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German amateur side SG Ripdorf/Molzen II paid the price for watching their health as they went down 37-0 due to their fears of contracting coronavirus. 

Ripdorf were scheduled to take on SV Holdenstedt II on Sunday in the 11th tier of German football, Lower Saxony's 3. Kreisklasse. 

But preparations for the match were complicated when it emerged that the Holdenstedt team, according to Ripdorf president Patrik Ristow, had been in contact with an individual infected with Covid-19 during a previous match against Eddelstorf.

While the squad later tested negative for the pandemic illness, their opponents contended that guarantees were not in place to play as 14 days had not passed since that first conact. 

Ripdorf requested the game be postponed, but saw their plea rejected by the local association, although Holdenstedt's first team were excused from their own clash due to fears of contagion.

Forced to either play or face a hefty penalty for abandoning the match, the side decided to take the field while respecting social distancing protocol. 

Holdenstedt were therefore left to run rampant while their opponents watched on from a safe distance, scoring goal after goal in the absence of opposition. 

"Several players on our second team told us that they would like to avoid contact with SV Holdenstedt players to be safe," Ristow later explained to AZ. 

"Also because the 14 day incubation period had not yet finished. The Holdenstedt first-team game was cancelled, the second team game unfortunately was not. 

"The coaching staff and club directors are responsible for the team and, naturally, accept the situation in today's world. To contain possible chains of infections, this should be in everybody's interests. 

"At the same time, as a club, we have to be careful not to incur unnecessary punishments for not showing up during his difficult corona period. That would make the financial situation of the club even worse. So we are in a bind."

According to the Holdenstedt coach, however, Ripdorf exaggerated the risk of infection. "There was no reason not to play this game," Florian Schierwater explained. 

"None of our players had contact with the Eddelstorf player [who tested positive]. I said hello to him, but like others I also volunteered to be tested. 

"According to the health department, half of the team didn't even have to go for a test."

Thembi Kgatlana delivered an impressive display despite Eibar’s 2-1 defeat to Espanyol in Tuesday's Spanish pre-season friendly match.

The 2018 Africa Women's Footballer of the Year joined the Spanish side from Portuguese giants SL Benfica and became the second African at the club after Nigeria's Charity Adule this summer.

The South Africa international made her debut as a starter along with Adule but the African duo was unable to rescue the Gunsmiths from suffering a losing start in their friendly against Espanyol.

Iker Dorronsoro's side made a false start to the encounter as Nadezhda Karpova fired Espanyol ahead after just two minutes.

However, Kgatlana broke in through the right-wing before sending in a brilliant pass to Ruth Alvarez and the Spaniard made no mistake to level matters for Eibar in the 14th minute. 

After the restart, Espanyol dominated possession following the withdrawal of Kgatlana and Adule but the former could not find a breakthrough despite their dominance.  

Ruben Casado's team profited from Eibar's error between the defender and goalkeeper in the 53rd minute when Maya Yoshida scored the winner and also marked her debut with a goal.

Despite the defeat, South Africa's Kgatlana and Nigeria's Adule were impressive for the duration they were on the pitch, ensuring their side finishes the first half of the encounter on level terms.

Eibar will aim to get their act together in time with less than two weeks to their 2020-21 top-flight opener at home against Real Betis following their promotion to the Primera Iberdrola in May.

Kgatlana and Adule will be eager to combine well in attack to inspire Dorronsoro's team to succeed in the Spanish top-flight this season.

Lionel Messi did not take long to get back among the goals with Barcelona, scoring a right-footed beauty in Wednesday's friendly against Girona before later adding a second. 

Messi was making his second appearance for Barcelona since he reversed his decision to leave the club and announced he would be staying with the Catalans. 

In an exclusive interview with Goal, Messi said he preferred to stay for the 2020-21 season rather than become embroiled in a messy legal battle over a termination clause he looked to activate in his contract. 

While Messi and his legal team asserted the right to activate the clause at season's end in August, Barcelona insisted that he had to inform them of his desire to leave in June — when the season was originally scheduled to end before the coronavirus break pushed it back. 

Rather than fight it out in court the 33-year-old will stay at Barcelona, though his future is far from clear with his contract set to expire at the end of the upcoming campaign. 

The strain of his off-field issues looked to have no effect on Messi on the pitch though, as he slammed home a shot from distance off the post to give his side a 2-0 lead just before half-time. It was his first goal under new head coach Ronald Koeman.

Messi would score a second five minutes after the break after his left-footed strike from range took a deflection on the way in.

Barcelona's first goal was scored by Philippe Coutinho, who finished off a lovely team move that was sparked by Messi's delicious through ball. 

Coutinho is another player whose Barcelona future is in doubt after the Brazilian returned to the club from a season-long loan at Bayern Munich. 

The Bavarians turned down the chance to sign Coutinho on a permanent basis and the 28-year-old could be set to stay with Barca after he appeared likely to be sold earlier in the summer. 

Coutinho’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, recently ruled out a return to the Premier League for his client, who had been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea and Arsenal.

Joorabchian said that Koeman insisted the Brazilian is a big part of his plans at Camp Nou.

“Koeman called him right after the Champions League victory with Bayern, the following day, and told him he’s very much in his plans and would like him to return," Joorabchian told talkSPORT.

Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood believes that Gareth Bale can have a similar impact with Spurs as Zlatan Ibrahimovic had during his time at Manchester United.

Bale is closing in on a sensational return to Tottenham, where he starred from 2007 to 2013. 

The Wales star's agent Jonathan Barnett has said that Tottenham are "close" to signing the Real Madrid winger, though he has cautioned that no deal is done yet. 

The 31-year-old has scored 105 goals in 251 matches at Real Madrid, having won four Champions League crowns to go along with two Liga titles.

Bale has recently fallen out of favour with manager Zinedine Zidane, however, and has made no secret of his desire to leave the Spanish capital.

As a return to north London grows closer, Sherwood has likened Bale's potential impact to another veteran who starred under Jose Mourinho. 

“We know what Jose is like, he likes big players, he brought Zlatan in on a free transfer when he was at Manchester United and it worked to great effect, they picked up a trophy," Sherwood told talkSPORT.

Ibrahimovic scored 27 goals during the 2016-17 campaign at Old Trafford, as United took home the Europa League.

More recently, Mourinho was far from pleased with Tottenham's performance in their Premier League opener on Sunday, a 1-0 home defeat to Everton after which he branded some of his players as "lazy."

Sherwood believes that Tottenham's weak attacking effort against the Toffees will convince the club that a move for Bale is even more necessary. 

“I think it’s a good deal. Spurs didn’t look good [against Everton]. I know it’s hard to be critical after just one game, but they didn’t look fantastic, especially in forward areas," Sherwood said. 

“I think it’s an easy sell to [Spurs chairman] Daniel Levy, because Real Madrid will be absorbing probably around three quarters of his wages, which still makes him a high earner at Tottenham but it’s a no-brainer to do.

“I don’t think Daniel would need too much convincing, because he knows what he’s done at the club before. Gareth will come in with hero status and is going to lift everyone.

“But the pressure will be on him, because everyone will say, ‘go on Gareth, do what you did before,’ which was absolutely incredible.”

Ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino admits that he did not sit down to watch Amazon's documentary series on the club in its entirety, limiting his viewing to the period in which he was in charge. 

Pochettino parted company with Spurs in 2019 having led the north Londoners for five seasons. 

His last full campaign saw the club reach their first-ever Champions League final, where they lost out to Liverpool, but a run of poor results at the start of 2019-20 sealed his fate, with Tottenham then turning to Jose Mourinho on the bench. 

The Argentine therefore has just a cameo in Amazon's nine-part All or Nothing saga, which focuses on the 2019-20 season and begins with his sacking. 

And he feels that his presence in the early stages of the documentary was merely incidental, while revealing he was underwhelmed with the part he did see. 

"Me and Jesus [Perez], we only watched the first 25 minutes, until we left the club. We watched, and to be honest, it was correct. No more or no less," Pochettino told the Independent podcast Between The Lines.

"It was like ‘OK, we need to put that Jesus, Toni [Jiminez], Miguel [D'Agostino], Sebastiano [Pochettino] and Mauricio were there, but it’s nothing to do with the documentary’.

"Being honest, I think we feel responsible because it was very difficult to say yes to open the door to Amazon, who came to Tottenham at a very difficult moment for us.

"And, of course, I feel sorry for Jesus, because he spent time from 7am trying to help the Amazon people to make that all work with the players, with the staff, with everything. And to be honest, after 25 minutes watching, I think Jesus appeared one time with me. OK, five and a half years [at the club] and we’re only in the scenario for 25 minutes, trying to justify why we left the club."

Despite his reservations about the series, Pochettino added that he bears no ill will either to the makers or his replacement, who has endured mixed fortunes in his bid to get Spurs back on track following last season's slump.

"But I understand, because it’s a documentary that’s trying to put the club in a good place. The club is not going to open the door to Amazon to create a problem after the documentary," he added.

"I think, it’s difficult to be natural, but I hope they will achieve what they wanted doing this, you know, I think it’s important to show the facilities of the club, the new stadium, the new training ground that we were so involved in helping Daniel [Levy] to design.

"I still love the fans, I still love the club, and of course, I have a different appreciation for Daniel and the people that work there and the players.

"Jose [Mourinho] is a very good friend, I wish them all the best and that they can achieve some titles that Daniel can enjoy, and, of course, reflects all the effort that we were doing in the past to create the fantastic club that it is today."

Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council member George Amoakoh believes reports about the use of black magic, popularly known as 'juju', is hampering efforts to woo Ghanaian players in the diaspora to represent the Black Stars.

New coach of the four-time African champions, CK Akonnor, has set his sights on broadening the national talent pool with players of Ghanaian descent abroad, having identified Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah and Brighton and Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey among a list of targets.

The West Africans have ailed to lift a trophy since 1982, and have been rejected by most Ghanaian players abroad when asked to switch their nationality.

“There are a lot of perceptions about how Ghanaian footballers play the game,” Amoakoh told Nhyira FM.

“Destructive tendencies in the game, those who deliberately want to injure you and cut short your career.

“Then the usual unending speculations, especially about Ghanaian players using 'juju' to play football.

“Even those [players in the diaspora] who were raised here and go to Europe to play there, most of them, because of 'juju', don’t want to play for Ghana.

“It's a very big problem we are trying to unravel and make right."

Ghana have already made contact with Nketiah and Lamptey, both born to Ghanaian parents in England and currently youth internationals for their country of birth.

On Monday, the latter made headlines with a fine performance for Brighton in their 2020-21 Premier League opener against Chelsea.

“In fact, when I was watching [Lamptey] on TV, the first thing I did was to call a couple of people and it was clear that he will be a good player for our national team, the Black Stars,” Amoakoh added.

“It is not going to be easy [to get him to switch international allegiance]. The national team's department is making serious efforts to get his parents and the boy to agree to play for Ghana.

“But it's not going to be easy. I don’t want to sound like its impossible, but it's not going to be easy.

“Most of the [Ghanaian] players born in Europe, if you want to entice them to come and play for Ghana, it is very difficult. They mostly aspire to play for their country of birth or host countries. Even their parents don’t opt for their children playing for Ghana."

In 2012, then Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic partly blamed the use of black magic by Ghanaian players as a reason for the Black Stars' disappointing 2012 Africa Cup of Nations campaign. 

Nyasha Mushekwi was the hero as Zhejiang Greentown defeated Jiangxi Liansheng 4-0 in Wednesday’s China League One Group B encounter at Hengli Soccer Town.

The Zimbabwean scored two goals in the second-half as Zheng Xiong’s side continued their bright start to the 2020-21 season.

Having played a 1-1 draw at Guizhou Zhicheng in the opening day of the second-tier, Greentown put up a strong display to earn their first victory in this term.

South Africa international Dino Ndlovu put them ahead after just eight minutes before Brazil’s Rafael Martins doubled the lead 10 minutes later.

They could not add to their goal tally as the first 45 minutes ended 2-0 on their behalf.

Mushekwi replaced Ndlovu at half-time and it took him just four minutes to make an impression having fired past goalkeeper Mu Qianyu.

While the visiting team were doing all it takes to get back into the game, the 33-year-old sealed victory having completed his brace in the 61st minute as Huang Yong’s men continue their winless run.

The goal was Ndlovu's first goal of the season. The 30-year-old has been impressive for the Chinese team since joining from Qarabag in 2017. In 2018, he accounted for 19 goals in 24 league games while his second season produced two goals less in 27 outings.

For Zimbabwe's Mushekwi, he joined from Chinese top-flight side Dalian Pro in 2019. In his debut season, he scored seven goals in 13 games - garnering 1155 minutes in the process.

Thanks to this result, they sit atop the log with four points from two games and they will be chasing another win when they travel to Wuhua People's Stadium for their fixture against Shaanxi Chang'an Athletic.

Jiangxi Liansheng would be chasing their first win of this campaign when Meizhou Hakka visit the Jiujiang Stadium in Sunday’s early kick-off.

SuperSport United defender Thatayaone Ditlhokwe has described reported Kaizer Chiefs target Adel Amrouche as a “diamond” who could turn around the Soweto giants if appointed as coach.

Amrouche who is the current Botswana coach has his name surprisingly surface as a possible candidate to replace Ernst Middendorp who was recently sacked by Chiefs.

While Gavin Hunt is largely touted as the frontrunner to be appointed Chiefs coach, Amrouche’s name is gaining momentum considerably.

Ditlhokwe who has worked under the Algerian with the Zebras, paints a gloomy picture at the prospect of Botswana losing their coach, a development he says would herald a new era of success at Naturena.

“If he goes to Kaizer Chiefs… yah we would be in trouble in Botswana because we would have lost a diamond… he could help us as a small country to write our names all over the continent. I really believe that with him anything is possible for us,” Ditlhokwe told Phakaaathi.

“He is capable of turning Chiefs around and working wonders because of the players that they have. He knows how to work with players to get the best out of them. He is friendly and acts as a father but once he gets onto the field and it’s time for work, it’s time to work nothing else.”

Amrouche has vast experience, having worked as a coach both in Europe and around the African continent.

Before taking up the Botswana post, he had worked with four other national teams: Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Kenya and Libya.

An edge Amrouche could be having over Hunt is his experience around the continent not only with the national team, but at club level too.

Having coached in Caf inter-club competitions with his home teams USM Alger and MC Alger as well as Congolese side Daring club Motema Pembe, albeit with limited success, he could be viewed as the right coach to guide Chiefs in Africa.

Ditlhokwe has a lot of praise for his national team coach.

“He’s impressive, for an example, I can tell you that since his arrival we haven’t had much time but the little time we have spent with him we were impressed because he turned the team around quite quickly,” said Ditlhokwe.

“He knows how to manage the players, how to groom a player and how to instill team spirit. When he sees that you’ve lost your confidence, he works on you to redeem your confidence.

“Since he came here, we’ve played against the big teams like Egypt, Algeria and Zimbabwe and you couldn’t really differentiate between us and those teams because we were able to match them even though we don’t have that much quality.”

Crystal Palace star Andros Townsend has hailed Eberechi Eze as an ‘incredible talent’ following his impressive displays since he joined the Eagles.

The 22-year-old was handed his full debut as Roy Hodgson’s men bowed out 11-10 on penalties to Bournemouth in the English League Cup on Tuesday evening.

Eze played all minutes, converted his penalty kick during the shootout after the score stood at 0-0 at full time, nevertheless, Palace bowed to Jason Tindall’s side at Dean Court.

And Townsend who featured for 20 minutes having replaced Nya Kirby claimed the Anglo-Nigerian has all the raw tools to rise to the very top of the sport.

“It’s no secret we didn’t score enough goals last season, so obviously you have to bring players in,” the 29-year-old winger told the club website.

"Ebs is an incredible talent, and what he has shown so far is that he will be one for the future. Great business and it freshens up our attack."

The England international also reflected on his team’s defeat while looking forward to Saturday’s fixture against Manchester United.

"It was a difficult one [to take]," he admitted. "The standard of penalties was incredible.

“And obviously we knew someone had to be the villain and someone had to be the hero, and unfortunately Wayne Hennessey was brilliant in the game, but he and Luka missed a penalty.

"I was actually the one who missed against Colchester in the cup last season, so I know exactly how those boys are feeling.

"You just want the ground to swallow you up. But it’s part and parcel of football and we’ve got a big game on Saturday and if we win on Saturday [then] this is all forgotten about."

Eze joined the Selhurst Park giants on a five-year deal worth £17 million after consistently featuring for QPR as they finished 13th in the Championship.

He has featured for England U20 and the U21 teams but he is still eligible to play for the Nigeria national team if he chooses.

The 22-year-old, who has been a target for the Super Eagles, has previously revealed he is yet to decide on his international future.

Gareth Bale has endured an unusual few seasons at Real Madrid, going from Champions League final hero to being perceived as an obsessive golfer in the space of two years.

He has fallen down the pecking order under Zinedine Zidane, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel as his purgatory period in Spain looks set to end with a return to Tottenham.

A star who was once the most expensive player in world football has seen his stock fall considerably and it's not just in the real world that it is reflected.

His rating on the EA Sports FIFA franchise continues to plummet. Goal takes a look at Bale's rating on the new FIFA 21 game and why things have changed.

What is Gareth Bale's FIFA 21 rating?

Gareth Bale's overall rating in FIFA 21 is 83. That is a decline from his rating on FIFA 20, which saw him ranked as an 85 overall.

The rating sees Bale fall well outside the top 100 players on the new game, behind the likes of Erling Haaland, Christian Eriksen and Jordan Henderson, among others.

With a rating of 83, Bale is 10 behind the best player on the game, Lionel Messi (93), and nine marks off his former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo (92).

He is no longer one of the top players at Real based on the new rating, which sees him rated the same as players such as Martin Odegaard, Federico Valverde and Ferland Mendy.

Bale remains one of Wales' best players, with only Aaron Ramsey of Piemonte Calcio (Juventus) matching the winger's overall rating.

Other players in the RW position that Bale is considered lesser than in FIFA 21 are Benfica winger Pizzi (84), Napoli's Jose Callejon (84) and Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry (85).

Why has Gareth Bale's rating dropped in FIFA 21?

The simple reason for Bale's rating drop on FIFA 21 is the perception that he has declined as a player in the past year as well as natural physical deterioration associated with age.

Indeed, Bale's troubles at the Santiago Bernabeu are well documented and he has faded into the periphery at the club, with supporters regularly getting on his back during games by booing his every touch.

He has not played as often as he might have liked over the course of the past two campaigns, leading to jibes from fans and team-mates about the idea that he prefers to play golf.

The decision by EA Sports ratings engineers to chop another two points from Bale's overall rating in the new game is arguably backed up by his diminishing game stats.

He made just 12 La Liga starts for Real Madrid in their title-winning campaign in 2019-20, scoring two goals, and played just three times in the Champions League, with just one start - in the 3-0 defeat to PSG.

Even his displays for Wales have been ordinary, with a return of two goals in nine appearances for his country in 2019.

By way of comparison, Bale had a much higher rating in FIFA 19, which was released after a season in which he scored 32 goals in 36 appearances for Madrid, as well as inspiring Champions League glory.

Gareth Bale's rating change on FIFA

Bale's new rating of 83 in FIFA 21 means that he has continued to decline as a player in the eyes of EA Sports and the FIFA gaming community.

His rating peaked at 90 four editions ago in FIFA 17 during a period when he was central to Real Madrid's success in the Champions League and La Liga.

However, it has dropped each year since then to 89 in FIFA 18, 88 in FIFA 19, 85 in FIFA 20 and now to 83 in FIFA 21.

Since Bale first appeared in the FIFA game series in FIFA 10 he has consistently been rated in the mid-to-high 80s and in his first season at Real Madrid he was rated 87 on FIFA 14.

Gareth Bale would inject some much-needed "magic" into Tottenham's side should the Real Madrid forward return to north London, according to Harry Redknapp.

Tottenham are in negotiations with Madrid over a possible deal for Bale, who left Spurs for Los Blancos in a then world record €100 million (£85m/$110m) transfer in 2013.

Bale has helped Madrid win four Champions League trophies – scoring decisive goals in two of those finals – and two La Liga titles, but has fallen down the pecking order in the Spanish capital.

While he has struggled with injuries, Bale has often been left out in the cold even when fit by Zinedine Zidane, who played the Wales star just 20 times across all competitions last term.

Former Spurs manager Redknapp – who gave Bale the chance to thrive as a winger rather than as a full-back, where he initially played – believes the 31-year-old would be a brilliant addition for Tottenham or Manchester United, who have also been linked.

"It would be a fantastic signing for the club and it would be great for Gareth to get back playing again. He's such a talent, such a great player and it's waste to see him not playing," Redknapp told BBC Radio Wales.

"To get back to Tottenham could just turn their season around. They've been quite average in the last six months or so. End of last season and obviously got beat on Sunday by Everton. They need that little bit of magic Gareth can bring. If he went there or Manchester United, wherever he went, he'd make a massive difference."

On Wednesday, Jonathan Barnett – Bale's agent – said: "We're negotiating at the moment, that's all. I won't discuss [how close it is]." Meanwhile, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho insisted in a news conference ahead of Tottenham's clash with Lokomotiv Plovdiv that he would not discuss a player at another club.

While Redknapp would love to see Bale return to Spurs, he concedes it will be a difficult deal to achieve.

"The difficulty obviously is working out a deal because no one can pay his wages. There's no way anyone in England can take him full-time," Redknapp said. "The only way they'll do a deal is if Real Madrid meet at least half his wages. I'd think that's the stumbling block at the moment for Tottenham or anyone else interested in him.

"It's not going to be a case of Gareth taking any wage cuts, it's going to be a case of Real Madrid having to maybe take a third of his wages off Tottenham.

"[Tottenham chairman] Daniel Levy's a very good negotiator, so I'm sure he'll get the best deal for Tottenham."

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay at Arsenal to build a legacy at the club.

The striker put an end to speculation surrounding his future on Tuesday when he signed a new three-year contract with the Gunners.

The 31-year-old's previous deal was set to expire at the end of the season and Barcelona and Inter were reported to be interested in signing him.

But a conversation with the Arsenal manager persuaded the fan favourite to remain and become a real club legend. 

"I had quite a lot of time to think about it. I've been thinking about it since a year [ago]," he said in an interview with former Arsenal star Ian Wright.

"I also had a chat with Mikel, that I think he gave me something very clear about the idea of the future of the club and about me. 

"He was straight and honest and that's what I like because we are always honest. He said: 'Okay, you can maybe leave. I don't know what your mind is [thinking] right now, but you can leave and go for trophies at other clubs or you can stay here and have a legacy'.

"This, for me, was the key word."

He added: "We had a chat when we were in lockdown, he called me. Normally we have to speak about a game. I had to do a summary. You have to explain how the game works.

"He called me and said: 'Forget about it'. I had prepared maybe two pages and he said: 'Yeah, forget about it. Let's talk about real things'.

"He said: 'I want to be honest with you, how do you feel?' I was like, I have to say the truth: 'I feel very good', it was maybe two or three months that he was here. [In] training, you can feel the passion. You can feel everything from this guy. He is so good and he's the kind of guy who you can trust in him.

"That's why I said to him: 'I feel very good. What you said to me about legacy and stuff, I really think about it. I think it's the right way and the true way to go'."

Bayern Munich chiefs have been left irritated by public comments made by their former president Uli Hoeness relating to David Alaba and the ongoing contract negotiations with the Austria international, Goal can reveal.

The 28-year-old - who is considered one of the most important players at Bayern - is yet to agree a new deal with the Bavarian giants, with his current contract coming to an end in 2021.

Alaba played a key role in helping Hansi Flick's side seal the treble last season and the Champions League winners are naturally desperate to retain the services of the versatile defender for the long term.

Indeed, Flick has been planning for the 2020-21 Bundesliga campaign with Alaba very much part of his thoughts, despite the Austrian having been linked with a move to the likes of Barcelona and Manchester City.

However, a frustrated Alaba was forced to respond to comments made by former Bayern president Hoeness, who criticised the player's agent Pini Zahavi and suggested that the negotiations are being held up due to his wage demands.

Hoeness told Sport1: "He has a greedy piranha for an agent. He [Alaba's father George] lets himself be influenced by him very much. This is really all about the money. He is already at the best club in the world. Where else would he go?

"We had a coffee several times over the past weeks, but because of Zahavi there has not been a result yet."

That saw Alaba reply with a lengthy statement denying Hoeness's claims after his father, George, had already hit back at what he called the spread of "dirty lies".

And sources have revealed to Goal that those in charge at Bayern were left astounded by Hoeness's views and were particularly irked by his comments relating to Alaba's father, with whom there has always been a very positive relationship.

The club's hierarchy, led by CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, are now attempting to smooth things over with the Alaba camp as they seek to come to a positive conclusion over the ongoing contract talks.

As reported by Sky Germany, the discussions are not only being delayed due to the salary expectations but also the length of contract on offer, with Bayern reportedly only willing to offer four years while Alaba wants a deal until 2025.

Despite the uncertainty around the player's long-term future at the club, it is not expected that Alaba will leave before the summer transfer window closes.

The likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona would be of interest to the Vienna-born defender, although they would not be able to fund a move in the current coronavirus-affected market, and thus would look to sign him on a free in 2021 - a scenario Bayern are keen to avoid at all costs.

Moroka Swallows have announced the six players, who have been retained by the club ahead of the 2020/21 season.

The Dube Birds are back in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) after clinching the 2019/20 National First Division (NFD) title.

The list includes Namibia international Virgil Vries and experienced attacker Lebohang Mokoena, who were some of the senior players as the team beat Ajax Cape Town to the trophy. 

Vries has managed to revive his career at Swallows following a frustrating spell with Kaizer Chiefs in the 2018/19 campaign.

While former Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates winger Mokoena played an instrumental role in helping his side secure promotion to the flight league as the team captain.

The Soweto giants released the following updates on their official Facebook page on Wednesday: 

"The Dube Birds have retained the Services of 22-year-old U23 South African international Goalkeeper Sanele Tshabalala."

"The Dube Birds have retained the Services of 27-year-old Defensive Midfielder Tlakusani Mthethwa."

"Mthethwa was part of the team that got relegated from the PSL, his efforts last season made sure the Birds returned to top-flight."

"The Dube Birds have retained the Services of 33-year-old former Bafana Bafana international Lebogang Mokoena."

"The Dube Birds have retained the Services of 24-year-old full-back Mthokozisi Shwabule."

"The Dube Birds have retained the Services of 31-year-old Namibian international Goalkeeper Virgil Vries."

"The Dube Birds have retained the Services of 20-year-old South African international Givemore Khupe," club statements read. 

Swallows had players, who were on loan at the club during the 2019/20 season.

Chiefs trio of Given Thibedi, Itumeleng Shopane and Kagiso Malinga helped the Dube Birds secure promotion to the elite league. 

It remains to be seen whether Swallows will be able to retain their services for the new campaign.

The new season is expected to start next month with Swallows set to end their five-year absence from the PSL.

The team will be under the guidance of local coach Brandon Truter, who has been retained by the Soweto giants.

Swallows will use Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto as their home ground and they are reportedly considering registering Makhulong Stadium in Tembisa as an alternate venue.

The final round of the I-League second division 2019-20, which has been rebranded and restructured as I-League qualifiers 2020 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, will kick-off on October 8, 2020, in West Bengal. 

A total of five clubs will battle it out for a single qualification spot in the upcoming I-League season at the qualifiers which will take place at two venues - Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, and the Kalyani Municipal Stadium, in Kalyani. All teams except for ARA will reach Kolkata on September 25. ARA will reach the destination three days later. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) will take care of the teams' lodging and transportation. 

The Second Division League had come to a halt after a nationwide lockdown was imposed in March due to the pandemic. The group stages of the Second Division League were stopped before completion and the top six teams were selected for the final round from the group tables. Unfortunately, FC Kerala decided to withdraw from the competition.

Mohammedan Sporting, Bhowanipore FC (both from Kolkata), ARA FC (Gujarat), Garhwal FC (Delhi) and FC Bengaluru United (Karnataka) will battle it out for a spot in the 2020-21 season of I-League. The matches will be played in a round-robin format and the team that tops the table will qualify. 

“The I-League qualifiers are an important event as it gives a number of teams the chance to qualify for this pan-India league,” said AIFF Leagues CEO Sunando Dhar.

“It is unfortunate that these teams missed out on the opportunity to gain promotion last season due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he continued. “That is why this is a unique opportunity for them to make it to the Hero I-League this season. Wishing them all the very best in their endeavours.” 

Eric Dier understands the buzz surrounding Gareth Bale's potential return to Tottenham but insists he is unaffected by any speculation.

Bale could be in line to return to Spurs seven years after leaving for Real Madrid, with Los Blancos reportedly keen to get the Wales star – who played just 20 times for his club last season – off their books.

Jonathan Barnett, Bale's agent, confirmed on Wednesday that talks were ongoing over a deal, though would not say if an agreement was close.

However, Dier insisted he and the squad do not let transfer speculation impact their performances.

"I'm sure from the fans' point of view, when you're linked with a player of that level it's obviously exciting," Dier told a news conference ahead of Spurs' Europa League qualifier against Lokomotiv Plovdiv. "For me personally, it doesn't really affect me in any way. It's not the first time and it won't be the last time.

"There's constantly speculation, lots of different talk. Every day people are trying to fill the newspapers and the websites, personally it doesn't really affect me in any way. I'm quite used to it."

Dier also added that there had not been any discussion about Bale between the squad members.

"No, nothing on the WhatsApp group. Obviously there's a lot of speculation and it's impossible not to see it but it's not for me to speculate," the England international, who does not believe Spurs' dressing room is in need of a lift despite a poor performance in their season-opening game against Everton, said.

"I don't know because he's still at Real Madrid, I really can't talk about a player from another team. It has really got nothing to do with me.

"The dressing room isn't in a bad place, we've had one game. Pre-season was in very difficult circumstances. The mood has been very positive within the group.

"I'm still really excited for the season, feel upbeat. We didn't start in the way we wanted to, but still feel we're in a very good place. It's all about taking every game as it comes and being fully focused on tomorrow. We need a good result."

Spurs have signed Matt Doherty and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this transfer window and are also being linked with Bale's Madrid club-mate Sergio Reguilon, but Dier does not believe the squad is in desperate need of fresh faces.

"There is a lot of new blood in the dressing room. [Steven] Bergwijn, Gedson Fernandes – Pierre and Matt both just arrived," he said. "I already feel it's a very different dressing room. I already feel there's a very different dynamic."

Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango says he does not regret missing out on the 2013/14 Downs Premier Soccer League (PSL) title won by the Brazilians while he was out on loan at Bidvest Wits.

The Uganda captain boasts of seven league crowns, three won at SuperSport United and four with the Tshwane giants.

Had he been with Downs during the 2013/14 season, he would currently be the PSL’s most crowned player with eight league medals.

But the 35-year-old is not upset at missing such an opportunity to break records.

“Of course winning seven titles is massive for me. It would be fantastic winning it with Sundowns when I went to Wits but sometimes in life you need to go a little bit low and come back stronger,” Onyango told the media.

“So this is one of the things that pushed me to become who I am because when I left for Wits on loan, I came back and started playing regularly for Sundowns.

"All these achievements came after going on loan so it was not a setback for me but it was [a time] for me to reflect on my life and football to try and come back stronger.

“No one would want to miss out on a trophy but there was no guarantee that we were going to win it that season. But when I left the team won and they gained momentum with that.”

The league medal missed by the Ugandan was the first of coach Pitso Mosimane’s five titles as Sundowns coach.

Impressively, Onyango’s three league honours at SuperSport came in successive seasons, the same fashion he bagged his last three with the Brazilians.

Other players equal with Onyango on seven titles are Downs captain Hlompho Kekana, Anthony Laffor and Tebogo Langerman.

If none of them leave Downs right now, they have an opportunity to extend their PSL success.

Mosimane’s five titles is also a record for any PSL coach and the tactician is credited for establishing what is arguably Sundowns’ most successful era.

The Brazilians have 10 titles in the PSL era with the late Ted Dumitru contributing two of them, while Paul Dolezar, co-coaches Neil Tovey and Miguel Gamondi, as well as Gordon Igesund, winning one each.