad badly exposed as they suffered a humbling 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in their opening game of the Premier League season.

Dortmund have had a happier start to their own campaign. They beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0 in their opening Bundesliga game, and Sancho scored their first goal of the season in a 5-0 cup win over Duisburg - which also featured a record-breaking debut goal for Jude Bellingham, who snubbed Man Utd to join Dortmund.

With momentum behind them, Kehl says Dortmund are confident of keeping a happy Sancho at the club.

“Jadon has trained well and professionally,” Kehl told Ruhr Nachrichten. “He is happy to play football.

“Yes, someday he might leave for a new challenge but right now he is happy at Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Dortmund is happy to have him.

"He is here - and he will stay here. It was an important statement from the club because we have a certain responsibility. Without Jadon, this team is worse."

One game into the new season, frustration is already beginning to mount around United.

While their top-four rivals have all strengthened, Donny van de Beek remains the only major signing of the summer window at Old Trafford, and there remains a question mark over how he will fit in midfield alongside Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes.

Former defender Patrice Evra made his disappointment perfectly clear as he launched into a scathing 20-minute attack on the club’s hierarchy over how they conduct their transfer business.

However Steve McClaren, formerly Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant manager, has defended Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, arguing there has been a ‘massive overreaction’ to the Crystal Palace result.

KMC reclaimed the top spot on the Tanzania Mainland League table after defeating their hosts Mwadui 2-1 on Monday.

The Municipal side had issued a notice to temporary leaders Azam FC, stating by the end of the day they will be at the top.

The Chamazi-base charges were on nine points, but a win by any margin for KMC could have demoted them to the second position.

However, it took them just 11 minutes to realize they had to dig deeper to stand a chance of defeating the Shinyanga-based side when Issa Shabani beat the defenders before cooly slotting the ball past the goalkeeper.

It happened to be the only goal in the entire first half as the visitors struggled to break their opponents down.

With 13 minutes left to full-time, Reliants Lusajo levelled matters to give his team hope of getting maximum points.

In the 85th minute, the forward completed his brace to ensure the Kinondoni charges returned to the top with nine points from three matches.

In another league match played on Monday, newbies Gwambina FC continued their struggle after falling by a solitary goal to Ruvu Shooting.

The promoted side had collected one point from their first two matches and were desperate for maximum points against the administrative charges, who had also collected a point from their opening two games.

The only goal came in the 41st minute when the defenders failed to clear a cross from the left and Fully Maganga capitalized on it to help his team get three points.

After round three of the Tanzania Mainland League matches, only KMC and Azam have reaped maximum points and are placed in the first and second positions, respectively.

The 21-time champions Simba SC, Dodoma Jiji FC, and Yanga SC have managed to collect seven points from the three matches played and occupy positions three, four, and five, respectively.

Mwadui and Mbeya City have not yet collected any points from the three rounds. The latter have leaked in most goals, six, and are yet to score a goal this season.

Simba, Yanga, and Azam FC are touted as the best sides with a chance of winning the league this season. 

Alvaro Morata is on the verge of completing a return to Juventus from Atletico Madrid, sources have confirmed to Goal.

The 27-year-old, who played for Juve from 2014-16, should undergo a medical on Tuesday ahead of an initial loan move.

Juventus are set to pay a loan fee of €9 million (£8m/$11m), with an option to buy for €45m (£41m/$53m).

The move will bring to an end Juve’s summer search for a new striker, with Morata eventually preferred over Luis Suarez and Edin Dzeko.

Juventus had reached an agreement to sign Dzeko from Roma, but that deal was complicated by Roma's desire to sign Napoli forward Arkadiusz Milik as a replacement.

Suarez had travelled to Italy to try and complete a move after agreeing a €10 million (£9m/$12m) contract, but sporting director Fabio Paratici has confirmed that deal won't go ahead.

Instead, Andrea Pirlo will welcome back his former team-mate Morata as the forward returns to familiar surroundings in his much-travelled career.

He scored 27 goals in 93 games in two seasons in Turin, forming a good attacking partnership with Carlos Tevez in Massimiliano Allegri’s successful side. He also scored in Juventus' 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in the 2015 Champions League final.

He returned to boyhood club Real Madrid in 2016 but was then sold to Chelsea, where he scored 24 goals in 72 games but failed to truly convince as a top-level centre-forward in the Premier League.

He then spent two years under Diego Simeone at Atletico, scoring 22 goals in 61 games.

It has been widely reported that Morata's replacement at the Wanda Metropolitano will be Juve's previous target Suarez, who has been told he can leave Barcelona by new coach Ronald Koeman.

After winning two Serie A titles already at Juventus, Morata will be hoping to become a key figure in the club’s search for a tenth consecutive league win.

Pirlo’s side started their title defence in fine form with a 3-0 win at home to Sampdoria on Sunday.

Dejan Kulusevski, Leonardo Bonucci and Cristiano Ronaldo scored, with challenging fixtures away to Roma and at home to Napoli to follow in the coming weeks.

Kaizer Chiefs have announced Dillon Sheppard and Arthur Zwane as Gavin Hunt's assistants for the next three seasons.

The move by the Amakhosi management doesn't come as a surprise after the media broke the news soon after Hunt's appointment last week. 

More to follow... 

Chelsea defender Thiago Silva says he still hopes to represent Brazil at the next World Cup, despite the fact that he'll be 38 years old by the time the tournament kicks off.

Silva joined Chelsea this summer on a free transfer, departing Paris Saint-Germain after eight seasons with the Ligue 1 club.

During his time in Paris, the Brazilian remained among the world's best defenders, making 315 appearances while claiming seven Ligue 1 titles during that eight-year stay.

Most recently, the defender helped guide PSG towards what could have been the club's first Champions League crown, although the French side fell to Bayern Munich in the finale.

Internationally, Silva has been a mainstay for Brazil since making his debut with the senior team in 2008, earning a total of 89 caps while featuring at three World Cups.

And he's setting his sights on featuring at one more World Cup for his country, despite the fact that he'd almost certainly be one of the oldest players involved in Qatar in 2022.

"What motivates me, day by day, is the hunger to win. To win everything within my reach," he said in an interview with Chelsea's official website.

"Coming to the Premier League, my main goal is to win the league title and I’m certain that we’ll be fighting for that every step of the way. The team is really strong, we’ve got a great coach and I’ve come here to contribute in whatever way I can to ensure that we get as close as possible to achieving those aims.

"That’s what motivates me: stepping out onto the pitch, and then winning, winning, and winning some more. I don’t think about anything else.

"As I’ve said before, the prospect of playing at the next World Cup is another thing that really drives me. I’ll be more or less 38 years old by the time of the next World Cup and I’m hugely motivated to be in good shape for it.

"The work that I’m putting in to make this a reality already started a while back and now Chelsea have given me a great opportunity to continue playing at the highest level.

"What Chelsea represents to me is a source of great happiness and motivation to be a part of a new project, a new family and I hope that this will be a very special year together."

Silva has yet to make his debut for Chelsea, having missed the first two matches of the Premier League season.

Next up for the Blues is a Carabao Cup clash with Barnsley on Wednesday before a visit to West Brom this weekend for the club's third Premier League match of the campaign.