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Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed former Everton and Super Eagles forward Daniel Amokachi as special assistant on sports.

Secretary to the federal government Boss Mustapha signed the letter confirming the 47-year-old’s appointment, dated August 17, 2020.

According to a statement from the ministry of youth and sports development, Amokachi’s new role will see him advise the president on sports-related matters.

“I am pleased to inform you that Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has approved your appointment as Special Assistant on Sports,” read the statement.

“The appointment takes effect from the 11th of August, 2020. As Special Assistant on Sports, Amokachi is expected to advise the President on all sports matters.

“The former Everton of England player was earlier in the year named Nigeria’s Football Ambassador. Although a ceremonial role, as Ambassador he is expected to mentor youngsters.”

His role was to assist the federal ministry of youth and sports development to scout and mentor players.

Amokachi enjoyed success during his playing years, where he featured for Premier League side Everton, Club Brugge and Besiktas among other clubs before his retirement.  

The 47-year-old won the FA Cup and FA Charity Shield during his time with the Toffees and lifted the Turkish Cup with Besiktas.

“Da Bull” as he is fondly called by his admirers, had 44 caps and 13 goals for the Super Eagles during his playing years.

He was part of the Nigeria national team that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations and featured prominently at that year’s World Cup tournament and the 1998 edition.

Amokachi also helped the West Africans clinch the Olympic gold medal in 1996, scoring in the final against Argentina.

He was the assistant coach to Stephen’s Keshi at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, where the Super Eagles secured the title for the third time in their history.

Amokachi has also previously managed Nigeria sides Nasarawa United, Enyimba and Ifeanyi Ubah as well as Finnish club JS Hercules. 

New Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman is planning to deploy both Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann in their preferred positions next season.

Both players moved to Camp Nou last summer and enjoyed mixed first seasons with the Catalan club as they failed to win a single piece of silverware. 

While De Jong struggled to make an offensive impact in midfield, Griezmann was criticised for his lack of goals, with the duo often forced to play slightly different positions to what they were used to.

Koeman, who previously questioned how De Jong was being used at Barcelona, is determined to ensure the Dutch midfielder is deployed properly moving forward. 

"The plan is to start playing Frenkie de Jong in the position that he plays with the national team as well," Koeman told NOS.

"I remember attending a Barcelona game and I saw him play a position where I wouldn’t play him as a coach.

"You’ve spent a lot of money on a young player. You should then play him in his own position, where he can perform in a way you’d expect from him. He’s shown at Ajax and with the Dutch national team which position suits him best and that’s where he will be playing at Barcelona as well. 

"There’s stiff competition for that role, so he will have to be in great shape and form. But it will be in a position that suits him." 

Griezmann meanwhile, who made his name as a versatile forward for Atletico Madrid, could also find himself back playing his preferred position next season if Koeman has his way. 

"The same goes for Antoine Griezmann. He is not a traditional winger, so you have to play him in his own position, in a role that suits him and where he can showcase his abilities," Koeman added.

"You have to know your players as a coach and ensure you get the best out of them."

Speculation continues to swirl around the future of Lionel Messi at Barcelona with Koeman once again voicing his desire to work with a player who he believes has every right to be "disappointed" after the club's 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals. 

New Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has once again called for calm surrounding the future of Lionel Messi, declaring "Messi is Barcelona and Barcelona is Messi".

Following Barca's 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals, speculation quickly began swirling about Messi's future at Camp Nou with suggestions he was open to an exit after a season without silverware for the club. 

While contracted for another season, the 33-year-old has been linked with moves to Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter. 

Koeman, who recently replaced Quique Setien as Barcelona manager, has stressed his desire to work with Messi next season and believes the Argentine attacker has every right to be unhappy based on recent results.  

“I don’t know [whether Messi is too powerful at Barcelona]. I wasn’t around to see what’s happened. But Messi still has a contract for another season," Koeman told NOS. 

"It’s perfectly logical that he’s disappointed. I would be disappointed as well when I’ve just lost 8-2 to Bayern. It would be a very bad look if you were walking around with a smile on your face after an event like that.

"Messi is a winner and all coaches know that. I’ve got a great relationship with Pep Guardiola and he’s also said that it’s amazing to work with Messi.

"He wants to win at all costs and is a proper winner. He gets annoyed if he doesn’t win. I am looking forward to working with him.

"It’s up to me to find a way we get the best out of Messi, that he’s happy here and that he feels important. He’s the captain and he should end his career at Barcelona. Messi is Barcelona and Barcelona is Messi.”  

At Koeman's unveiling as Barca's new boss this week, the former Netherlands manager wasted no time in addressing the speculation surrounding Messi. 

"I don't know if I have to convince Messi or not," Koeman said. "You want to have the best in the world in your team, not the opposite.

"I want to work with Messi. He wins you games and, if he provides the performances he has always shown, I'll be happy if he wants to stay.

"He has a contract. I have to talk to him, because he is the captain of the team. We are going to work and talk with several players. And in the case of Messi, I hope that he will be here for many more years."

Wagner Ribeiro, the agent of Neymar, recently suggested Messi moving to PSG would be easier than the Brazilian returning to Camp Nou, but it's clear Koeman won't be letting the Barcelona legend leave without a fight.

The UEFA Referees Committee has confirmed Daniele Orsato will officiate the 2019-20 Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain. 

Orsato is no stranger to the competition having refereed eight matches this season alone, including Real Madrid’s round of 16 first leg meeting with Manchester City in February where he sent off Sergio Ramos.

The 44-year-old Italian will be helped by linesmen Lorenzo Manganelli and Alessandro Giallatini, who are both also from Italy, while Romanian Ovidiu Hategan will serve as the final's fourth official. 

Another Italian in the form of Massimiliano Irrati will take charge of VAR and will be assisted by Marco Guida, while Spanish duo Roberto Diaz Perez del Palomar and Alejandro Herandez Hernandez will also provide support for the officiating technology. 

Orsato was the fourth official for last year's Europa League final between Arsenal and Chelsea - which the Blues won 4-1 with the help of a brace from Eden Hazard. 

The Italian became a FIFA referee in 2010 and served as a VAR referee for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. 

In 2017, Orsato was singled out for praise by former Premier League referee Graham Poll after officiating a fiery Champions League match between Leicester City and Sevilla. 

"Italian referee Daniele Orsato made some huge calls which showed confidence but were absolutely correct," Poll wrote at the time in his column for the Daily Mail. 

"Samir Nasri was dismissed for a headbutt on Jamie Vardy, despite replays showing there was a complete over-reaction by the Leicester striker. One could argue that Vardy was 'professional' to ensure his opponent was dismissed or that Nasri was stupid to get involved. I just hate seeing that sort of reaction from Vardy.

"Next up was an interesting penalty as Vitolo flicked the ball over Kasper Schmeichel whose momentum took him into the Sevilla striker. Technically it was the right decision but they are seldom given.

"To round off his evening Orsato then sent Jorge Sampaoli from the technical area for his remonstrations throughout the game. Strong and consistent refereeing."

Last season, Orsato oversaw the first leg of PSG's last-16 Champions League clash against Manchester United where he handed out eight yellow cards and ultimately sent off Paul Pogba in a 2-0 defeat for the Red Devils. 

Sunday's Champions League final between Bayern and PSG will be Orsato's most high-profile match to date.

Four prizes tumbled for Andre Ayew at Swansea end-of-season awards ceremony for the 2019-20 season held virtually on Thursday night.

The Ghana international was named Swansea City Supporters’ Player of the Season, Players’ Player of the Season, while walking home with the Top Goalscorer award and the Away Player of the Season accolade.

Ayew returned to South Wales having completed a season-long loan to Turkish Super Lig outfit Fenerbahce – where he scored five goals in 29 league outings.

At the Liberty Stadium, the 30-year-old put up awe-inspiring performances to produce incredible moments, ranging from his splendid assists for Bersant Celina and Sam Surridge in club’s triumph at QPR, a late winner at Luton Town as well as a stunning strike that silenced Brentford in the first leg of the play-off semi-final.

Even at these, Steve Cooper’s men failed to seal a place in the English elite division next season.

In the season under review, he scored 16 goals in the English Championship from 46 appearances plus two goals in the Carabao Cup which took his tally to 18 across all competitions.

That earned him the club’s topscorer prize ahead of teammate and Englishman Rhian Brewster.

Eight of his league goals came from away fixtures and that justified his prize for the best Away Player of the Season.

Despite having a year remaining on his contract, the striker is believed to be eyeing topflight football, but manager Cooper is intense on having him remain at Swansea.

"I think that's a conversation me and Andre need to have," Cooper told BBC Sport.

"I would like nothing more than for Andre to be playing with us again next season.

"We have seen the real level of player he is this year, with the goals he has scored and the impact he has had on and off the pitch. It's been brilliant to work with him.

"But I understand Andre is a better player than the Championship. That's a matter of fact and I am sure he will have offers to do that." 

"We need to have a good conversation over the next couple of days. We trust each other 100 per cent and in the end we will come to a resolution that's right for everybody," he continued.

"I understand that it'll be a talking point, whether he stays or goes.

"Whatever Andre decides to do, he will have thought about it long and hard about it, that's for sure, and we'll see where it goes."

It’s been a Champions League season not quite like any other, with African players featuring prominently during the one-off single-tied ‘Final Eight’ tournament.

While RasenBallsport Leipzig and Olympique Lyonnais have fallen by the wayside, Malek Shafei and Ed Dove celebrate the performances of Dayot Upamecano, Karl Toko Ekambi and Maxwel Cornet during their compelling quarter-final victories over Atletico Madrid and Manchester City respectively.

Things didn’t go to plan in the semi-finals, while the less said about Nordi Mukiele’s performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the final four, the better.

While one Cameroonian falls, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is still standing in the Champions League, and was responsible for one of the great moments of the competition so far.

PSG appeared dead and buried in their Last Eight clash against Atalanta, before Marquinhos equalised and then Choupo-Moting—introduced from the bench—equalised from close range after being set up by Kylian Mbappe.

He was the most unlikely hero in this star-studded PSG side, and now has the opportunity to feature in the final against Bayern Munich after the capital club downed Leipzig 3-0 in the semi.

In Friday’s Europa League final, Victor Moses’ Internazionale meet a Sevilla side who can count upon Morocco duo Youssef En-Nesyri and Yassine Bounou, who was influential in victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United.

In the pod, Shafei and Dove give their predictions ahead of the final, and also recap some of the greatest African players to have won European club football’s secondary competition.

It’s an illustrious list, containing the likes of John Obi Mikel, Taribo West and 2020 finalist Moses.

Also on the agenda this week, we assess Mikel’s recent move to Stoke City—does he still have what it takes to make an impact in the Championship?—and explore whether rumours linking Odion Ighalo with a move to PSG deserve to be taken seriously.

We also look at some of the greatest African players who worked alongside new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman, with the Dutch coach having a big influence over the careers of famous names such as Sadio Mane, Victor Wanyama and Steven Pienaar.

Finally, we examine the recent fiasco at Horoya AC, where the teams’ passports have been lost ahead of a critical away trip to North Africa for the Caf Confederation Cup semi-final.

Togo international Alaixys Romao has been snapped up by French Ligue 2 outfit Guingamp on a free transfer having seen out his contract at Reims.

The veteran midfielder joined the Ligue 1 side in 2018 from Greek outfit Olympiacos on a two-year contract with the option of extension.

However, he was released by the club at the end of last season despite featuring in 22 French topflight matches before the competition was cancelled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Also, he made three appearances in three French League Cup games for David Guion’s side as they crashed out of the championship following a 2-1 defeat to AS Monaco.

Having missed promotion to Ligue 1 last term, the Costamoricans will be relying on the former Toulouse, Cuiseaux-Louhans, Grenoble, Lorient and Marseille man to help their course to regain their elite division status after they got demoted in 2019.

“A very experienced player - 592 games at the highest level, Alaixys Romao intends to help Guingamp play the leading roles in a League 2 that he knows well,” a statement from the club read.

“The club is very happy to have in its ranks a player who has been unanimous in the seven clubs of which he wore their jersey.”

Excited by his new adventure, Romao took to social media to thank the club for their trust in him, while assuring to do everything to help their course.

“New challenge. Very happy to join Guingamp, thank you for the trust you have placed in me. We are going to do everything we can to achieve our goals,” he tweeted.

With this move to Stade de Roudourou, he becomes the ninth African in Sylvain Didot’s team. Others are Lloyd Palun (Gabon), Lebogang Phiri (South Africa), Youssouf M'Changama (Comoros), Yeni Ngbakoto (Congo DR), Yannick Gomis (Senegal), Paul-Georges Ntep (Cameroon), Felix Eboa (Cameroon) and Souleymane Anne (Mauritania).

Romao could make his debut when Guingamp host Niort on the opening day of the French Ligue 2 season.

On the international scene, he boasts of over 70 caps for the Hawks since his debut in 2005 having featured for France at youth level.

Fabio Cappelo has urged Juventus to move for Wolves star Raul Jimenez, suggesting that he could be the foil Cristiano Ronaldo needs in Turin. 

Juve retained Serie A for yet another season in 2019-20, clinching their eighth successive Scudetto. 

Ronaldo was at the fore of their efforts, netting 31 league goals to finish behind only Ciro Immobile in the top scoring rankings. 

In Europe, however, the Nerazzurri were out of luck, going out at the last-16 stage to Lyon on away goals despite Cristiano's double in the second leg. 

And according to Capello, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid superstar would benefit from playing alongside Jimenez to replicate his past success in Europe. 

"He is a great player who has lots of talent, ideal to play alongside Ronaldo," the ex-Milan, Madrid and England boss explained to ESPN when asked about the Mexico international. 

"Because Cristiano has been missing a [Karim] Benzema at Juventus, that could be Raul."

Capello, however, recognises that following the financial devastation caused by the coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdown, big signings were likely to be at a premium for the Italian champions. 

"Juve's problem is that they have to sell players and loan others out in order to go back into the market," he explained. 

Juventus were not the only side to suffer an upset against Lyon in this year's Champions League campaign, with Manchester City also going down to the French underdogs after eliminating Madrid in the last 16. 

Capello admitted that City's elimination was the biggest surprise, while looking over the woes of Barcelona in the wake of their 8-2 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich.

"I was more surprised by Manchester City's elimination, they were my favourites," Capello added. 

"The Real Madrid-City match was very good, very interesting. 

"Barcelona right now are not Barcelona, there is something in the dressing room, with the coach, with Bartomeu, it is very difficult. 

"People don't understand that you have to be united and work together. I think Barcelona were the most unbalanced team, I think they have a lot of work to do to get back to the level people expect of them and not only hope for Lionel Messi to work miracles."

Derby County captain Wayne Rooney will manage England at Soccer Aid for Unicef to be held later this year. 

The Three Lions all-time leading goalscorer will work alongside co-manager Sam Allardyce, with David Seaman serving as goalkeeping coach for the one-off match to be held at Old Trafford. 

Rooney, who joined Derby last season in a player-coach role, has been granted permission to take part in the match as he gains some unique managerial experience and raises awareness for an important cause.

"Taking part in Soccer Aid for Unicef is something I have wanted to do for many years," Rooney said.

"Previously, I have never been able to make the dates work, but this year was obviously different. I was enormously proud to be asked to manage the England team and although there will be no fans at the match, it is always special to go back to Old Trafford.

"Simply, representing your country is always a huge honour – and this game is no different. I’m looking forward to working with Sam and David. Yes, the players and I want to win the match but the real victory is helping to raise millions of pounds for Unicef. This year, every £1 donated is automatically trebled thanks to the UK Government and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, so I would ask people to donate if they can.

"I’d like to thank Derby County Football Club for giving me special dispensation to take part in the match. Soccer Aid for Unicef is a show that we’ve always tried to watch as a family over the years. The names taking part this year will make it one of the most exciting to-date, so I hope everyone at home tunes in."

Soccer Aid was first held in 2006 and was the idea of Robbie Williams and Jonathan Wilkes. 

This year's match was meant to take place in June but has been postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with a new September date expected to be confirmed soon. 

Patrice Evra and David James will be making their playing debuts at the charity match this year, while previous participants Yaya Toure, Wes Brown and Robbie Kean will also be returning to take part. 

Last year's match saw the Soccer Aid World XI defeat England on penalties after the match ended 2-2, with Olympic champion Usain Bolt among the goalscorers. 

Willian has stressed that Arsenal have to keep hold of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and that the striker's continued presence at Emirates Stadium is "very important" to him.

Aubameyang has enhanced his reputation as one of Europe's most prolific frontmen since swapping Borussia Dortmund for Arsenal in January 2018.

The Gabon international has scored an impressive 70 goals in 109 appearances for the Gunners, 29 of which were recorded during the 2019-20 campaign.

His latest double helped Mikel Arteta's men beat Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final, but he refused to be drawn on speculation over his future after the final whistle at Wembley.

Aubameyang only has one year left to run on his current contract, and has been linked with a potential move to either Barcelona or Manchester United in recent months.

Goal has reported that Arsenal have reached an agreement with the centre-forward over an extension, but a final announcement over his future is unlikely to be forthcoming until the club's pre-season camp gets underway on August 22.

Willian, who moved to the Emirates on a free transfer after leaving Chelsea earlier this month, has talked up how integral Aubameyang is to the Gunners' hopes of competing for more major honours while expressing his hope that his new team-mate remains in north London beyond 2021.

The Brazilian midfielder told The Sun: “I joined Arsenal because we can challenge for titles but Pierre will be a big part of the plan. He has to stay — it is very important to me.

“This is a guy who gets 25-30 goals a season and we have to keep a player like that. He’s one of the best players in our team and somebody I want to be making chances for.”

Arteta expressed his belief that Aubameyang can become an Arsenal legend if he decides to commit to fresh terms with the club after the FA Cup final, telling reporters: "We always had incredible strikers at this football club and Auba deserves to be named and compared with the big names.

"By winning trophies he will be closer to that and the longer he stays there as well. Hopefully we can have him for more time."

Al Nassr got a 4-1 away victory over Al Taawoun in Thursday’s Saudi Arabia Pro League with Abderrazak Hamdallah scoring a hat-trick and Ahmed Musa boasting of a brace of assists.

Prior to this clash at Buraidah's King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, the Morocco international had found the net in successive games against Abha and Al Wahda.

Against Vítor Campelos’s men, he showed no signs of ending his awe-inspiring run in front of goal as he inspired his team to a crucial away triumph.

Five minutes into the five-goal thriller, Nigeria international Musa set him up for his first goal of the evening after firing past goalkeeper Cassio.

Again, Musa turned provider for Moroccan midfielder Nordin Amrabat who doubled Al Nassr’s lead in the 17th minute as Rui Vitoria’s side took a two-goal advantage into the half-time break.

In the second-half, the visitors continued from where they stopped and deservedly got their third of the day through Hamdallah in the 49th minute courtesy of an assist from compatriot Amrabat.

Nevertheless, the hosts reduced their deficit in the 54th minute as Cape Verde midfielder Heldon Ramon turned Nildo Petrolina’s pass past goalkeeper Bradley Jones.

The 29-year-old’s treble was complete with nine minutes left to play after converting a penalty following an infringement in the hosts’ goal area.

He has now scored 23 times in 23 appearances so far this season as he hopes to win the Saudi Arabia Golden Boot for the second time in a row.

With 34 strikes from 26 games in his debut season at King Fahd Stadium, he picked up the top scorer’s award.

While Hamdallah and Amrabat lasted for the entire duration of the encounter, former Leicester City man Musa was replaced after 68 minutes by Mukhtar Ali.

For Al Taawoun, Ramos came out in the 72nd minute for Ryan Al Mousa with Burundi’s Cedric Amissi featuring from start to finish.

Thanks to this victory, Musa’s team moved to second in the log after garnering 54 points from 26 games - six points behind leaders Al Hilal with four games left to play.

They host bottom-placed Al Adalah on Tuesday, while Al Taawon are guests of Al Wahda with the ambition of ending their four-game losing streak.

The 2020-21 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season is soon to get underway, with hundreds of thousands of FPL managers across the globe battling it out in different leagues to earn the highest honour.

The deadline for the first week of the FPL season is set for September 12, 2020, 90 minutes before the first kick-off of the season.

A selection of transfer fees for big-name Premier League players have already been unveiled, and Goal takes a look at some positional changes for the new FPL campaign.

The FPL have confirmed a total of 18 positional changes to players for the upcoming season.

These positional changes have been made based on their performances during the previous campaign.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been shifted from a forward to a midfielder following his season playing on the left wing for Arsenal, while West Ham's Michail Antonio has had his position changed from a midfielder to a forward after scoring 10 times in the lone striker role.

Identifying Aubameyang as a midfielder and not a forward has been one of the biggest changes for next season, with the FPL stating: “Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang adds to the wealth of midfield options for FPL managers.

“The Gabonese largely played as a left winger for Arsenal last term, scoring 22 goals for the second successive season.

“He is the joint-most expensive midfielder along with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.”

A trio of Manchester United players also have had their positions updated.

Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood are now midfielders in the Fantasy Premier League, following their roles on either flank under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, while Anthony Martial is now classified as a forward.

These changes will have an impact on the points scoring system.

For players like Aubameyang, who moved from being a forward to a midfielder, they will award their FPL managers more points (five) instead of the previous four.

On the other hand, the threat of midfielders who have been reidentified as forwards has now been downgraded, as they will earn less points through scoring.

View the complete list below.

Former Fulham right-back John Paintsil has come out to explain the reason why he held ex-Nigeria international Yakubu Aiyegbeni by his crotch in a Premier League game with Everton.

The incident happened during a corner kick routine in which Paintsil was to mark Yakubu. In a bid to distract the Toffees forward before the ball was played, Paintsil took it upon himself to grab Yakubu’s balls.

The prolific striker was not pleased with it and confronted him. However, the incident was missed by the referee and the game continued without any fuss.

“He was thick and heavier than me and I was supposed to mark him and, in the game, the more you stay long the more you gain experience,” Paintsil told Citisports.

“So, for you not to go one on one contact, you have to distract him, do something to take off his mind from the game

“Besides that, Yakubu is my very good friend.”

Paintsil played for Fulham between 2008 and 2011 while Yakubu was on the books of Everton from 2007 to 2011 scoring 33 goals and providing 12 assists in 107 competitive outings.

Paintsil has had clashes with other Premier League players during his time at Fulham, threatening them verbally on some occasions. This was particular about Peter Crouch who previously admitted Paintsil threatened to break his leg which might have ended his career.

“[Paintsil] said he was going to end my career, he said he’d break my legs,” Crouch – who was playing for Tottenham Hotspur at that time told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“He was playing the right side of centre-half so I conveniently moved to the left side. He didn’t care about formations and tactics, he left a massive hole at one side of the pitch and was following me around. I was thinking ‘Oh my God, he’s going to kill me. He was trying to throw these elbows in.”

Paintsil still talking on Citisports affirmed he did tell Crouch he would break his leg, but rather gave him a soft tackle.

“He was lucky. I remember the incident well. I told him I was going to break his leg and I gave him one [tackle]. That was a little tackle though but yeah,” the 39-year-old said.

In another incident, Paintsil explains why he held former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard by the chest. He says it was in retaliation to the English man’s foul on him and again he was not given a booking for the violent conduct.

“Gerrard, who was on my heels, kicked me from behind, causing me to lose my balance and fall, so the referee whistled against him”, he stated.

“As soon as I got up, Gerrard rushed on me, held my ribs with both hands, and started pinching me.

“In reaction, I also held the ribs of Gerrard and pinched him so hard that he almost screamed, but the referee, who never saw the action, eventually separated us.

“He [the referee] never noticed the pinching because he only gazed at our foreheads to see if any of us would head-butt for him to flash his card.”

Ex-Liverpool star Dejan Lovren has admitted to elbowing Sergio Ramos as revenge for a foul on Mohamed Salah in the 2018 Champions League final.

Jurgen Klopp took his Liverpool side to Kiev for a European showdown against Real Madrid two years ago.

The Merengue lifted the famous trophy for the 13th time after running out 3-1 winners, with a Karim Benzema goal and a Gareth Bale brace cancelling out Sadio Mane's effort for the Reds.

Liverpool were left facing an uphill battle after top scorer Mohamed Salah had to be withdrawn in the first half following a clash with Ramos.

The Madrid captain appeared to haul the Egyptian to the ground as they both tangled for possession, which left the striker nursing a serious shoulder injury.

Later that year, Lovren came face to face with Ramos again as Croatia beat Spain 3-2 in a UEFA Nation's League encounter.

The 31-year-old defender threw an elbow at the Madrid star during the match, for which he received a one-match ban, and took to social media after the final whistle to rub salt in his rival's wounds.

"I elbowed him good. Haha! 3-2! Go ahead and talk now buddy. Buddy!" Lovren said on Instagram.

The former Liverpool centre-half, who moved to Zenit Saint Petersburg earlier this summer, has now confirmed that his actions were intentional, telling Egyptian TV channel Sada El Balad: "I deliberately hit Ramos after hurting Salah? Yes, this is possible.

“Luka Modric tried to reduce the tension between me and Ramos, and we were facing Spain together with the Croatian national team, and I deliberately hit him with my elbows and told him that we have drawn now.

“I respect Ramos as a player and what he does for his team. He has won a lot of titles, but on the other hand, he does some behaviour that I do not like and harm the players.

"I do not want to make a big story, but I think that what Ramos did was intentional to injure my friend, so it was time to pay for what he has done.

"We were playing much better than Real Madrid before Salah was injured in the Champions League final. His exit was a big blow for us, after his exit, they began to dominate the match."

Former Orlando Pirates coach Milutin Sredojevic has expressed his views on the absence of Zambian striker Justin Shonga, suggesting he is not fairly treated by the Buccaneers.

Together, with Thembinkosi Lorch, the Chipolopolo international was suspended last week for breaking the club's rules regarding the country's lockdown and the duo was excluded from the Biologically Safe Environment (BSE), but the Soweto giants have since allowed the Bafana Bafana striker back to the team while Shonga is left out in the cold.

Moreover, ‘Micho’ explains Shonga and Augustine Mulenga were pillars of his team in his tenure, saying things fell apart for the duo after his departure suggesting that there is an injustice aimed towards the two foreigners.

“During my two years at Orlando Pirates, Shonga and [Augustine] Mulenga were pillars of the team as we fought for the league [title],” Sredojevic told Soccer24.

“The moment I left, everything turned upside down, and I can assure that you can blame the players 99%, but there is still 1% of the aspect on how the team is set-up and unbelievable injustice towards [foreign] players like Shonga and Mulenga.”

Just before their Premier Soccer League (PSL) clash against Mamelodi Sundowns last week, coach Josef Zinnbauer’s men released a statement that Lorch and Shonga were suspended for breaking lockdown regulations in the camp.

However, Lorch was available for their previous clash against Baroka on Tuesday and there is no indication of whether the 23-year-old former Nkwazi FC player will return or not.

“Both of the players were suspended, but the club only retained Lorch to a competitive team, Shonga is still out,” added the Zambia boss.

“This is a cruel life of a foreigner in a country. With the highest degree of respect, I want to see South Africa in the best possible way, but it’s hard for professionals as they need to be more better in order to succeed.”

With the Soweto giants yet to register a victory since their return to competitive football, they have played three draws against Masandawana, Bidvest Wits as well as their 1-1 draw against Bakgaga Ba Mphahlele.

Next up is a clash against Cape Town City on Sunday afternoon at Loftus Versfeld Stadium where both outfits will chase the full three points.

The Citizens saw their two-match unbeaten run come to an end and are still licking their wounds from a 1-0 defeat to Stellenbosch on Thursday night.

On the part of the 2018/19 PSL runners-up, Pirates sit fourth on the log table and will be gunning for a win to ensure they secure a spot in Caf continental competitions next season.

Janine Van Wyk is looking forward to realising her ambition with Glasgow City as they face Wolfsburg in Thursday's Uefa Women's Champions League quarter-final clash in Spain.

Banyana Banyana captain completed her return to Europe after joining the Scottish champions on July 14 and united with her teammates two weeks later in the build-up to their European campaign.

Van Wyk missed fulfilling her dreams with Danish side Fortuna Hjorring, who were bounced out by Lyon, due to injury but is now hours away from achieving her Champions League ambitions with Glasgow.

After arriving in San Sebastian with her Scottish side on Wednesday, South Africa's record cap holder with 170 appearances, told The Guardian: “I’m super excited to compete in the Champions League. 

“It was always something I wanted to achieve, so I’m super stoked about it.

"I’ve played in the World Cup, I’ve played in the Olympic Games, in the Africa Cup of Nations for women and now another major tournament in the Champions League. 

"It’s a real accomplishment for me just to play in this game.”

After parting ways with Fortuna in January, the former Houston Dash defender did not abandon her quest to make a return to Europe while recovering from her injury during the lockdown.

And the 33-year-old, who led her country to a debut Women's World Cup finals last year, has opened up on how she earned her move to the Scottish outfit.
 
“I wanted to stay in South Africa and play with my team in the National League,” she continued. 

“With this pandemic that happened, the situation in South Africa is quite disastrous. We don’t know what’s going to happen to women’s football, when sport will return to our country, and I had to make a decision to try to find a club overseas for me to play. 

"I’m 33-years-old and I’m not getting any younger and I can’t just be sitting around waiting for something to happen. And during that time I was just scrolling through my social media pages, following all the women’s teams and leagues.

"And I happened to follow Glasgow City and Laura [Montgomery, the club manager] sent me a direct message straight away asking if I was interested in coming over to Glasgow. 

"I was looking for a team to play for abroad and they were looking for an experienced defender and the pieces of the puzzle just came together.”

Having claimed a 2-0 first-leg win in Denmark, Glasgow lost by the same scoreline at home to Brondby but squeezed past Danish giants 3-1 from the spot to reach the quarter-final of the competition.

Going up against the German champions, the South Africa international feels her Scottish club are the underdogs but is not ruling out their chances of staging an upset in their last-eight showdown.

“We know that we’re the underdogs in the last eight and the teams we’re going to be facing are giants in European football, so they would come out and probably underestimate us and the quality we bring," she enthused.

“We’re working extremely hard in training to get the best out of each other, to get as fit as possible, to be able to maintain the level that Wolfsburg will bring. 

"But we’re putting no pressure on ourselves, we’re going to learn as much as we can from this game and the pressure will basically be on Wolfsburg to try and break us down. 

"It’s a one-off game in a neutral venue, anything can happen, football is unpredictable.”

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Kelvin Mushangazhike has revealed he and Tinashe Nengomasha were signed by Amakhosi to sell Jabu Mahlangu and Patrick Mbuthu who had allegedly fallen out at the club.

Mushangazhike and Nengomasha were spotted by Chiefs while playing for Zimbabwe at an Under-23 invitational tournament where they attracted interest from a number of Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs who jostled for their signatures.

After proposed moves to Germany and Netherlands fell through, Mushangazhike says he snubbed Jomo Cosmos whose owner Jomo Sono came close to convincing him to sign a contract.

He claims Chiefs football manager Bobby Motaung elbowed Sono out by visiting the Zimbabwe Under-23 hotel with a suitcase full of money as well as a more lucrative deal than the one tabled by Cosmos.

Just after putting pen to paper, Mushangazhike says Motaung and Chiefs chairman Kaizer informed him and Nengomasha that they were coming to the club to drive away Mahlangu and Mbuthu whose tendencies of going AWOL frustrated the club.

“We were told by Bobby Motaung and his father Kaizer Motaung that ‘You know what guys? We have signed you because of two guys who are giving us problems.’ These guys were Jabu Pule [now Mahlangu] and Patrick Mbuthu,” Mushangazhike told Zim Soccernet in conversation with former Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Alois Bunjira.

“We did not know what exactly these guys were doing but what I later heard was that they used to go AWOL and miss some games. Chiefs wanted a strong challenge for these guys.

“They said I must take Jabu Pule out of the team and then Tinashe Nengomasha must take Patrick Mbuthu out of the team. We worked hard and thanked God we had good company off the field.

“At first we were a bit jittery. But we fought for our places in the team and Tinashe was the first one to be given the chance to play. My first chance came after about three games. My first game was against Sundowns at Ellis Park.

“I was told ‘Just go and do what you can do. You know your story, we want this guy [Jabu] to get out of the team.'”

Chiefs' coach was then Muhsin Ertugral who handed Mushangazhike his Chiefs debut.

“I got in as a substitute with 17 minutes to go. But the person I was assigned to move out of the team was not an easy individual. I played with all my life, I ran and ran and ran,” said Mushangazhike.

“I was assigned to take the corner kicks from the right side while Jabu Pule would take care of the corner kicks on the left side. There happened to be a corner kick on the right side and as I went to take it, I passed through Jabu and he told me ‘let’s put more gear.’

"It was like this guy has played for almost 90 minutes but he still has a lot of energy while I have been on the pitch for just 10 minutes but I am already feeling exhausted. I no longer had such energy in me.”

However, Mushangazhike could not replace Mahlangu in the team.

Mahlangu eventually left Chiefs in 2004 to join Austrian side SV Mattersburg before returning home eight months later to join SuperSport United and then Orlando Pirates.

Misfiring Mamelodi Sundowns find themselves under pressure to defend their Premier Soccer League (PSL) title but legend Roger Feutmba is confident the Tshwane giants will bounce back.

Coach Pitso Mosimane’s troops face Maritzburg United in the league on Friday evening as they look to narrow the gap by three points following a loss for the log leaders, Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday night to Bloemfontein Celtic.

‘The General’ also refuses to point fingers at the players or to the former Bafana Bafana manager, saying the team was bound to struggle after coming from a long lay-off due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Yeah, I want to believe that Sundowns will come with a positive result against Maritzburg United, I think they know they have to do well,” Feutmba told Goal.

“We can say they are struggling since the restart of the league but they have the character to bounce back and collect maximum points. I think their struggles are based on the fact that they have stayed for too long without playing regular and competitive football.

“If they want to remain in contention to win the league and defend their trophy, they have to win on Friday."

Since their return to action, Masandawana clinched a win over Bidvest Wits in the Nedbank Cup but drew against Orlando Pirates, Highlands Park as well as losing to Cape Town City.

“I can’t say there is something wrong going on in their camp or single out certain players but you must know staying for five months without competitive football is not easy for any player," he added.

“This is not only affecting Sundowns but all the other teams in the PSL, it’s very difficult to pick up from where they left off and I just hope that tomorrow they will do the right things, have the right application and ensure they win the match.

“They have played three league games so far, they drew all of them and managed to bag one win in the cup, it’s not good for a team such as Sundowns but they have the character and they will bounce back.

“I believe they know what is at stake and they have a great opportunity to close the gap on Kaizer Chiefs, it’s not over as yet until it’s over. They have to keep fighting for the league title.

“A loss to Maritzburg United will make things very difficult to catch up with the log leaders and that is why I say they have to fight to get a win at all costs.”

In the wake of the 3-1 defeat to coach Ernst Middendorp’s men to Phunya Sele Sele on Wednesday night, the retired midfielder is confident the Tshwane giants will bounce back and close the gap, saying anything is still possible.

“As I said, Chiefs lost to Celtic and the table is still open in my opinion. Anything is still possible in the league,” continued Feutmba.

"Even though Chiefs are still on top, I’m sure they also don’t want to drop the points and the loss to Celtic means it’s good for Sundowns to fight and close the gap.

“Yes, Chiefs have lost and they are still on top. So, the gap is not really wide compared to when it would have been had Chiefs beat Celtic. All I’m saying is that a six-point gap is not bad and Sundowns only need a win and revive their spirits.

“It’s not going to be easy against Maritzburg United but it’s possible if they still believe in themselves.”  

Eric Abidal insisted that he tried his hardest to make Barcelona a better-run football club but fell short in an open letter released following his resignation as technical director on Tuesday. 

Abidal, who as a player at Camp Nou became a firm favourite, rejoined the Catalans in 2018 as the successor to Robert Fernandez in the role. 

But his tenure coincided with a run of mixed results for the Blaugrana and severe criticisms of the club's transfer policy, while Abidal was also questioned for a public exchange with captain Lionel Messi earlier in 2020 after appearing to criticise the team's work-rate following the departure of Ernesto Valverde. 

Quique Setien became Barca's second coaching casualty in less than eight months when he was sacked in the wake of Friday's 8-2 Champions League humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich, and despite early assurances that he would stay on in the boardroom, Abidal followed the ex-trainer by stepping down on Tuesday barely 24 hours later. 

Ramon Planes, who had previously acted as Abidal's assistant in deciding on footballing matters, was subsequently promoted to the technical director position, while Barcelona also moved quickly to confirm ex-player Ronald Koeman as Setien's successor. 

The Frenchman finally broke his silence on Thursday, making his first public statement via Instagram as he affirmed that the decision to part company with the club was his own. 

“Over the last two years, I tried to make changes that I thought were very important for the first team," Abidal explained. 

"But, despite my conviction and persistence, I failed. This second goodbye brings to a close two years where I tried to work to make Barcelona better.

"Two intense seasons which I decided to bring to an end on my own accord.

"Whilst the board gave me a vote of confidence on Monday, I provided my resignation on Tuesday, waiving the rights to the final year of my contract with Barcelona.

"The moment has come to draw a line under the link between me and the club.

"Right now the club's situation is complicated, but be in no doubt that I hope with all my heart that it will recover and that success soon returns just as this great club deserves."