Looking for Soccer News?

Borussia Dortmund boasts of a vast fanbase across the globe and a fresh crop of talented youngsters on the roster is only helping the club attract more eyeballs.

The Bundesliga giants have a huge presence in Asia, with dedicated fan groups in countries like Malaysia, China and even Singapore.

However, India is also a market Dortmund are focusing on. And it seems that fans of the club in India could be in for a treat soon enough.

Does the club have plans to expand their footprint in India? Suresh Letchmanan, Managing Director of Asia Pacific for the club claimed that Dortmund had planned to play a legends’ match in the country.

The Coronavirus pandemic played spoilsport, but Suresh is confident that the match will take place in a major Indian city once normalcy is restored. He feels the focus on commercial activities has nothing to do with the economic hit all teams have taken due to Covid-19.

“I would not say that due to the crisis we are focusing on commercial activities. Fan activities have always been a priority. This is what BVB (Dortmund) is all about. We have organised many activities for fans in India to Mongolia to Cambodia and this will not change.

“For the Indian market, we had planned to play the legends’ game, but it was not possible in the current situation. But I am sure that we will fulfil the obligation of bringing the team to India. Football is ever growing in India. We also have Evonik’s partnership with W1 Sports which focuses on developing grassroots in India and providing the youth with a chance to play the BVB way.

“At the moment China, Japan and Singapore are key markets. We have offices at China and Singapore which helps us to execute on-ground activities.

“India is definitely a market we are always trying to grow. As soon as we get clearance, we will start planning about the opportunity for legends to play in one of the Indian cities. I am sure it will be an exciting event,” he said.

The Yellow and Black are famous for spotting talents at a young age and converting them into top players who almost immediately attract a financially attractive offer from other big European clubs.

What has been key to Dortmund’s astute work in the transfer market? Head of International Business Benedikt Scholz cited the financial crisis of 2005 as one of the biggest reasons behind the club’s successful transfer policy.

15 years ago, the German side amassed a debt of 100 million pounds and was struggling to pay off the investors. Shifting from star signings to focusing on youth development was hence more of a necessity than a choice. However, the new approach to signing young players clearly worked for the better in the long run and Dortmund have no reason to go back.

The CEO of the club Hans-Joachim Watzke played a vital role in steering the club to financial safety. Benedikt claimed that continuity at the top of club heirarchy and continued faith on young players have been key to consistently successful transfer windows for Dortmund.

“I think it is a combination of different factors – one of those was the financial crisis the club went survived in 2005. There was no money to invest in big stars and players who already had prior experience of playing in Europe at the top level. It was an absolute necessity to focus on young talents who can make it to the first team,” he said.

“There is continuity at the club at the top level. Mr (Reinhard) Rauball has been a president for many years already. Our CEO (Hans-Joachim) Watzke was also the CEO during the financial crisis and he helped the club survive that. We had Michael Zorc as the longest-serving Sporting Director at any Bundesliga club. We have Lars Ricken, former player as the head of youth academy.

“These two factors enabled us to focus on these young talents and still give them time on the pitch. Look at Jadon Sancho for example. He came from Manchester City and joined the first team only one year after he joined. This is not something many of the top 10 European clubs can offer to these players. This makes us a very attractive option for young, talented players such as Jude Bellingham, who joined recently and Giovanni Reyna, our American talent who joined the first team last season.”

Does the sale of these top players after a couple of top seasons hurt their chances of competing in the Champions League at a top level? Benedikt believes that the transfers have, in no way, prevented the club from performing at the top level.

He also spoke about how their focus on developing talented players makes Dortmund a coveted destination for youngsters.

“We don’t feel like we are weakening our chances in the Champions League by selling players. We have missed the Champions League just once in the last decade. We have succeeded in getting to the last-16 often but then it gets difficult," he said. 

“We don’t care about how old the players are. We don’t care if Jadon Sancho is 19 or 21 or 27, if he is a good player, he will play. This is one of the ways in which we can convince young players to join our clubs.

“We don’t buy superstars; we buy youngsters and convert them into superstars. And we have been doing it well. We don’t think that we are weakening the team by having to sell players.”

Lewis Bate, Dynel Simeu and Ian Maatsen have been told to get ready for a trip to Germany after being selected by Frank Lampard to help ease his selection crisis ahead of facing Bayern Munich away in the Champions League.

Aside from Maatsen, the youngsters have yet to make their professional debuts, but they are on red alert ahead of the upcoming second leg, with Armando Broja and Henry Lawrence possibly also travelling after being added to the club's B-list this week.

Maatsen has played just once under Lampard, making his debut from the bench in the Blues' 7-1 win over Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup back in September last year.

Broja has also played only one game for the club, coming on as a substitute in Chelsea's 4-0 win over Everton just before the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

All the players mentioned are 18-years-old except Bate who is still just 17, who has already made the matchday squad without coming on away at Sheffield United in a 3-0 defeat in July.

These selections come amid an injury crisis - which is mounting after Chelsea's 2-1 FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal - ahead of a second leg which is 165 days on from the first game, played on February 25.

Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta suffered hamstring injuries at Wembley last Saturday, while Pedro dislocated his shoulder in his final minute as a Blues player with a free transfer to Roma lined up.

Pedro has had surgery on his shoulder and is set to be out for at least a month, but Roma will still honour their commitment to sign the 33-year-old.

Willian also remains a doubt, with talks over a three-year pre-contract to join Arsenal active and with a minor achilles injury continuing to bother him.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek pulled out of the FA Cup final 24 hours before kick-off and is trying to return for the Bayern trip, while N'Golo Kante was an unused sub against Arsenal as he was still not been fully fit following a hamstring injury.

Lampard will assess their fitness ahead of flying to Munich tomorrow afternoon, but the midfield pair have been able to train ahead of the match on Saturday night.

Furthermore, Chelsea have two players suspended with Marcos Alonso having been sent off in the first leg, while Jorginho's yellow card in the match was his third in the competition and sees him also banned.

This is all on top of a long-term injury to Billy Gilmour, who still needs three months to overcome the meniscus injury that he sustained against Crystal Palace in the Premier League in July.

All in all, Lampard could be without 10 players, so is looking to the academy once again having brought his side closer to the development operation at Cobham Training Centre.

Lampard has already given an all-time record eight debuts to academy products in a single Chelsea season, including Broja and Maatsen as well as Mason Mount, Reece James, Gilmour Tino Anjorin, Tariq Lamptey and Marc Guehi. Previously holding the record at seven were Ken Shellito and Danny Blanchflower in the 1978-79 season.

Anjorin would have been included in Lampard's squad for Bayern, but he has an untimely knock which will see him miss out too.

Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech have been training but aren't allowed to register for their new club until next season, which begins in September. RB Leipzig have unregistered Ethan Ampadu for their Champions League squad after he returned to his parent club having made just seven appearances, with two starts, in 2019-20.

Former Kaizer Chiefs striker Patrick Mayo has expressed doubts about Amakhosi's Premier Soccer League (PSL) title credentials, suggesting they have lost their momentum.

The Port Elizabeth-based legend says losing midfielder George Maluleka to Mamelodi Sundowns will hurt Chiefs coach Ernst Middendorp’s plans as they look to do well in their remaining eight matches.

Mayo also believes the break which was enforced by the coronavirus pandemic has derailed the Soweto giants’ momentum, saying they won’t be the same team again.

“If Maluleka was still at Chiefs, they were going to win the league but now that he’s gone, it’s going to be difficult because there’s no replacement,” said Mayo as quoted by DailySun .

“George was very good in set plays and coach Ernst Middendorp relied heavily on him to float those balls into the box, and Samir Nurkovic and Leonardo Castro were the beneficiaries because of their height.”

Moreover, the former SuperSport United and Mthatha Bucks player looks at the PSL restart as more like a brand new start for the PSL log leaders.

“They can lose the league. They were performing better before the lockdown, it’ll affect them,” he added. 

“This is like they are starting the season from scratch.”

During his time at Chiefs, Mayo worked with German manager Middendorp and lifted the Absa Cup (Nedbank Cup) aND SAA Supa 8 (MTN8), but he is not confident to pin his hopes on the Glamour Boys.

Chiefs currently lead the table with 48 points from 22 matches and they will restart their 2019/20 campaign with a tough clash against Bidvest Wits next week. 

On the other hand, they are looking to celebrate their 50th anniversary year with the PSL title, but they will face stiff competition from reigning PSL champions, Sundowns who sit second with 44 points from 21 matches.

Sundowns will resume their schedule with a Nedbank Cup semi-final match against Wits this Saturday and they will face Orlando Pirates in a league match next week.

Maurizio Sarri remains unsure if Paulo Dybala will play a role in Juventus’ Champions League clash against Lyon this week.

The Serie A champions are looking to overturn a 1-0 aggregate deficit when they host the French side in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Friday.

Dybala, who has scored 17 goals in all competitions this season, missed the Bianconeri’s last two league games due to a thigh injury, and is a doubt for the European encounter against Rudi Garcia’s team.

Sarri is hopeful that the Argentine attacker will be able to play a role but is waiting to get the all clear from the medical team.

“He's still in the hands of the medics but we'll see what he can do tomorrow morning,” he told reporters on Thursday. “Then I'll talk to him and the doctors about what he's able to do.”

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, was rested for the final Serie A game of the season, but the coach is ready to bring him back into the team.

“Cristiano is training very well, I saw him score a beautiful goal in training yesterday,” he added. “I think he's approaching this match in the right way.

“We need to do a very great performance, certainly. Lyon have improved a lot and become so solid since moving to three at the back line. They play with a big intensity in midfield.

“With the first leg result, it's a very tough match and we need to approach with calm and focus. It's impossible to play without pressure tomorrow's night but we need sharpness, which is slightly different.”

Sarri’s future at Juventus has been called into question towards the end of the season, but he dismissed suggestions it depends on their Champions League results.

“I think that the club will make their evaluation based on the entire season, so if they've already decided to get a new coach, tomorrow won't make any difference, nor will a victory,” he said.

Juve centre-back Leonardo Bonucci is confident his side will put in a strong display against the Ligue 1 outfit.

"We know very well that tomorrow we need to have a very good performance,” he said. “The energy and the adrenaline in the dressing room will be fundamental and I'm convinced that we'll do a good performance.

“We must be focused on ourselves, on our job, and not listen to what is said outside. I think the Juve seen after the lockdown put in some good and solid performances, mixed in with others where concentration levels dropped and we struggled.”

Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City side they must put their brittle Champions League tendencies behind them as they prepare to welcome Real Madrid to the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola has swept the board in terms of domestic honours since joining City in 2016, with this season's EFL Cup the sixth major trophy of his tenure.

He has been unable to end his club's wait for a maiden Champions League title however, with Tottenham and Liverpool ending their compatriots' involvement at the quarter-final stage in the past two seasons.

City hold a 2-1 advantage over Madrid heading into the second leg of their last-16 tie on Friday, with a place at the concluding mini-tournament in Lisbon up for grabs.

Their 3-0 defeat at Anfield in 2018, where all of Liverpool's goals came within the space of 19 first-half minutes, serves as a cautionary tale, as do the clusters of goals conceded against Monaco – in 2017 – and Tottenham when departing on away goals.

"Yeah definitely," Guardiola told a news conference when asked whether it was a concern. "More than conceding a goal is the way we concede a goal.

"When they are brilliant and make a good action, we have to accept it, but most of them were goals we could have avoided. We have to avoid it. Making mistakes in this competition punishes you a lot.

"We know it. We spoke about it many times, not this week but the last years, many times. If we want to make a step forward as a team to be close to winning this competition, we have to be better in this area."

If City progress, Guardiola will become the first coach to defeat Zinedine Zidane in a European knockout tie after the Madrid boss masterminded a run of three Champions League triumphs in a row from 2015-16 to 2017-18.

"When you think that you've got one of his tactical plans covered, he'll hit you with another tactical plan or revert to the original one that you thought he was going to start with," he observed.

"In the dim and distant past, we played the first leg and what we can remember from the first leg we've put to good use.

"We spoke about that game and since then we've watched all Madrid's games since La Liga restarted.

"We've spoken about how we think Madrid might approach this game, but what we've done more in these past two weeks is talked about what we can do – how we can hurt Madrid and areas we can cause problems for them."

Guardiola's preparations for the game have been thrown partially into flux by the news that teenage centre-back Eric Garcia has declined a new contract at City.

Garcia established himself as the first-choice partner for Aymeric Laporte over recent weeks but has been heavily linked with a return to his boyhood club Barcelona.

At the other end of the field, Sergio Aguero remains sidelined having undergone meniscus surgery, but Guardiola is not ruling out having City's all-time record scorer back for the final stages, should they negotiate Madrid.

"Right now, I don't know," he added. "He is still in Barcelona [where Aguero had the operation]. He is getting better. I spoke with the doctors and everything is like we thought. Hopefully he can come back and start training with us, but I don't know."

Nicolas Anelka has revealed that he “hated” life at Real Madrid and wanted to make a permanent move to Liverpool after his year-long loan at the club.

The former France striker spent a year in the Spanish capital after joining from Arsenal in 1999, but managed just two goals in 19 La Liga appearances and a further two in 10 Champions League matches.

Anelka ended up returning to Paris Saint-Germain but was loaned to Liverpool for the 2001-02 campaign, netting four Premier League goals as the Anfield outfit finished second in the table, and Manchester City snapped him up that summer.

He admits in a new Netflix documentary that he wanted to stay with the Reds a bit longer, while life at Santiago Bernabeu was unbearable.

"Liverpool fans think I didn't want to stay,” he said.“They need to know that that wasn't the case. That episode was tragic for me. It's a club where I could have done great things."

On his spell in Spain, he added: "I understood what it meant to be a star when I joined Real Madrid, and I hated it.

“After the press conference, I went to the changing room. I got there first, sat down, but players kept coming up to me and saying: ‘That's my spot’. I would say: ‘Oh, sorry. Can I sit here?’ and then another player would come up and say: ‘That's my spot’.

“It happened maybe 20 times. I just thought: ‘What am I doing here? This is going to be hostile’. What I experienced that day was just the beginning of the nightmare.

“There were sacrifices to be made and I was too young to understand. There was so much pressure. I was in the press every day. On the pitch, things weren't great. I couldn't have a private life. I couldn't do anything.

“You're 20, you can't walk down the street. Everything you do gets talked about, everything you buy is in the newspapers the next day.”

Anelka also spent a season at West Bromwich Albion towards the end of his career, but  controversial "quenelle" celebration saw him suspended for five games and fined £80,000.

The 41-year-old says his gesture was a message to former coach Steve Clarke, rather than an anti-Semitic salute.

"I'm back in the team and the first game I play, I score. So I do this celebration," Anelka said. "People don't know it because I never wanted to talk about Steve Clarke, but when I do the quenelle, it's for him. For me, it wasn't anti-Semitic, so I was surprised."

Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt feels that Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns will thrive playing their matches behind closed without pressure from their demanding fans.

Football returns in South Africa after almost five months of inactivity and matches will be played inside empty stadiums, a rare situation in domestic football for the widely-followed sides.

Of the traditional South African big three clubs, Sundowns will be the first to experience how action without fans feels like when they take on Hunt’s charges in a Nedbank Cup semi-final match at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Pirates will be the second traditional giant to taste the atmosphere of an empty stadium during Tuesday’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) clash, interestingly, against Sundowns at Dobsonville Stadium.

Chiefs will be the last to experience the situation when they host Wits the following day in a league match at Orlando Stadium and Hunt feels that the big three clubs will have an edge in the absence of their hard-to-please supporters.

“People say the bigger clubs could struggle [without fans], but I don’t think so,” said Hunt as per Phakaaathi.

“I think there is normally a lot of pressure [from the fans] and maybe now it will be less on the three bigger teams.”

The resumption of football without fans inside stadiums comes as Chiefs bid for a first PSL title since 2015, while Sundowns are pushing for s third straight league title.

Chiefs are four points better than second-placed Sundowns who have played a game less and could also claim the Nedbank Cup to complete a treble should they be crowned league champions as well.

For Pirates, the most realistic league finish they have is third place, the same chance as Wits.

But Wits face what could turn out to be a difficult return to football as they face the big three within seven days.

After Saturday and Wednesday’s assignments against Sundowns and Chiefs respectively, they will be on the road again, this time travelling to Ellis Park for a date with Orlando Pirates on August 15.

“We play Sundowns, Chiefs and Pirates in seven days, a lot of players will make their debuts, for sure,” said Hunt.

The Clever Boys tactician has promoted eight reserve team players to widen his pool of selection in the event of injuries and fatigue taking a toll on his team amid crammed fixtures.

“It possibly wouldn’t have happened in a normal season, but we will take it from there. Football is a funny old game,” Hunt said.

Ashanti Gold have denied media reports of positive coronavirus tests in their camp as they step up preparations for the Caf Confederation Cup.

News making the rounds was that the Miners recorded positive results as players and officials were reportedly tested.

The Obuasi-based side is bracing themselves for a possible domestic football return in October as well as their adventure in the 2020-21 Caf Confederation Cup.

"We would like to emphatically state that, none of our players and officials has tested positive for the novel coronavirus," the Miners announced on their official website on Thursday.

"The club’s screening exercise is scheduled to take place this week; results will only be known after players and officials have been tested. All contrary publications should, therefore, be disregarded and treated with the contempt it deserves.

"The playing body is scheduled for a screening exercise on Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8 whiles the entire backroom staff would undergo testing on Wednesday, August 12, 2020.

"This decision is necessitated by Management’s objective to prepare the team for a possible resumption of football activities in Ghana.

"The screening exercise would be conducted by our medical team with the support of the Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research and Tropical Medicine (KCCR).

"The club successfully went through Fifa’s Pre-Competition Medical Assessment (PCMA) last month. It is therefore expected that these medical assessment procedures will inform Management’s decision and prepare the team ahead of the new season."

AshGold are set to make a second successive appearance in the Caf Confederation Cup.

Upon winning the 2019 Ghana Special Competition Tier 2 Cup, the Miners represented the West African nation in the 2019-20 continental inter-club championship where they suffered a first-round elimination at the hands of Moroccan fold RS Berkane.

After the premature termination of the 2019-20 domestic football season, including the Ghana Premier League (GPL) and the FA Cup, Roberto Landi's outfit received a nod from the Ghana Football Association (GFA) Executive Council to fly the flag of the nation in the Confederation Cup next season.

On the domestic level, AshGold are targeting their fifth league title, their last success coming in 2014-15.

Maxwel Cornet is hopeful Lyon can advance into the quarter-finals of the Champions League by beating Italian giants Juventus.

The Kids will square off against Maurizio Sarri’s men in the second leg round of 16 of the European competition at Allianz Stadium on Friday evening.  

The Ivory Coast international featured prominently as Lyon shocked the Old Lady 1-0 in the first leg at Groupama Stadium in February with Lucas Tousart scoring the only goal of the game.

Last month, the Kids lost on penalties to PSG in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue and the winger, who was disappointed with the result, believes the defeat will inspire them to victory when they face the Old Lady.

“In terms of the result, we are frustrated given our performance during the match [in the Coupe de la Ligue final],” Cornet told AFP.  

“We played well. Losing on penalties was very frustrating but it gives us confidence for the game against Juventus because we showed a lot of positive things and we will have to use that on Friday.

“We saw a team that played with all their heart. We played for each other and if we are like that against Juve, we will have all our chances.”

Cornet has been a key member of Rudi Garcia’s side this season, featuring in 35 appearances, scoring five goals and providing five assists across all competitions.

The forward has been with Lyon since January 2015, when he joined the club from Metz, where he started his senior career.

The 23-year-old winger has made 147 league appearances for the Groupama Stadium outfit, scoring  29 goals, amid other dazzling performances.

Cornet has played for France U16, U17, U18, U19, U20 and U21 before switching his allegiance to Ivory Coast.

The forward made his debut for the Elephants against the Netherlands in a friendly in June 2017 and has since featured 18 times for the West African country.

Mbao FC head coach Fred Felix Minziro has won the Tanzania Mainland League July's Coach of the Month Award.

In the aforementioned month, the tactician managed to lead the now relegated team to five victories and a draw in the six league games played and collected 16 points from a possible 18.

"Mbao FC coach Fred Felix Minziro has been named July's Coach of the Month in the [Tanzania Mainland League] after defeating Amri Said of Mbeya City and Aristica Cioaba of Azam FC," the Tanzania Premier League Board (TPLB) confirmed on Thursday.

In the same period, Azam, who finished third in the final league standings, managed to get four wins from the same number of matches, and two draws.

Mbeya City, who had to play second-tier side Geita Gold in the two-legged promotion/relegation play-offs to survive the axe, managed to bag 12 points after winning four matches and losing the remaining two.

Striker Waziri Junior, who has since ditched the relegated Mbao FC for Yanga SC, has been named July's Player of the Month.

"Waziri Junior of Mbao FC has been named July's Player of the Month in the [Tanzania Mainland league] in the 2019/20 season," TPLB confirmed via their official Twitter handle.

"Waziri has defeated Peter Mapunda of Mbeya City and Obrey Chirwa of Azam FC to be crowned."

The striker netted five goals for the Mwanza-based side in the six games played while Mapunda scored just two and assisted as many. Chirwa managed to hit the back of the net four times, in the 7-0 win against Singida United.

Junior was the first striker Yanga signed in the ongoing transfer window after the Tanzanian had a promising season with relegated Mbao FC.

He has signed a two-year deal and is expected to represent competition for David Molinga and Ditram Nchimbi.

Junior scored 13 goals in the Mainland Premier League and two in the relegation/promotion play-offs, which they lost to Ihefu FC.

Yanga had initially planned to have Junior sign his deal in Dar es Salaam, but when they got wind that Azam FC were trailing the forward, the club’s treasurer Simon Patrick travelled to the forward's residence and duly secured his signature.

Rodri has challenged Manchester City to prove their superiority over Real Madrid in Friday's Champions League showdown at the Etihad Stadium.

City head into the second leg of the last-16 encounter with a 2-1 advantage from February's initial clash at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Gabriel Jesus' header and Kevin De Bruyne's penalty overturned Isco's 60th-minute opener.

Pep Guardiola's side controlled large parts of the contest, although former Atletico Madrid man Rodri does not feel that should cause complacency against the 13-time winners, who are fresh from sealing La Liga glory.

"They are more than a team, they have that way of playing. You can never relax, even if you are winning 3-0 or 4-0 they still come back," he told a pre-match news conference. "They have a huge personality to be the champions they have been over the past 20 or 30 years.

"They are the biggest team in this competition but now football has changed a little bit. It is so competitive. The distances between teams are so, so narrow.

"I know that we have a better team but we have to show that we have a better team on the pitch with our good behaviour and personality. I think we have a better squad and if we do things well, I think everything is going to be good for us."

Pressed to expand on that confident assessment during the Spanish language section of the briefing, Rodri acknowledged his words will mean nothing if City come undone.

"That's just a general opinion of mine. I think we have got a better team, but words are worthless if you can't demonstrate them out on the field," he said. "It's down to us to prove that, prove what I've been saying.

"There are lots of general reasons, but I'd just say we're a side that is full of goals and we've got talented players in every position, every area of the field.

"We've got to play well and I think we've got to match Real Madrid in what they may have that is better than us – more experience on the massive stage than us and they've got a strong mentality in these big, big games.

"If we match them in those areas, fate will decide, but I think we'll have a good chance."

City's record signing also cast a glance to the bigger picture of reaching the final stages of this season's tournament in Lisbon and the prospect of claiming a maiden Champions League crown for the club.

"We know we want to win the Champions League, so we want to win every single match," he added. "It is important to win tomorrow. We are focused on wining the Champions League. The confidence of the team is to get this goal.

"It is a dream for everyone, for me. Tomorrow we have this amazing match that is a final for us.

"We have the confidence that it is a long tournament. We want to win the tournament, not only the Real Madrid match."

Kenya midfielder Francis Kahata has revealed reports of building his former coach Fredrick Ochieng's house has been blown out of proportion.

A section of media reported the Simba SC creative player had promised to build the tactician a three-bedroom house.

"The reports I am reading and hearing from Kenya about me building [Ochieng] a house are baseless," Kahata told Goal on Thursday.

"I have been talking with the coach and I remember there is a time he told me he has a parcel of land in Githurai where he intends to build a house.

"So he requested me to buy him the poles to help him in construction and I agreed. It is not the way some have put that I had offered to build him a house. He just requested me to buy him the poles and I agreed to help him."

In a recent interview, the tactician reveals how he spotted and developed the player, who is now 29-years old.

"We had gone for a match in Ruiru and when I saw Kahata I noticed that the boy was very talented and I decided to take him with me," Ochieng said in a recent interview.

I approached the boy and after speaking to Kahata’s mum she allowed me to take him with me, he even lived with me in my house, especially during the school holidays.  

"As a coach, I had three age categories in my team, Kahata joined my under-12 team but because of his enormous talent I promoted him to under-14."  
 
Kahata has since played for Thika United, KF Tirana of Albania, and Gor Mahia and was part of the national team Harambee Stars who played in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations held in Egypt.

The Kenya international joined Wekundu wa Msimbazi at the beginning of 2019/20 Tanzania Mainland League season.

He has since scored six goals and provided six assists for the Tanzanian giants, helping them win the Community Shield, FA Cup and league title.

Jack Harrison has confirmed that he will be taking in a third spell at Leeds United, with Manchester City opening an exit door once again for the promising winger.

The 23-year-old forward has spent the last two seasons on loan at Elland Road.

He contributed to the Whites winning promotion to the Premier League during the 2019-20 campaign and is now looking forward to taking in top-flight football under Marcelo Bielsa.

A man who City snapped up from sister club New York City FC in January 2018 told ESPN FC of helping Leeds back into the big time: “I still don't think it's quite sunken in yet.

“I don't think it will really sink in until the first game where you walk out obviously in a Premier League stadium.

“We don’t know the fixtures yet or anything like that, but until we start preparing for that I don't think it will really sink in until then. As of right now I'm just trying to enjoy the moment, enjoy the time, the celebrations with the team.

“I'll be there again next season, so it's exciting to go back and do it all again in a few weeks.”

Harrison, who registered six goals and eight assists for Leeds in their Championship title-winning campaign, added: “When I first arrived I knew Leeds was a big club, but I didn't really understand the depth of the club or anything like that.

“I think when you come to the games and you see the fans and you see how much it means to them day in, day out, these fans literally live for football. It's almost like there's nothing else that exists. Life is only Leeds United.

“Especially when we got promoted and we saw all the fans at the stadium and you can see how much it means to everybody at the club, everybody in the city.

“It's an incredible, incredible thing to be a part of. I'm just happy that I'm able to help Leeds get back into the Premier League after such a long time and I think they deserve to be there.

“I'm really looking forward to making the most out of it next year and hopefully making more people happy.”

Harrison is also enjoying working under enigmatic Argentine tactician Bielsa.

He said of the highly-rated South American and Leeds’ ambitions for 2020-21: “With Marcelo, I think anything is possible.

“We have a team that is dedicated, that is motivated and under the leadership of Marcelo we're more than capable of staying up.

“You look at how Sheffield United have gone up, they're an organised team, their tactics are detailed as well, just like Marcelo and they've done extremely well this last year, so we're hoping we can do the same, if not better, than Sheffield United. I think that would be a great year for us next year.”

Orlando Pirates midfielder Siphesihle Ndlovu’s mother, Fisani Gracious Ndlovu, wants a cupboard from Bafana Bafana legend Teko Modise.

This is because the attacking midfielder drew an image of Modise on Fisani's cupboard in her house in Ashdown, KwaZulu Natal as an 11-year-old aspiring footballer. 

At the time former Mamelodi Sundowns and Pirates midfield maestro Modise was playing some of his best football in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) having established himself as one of the top attacking midfielders in the country.

“Please tell Teko Modise I want my cupboard,” Fisani said in an interview with Far Post.

“One time I found Siphesihle had drawn a footballer on my cupboard and written Teko Modise when he was about 11. He loved Teko so much. That’s when I knew he was really passionate about the game.”

Fisani admitted she did not spare the proverbial rod in order to ensure that Siphesihle becomes a disciplined young man in KwaZulu-Natal, Ashdown. 

“I never spared the rod – he knew I’d discipline him if ever he was mischievous. It gives me joy to see the young man he has grown to become," she added. 

"A lot of his peers are finished now because of drugs and alcohol, but he used to listen."

This also helped Ndlovu develop into a disciplined and hardworking player during his time in the Maritzburg United academy having previously played for Mgungundlovu Academy of Sport in Pietermaritzburg.

Ndlovu made his professional debut during the 2016/17 season and he went on to become the first-ever Maritzburg player to be crowned the PSL Player of the Month award.

His former coach at Maritzburg, Fadlu Davids discussed Ndlovu's qualities as a footballer with the duo having reunited at Pirates. 

“He is a special player. He is an all-rounder, really good at both. He is so flexible," Davids told the same publication. 

Ndlovu helped the Team of Choice to a club record-high fourth-place finish in the league in the 2017/18 campaign and he was named PSL Young Player of the Season and Midfielder of the Season.

"You can play him on the left, on the right and on the centre based on how tactically you want to go at the opponent, whether to stop them or attack them. His understanding of the game is his main strength," Davids added.

Ndlovu was snapped up by Pirates from Maritzburg prior to the start of the 2019/20 season and he is looking to establish himself as a key player under Davids, who is the Bucs assistant coach.

As they prepare to resume their 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign, Bidvest Wits have been dealt a massive blow with striker Mxolisi Macuphu surviving a hijacking.

According to coach Gavin Hunt, the former SuperSport United hitman has lost his car and the veteran manager admits his player has a problem.

Hunt also confirmed that some of his players tested positive for Covid-19 and that midfielder Thabang Monare is struggling with injury whilst they will miss Elias Pelembe, who is in lockdown in Mozambique.

The current season was halted because of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March and the Clever Boys are preparing to face Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-final match this weekend at Orlando Stadium.

“Machupu got hijacked this week so I don’t know. They stole his car, everything so he has got a problem,” said Hunt told the media.

“Thabang Monare is struggling a little bit, Gift [Motupa] is struggling a little bit. So, yeah if you go through the team. Pelembe has not come back, who else?

“You obviously got players who tested positive two weeks ago and they have just come back this week. It’s quite a few of them.” 

The Cape Town-born coach also explained he will have to hand debuts to a number of his players from their MultiChoice Diski Challenge team, saying they are facing a tough week.

“This first week is tough for us, we play Sundowns, [Kaizer] Chiefs and [Orlando] Pirates in seven days,” added Hunt.

“There are going to be a lot of players that will make their debuts, that’s for sure, which possibly wouldn’t have happened in a normal season.

“Football is a funny game, hopefully, starting Saturday, which won’t be easy for both sides, let’s see how we go.”

On the other hand, the Wits manager also faces a bleak future as the National First Division (NFD) side, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) announced they cannot afford the former defender’s salary.

“I have been in South Africa football since 1981 and I’ve never missed a year. I am trying to be as calm as I can. I am trying to be as calm as I can,” continued the four-time PSL title-winning coach

“It is very unique, but we will get on with it and play football, let’s see where it takes us. Personally, I want to feel the grass under my feet and go to training every day. I want to keep working immediately after this season.”

Premier League clubs have voted against the continuation of the five substitutions rule, which was brought in for the post-lockdown period in June, during the 2020-21 season.

English football resumed on June 17 following a three-month break in the 2019-20 season, with supporters no longer allowed access to stadiums due to the continued threat of coronavirus.

Players were forced to undergo weekly testing to contain any further outbreaks, while several new measures were put in place on matchdays to ensure the safety of players and staff.

The number of changes managers were able to make each match was increased from three to five, and squads of up to 20 players were permitted to encourage regular rotation.

After an initial trial period, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) extended the option to allow five substitutes per team in every fixture into 2021, which provoked a strong response from some fans and experts.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was among those to blast the decision, saying: "This is nonsense! Premier League stay with 3 subs please!"

IFAB's ruling has now been overruled in England following a vote from all 20 top-flight clubs on Wednesday, who decided unanimously to revert to the competition's original format. It has also been announced that the number of players allowed on the bench has been dialled back down to seven.

The Premier League released an official statement confirming the news, with VAR usage also renewed for the new campaign beginning on September 12.

"At the Premier League’s annual general meeting today, shareholders agreed to rules relating to VAR and substitute players for the 2020-21 season," the statement said.

"Shareholders unanimously approved the implementation of VAR, in line with the full FIFA VAR protocol. Clubs also agreed to revert back to using up to three substitute players per match, with a maximum of seven substitutes on the bench."

The decision come as a disappointment to Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese backed the new rules regarding squads and substitutions to continue prior to this week's vote, telling reporters: "I like the 20 players [in the squad].

"It doesn't make any sense to travel with 20 players and then you arrive in the stadium and have to send two guys to the stands when the clubs pay every player and invest in every player. It gives you more chance to bring young people [on] and gives a much better feeling to everybody. Twenty players on the bench, I think very, very good."

Former Tanzania Mainland Premier League champions Azam FC have signed David Mapigano from Gor Mahia on a two-year deal.

The signing of the Tanzanian custodian comes in the same day the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions Gor Mahia confirmed that the goalkeeper had left the club just after a season with them.

Mapigano becomes the fifth signing by the Ice Makers who failed to secure themselves a second-place finish in the 2019/20 season.

“Azam are happy to make an announcement that they have signed Tanzania international goalkeeper [David] Mapigano Kissu on a two-year deal from Gor Mahia,” the 2018/19 FA Cup winners announced.

“Mapigano, who is part of the Taifa Stars squad, has been signed as was duly recommended by the technical bench.

“The goalkeeper, who has also played for Njombe FC and Singida United before moving to Kenya, had a good season with Gor Mahia where he played in 15 games and managed to keep nine clean sheets.

“Mapigano also recorded a goal against Bandari when his long-range strike found the back of the net as Gor Mahia won 3-0.

“He is our fifth signing as we continue to strengthen our squad for the upcoming season.”

Awesu Awesu, Ally Niyonzima, Ayoub Lyanga and Ismail Aziz Kada have already been signed as Azam and Yanga become the first Tanzanian teams to have signed five players in the early period of the transfer window.

The former Singida United goalkeeper will battle for first-team chances against Mwadini Ally, who was a second choice goalkeeper, and Benedict Haule who was coach Aristica Cioaba’s preferred number one choice.

Mapigano was signed by Gor Mahia at the beginning of the 2019/20 season which the club underwent financial challenges. He had been acquired alongside his compatriot Dickson Ambundo who has also left the club.

The Tanzanian goalkeeper had made it clear he would not return to K’Ogalo if his monthly wages were not going to be paid in full.

Gor Mahia have moved to sign Nairobi City Stars goalkeeper Levis Opiyo who is expected to be Mapigano’s successor.

Awesu, Niyonzima, Lyanga and Kada have already linked up with their new teammates who conducted a training session for the first time since the league ended.

Cioaba oversaw the Wednesday training session which was also attended by his assistant Bahati Vivier, club’s physiotherapist Costel Birsan and the goalkeeping coach Idd Abubakar.

Tanzanian defender Abdallah Shaibu has returned to Young Africans (Yanga SC) and has signed a two-year contract.

Shaibu, 21, is the fifth player the record league champions have acquired in the span of six days. Shaibu served Timu Ya Wananchi between 2017 and 2019 before he signed for MFK Vyskov of the Czech Republic.

The youngster did not stay long with the European club before he signed for LA Galaxy II in 2019 where he equally spent less time.

His arrival comes days after Yanga signed another defender, Bakari Mwamnyeto from Coastal Union who also put pen to paper on a two-year deal.

Shaibu and Mwamnyeto are expected to fill the void of Kelvin Yondani or Juma Abdul.

Peter Zawadi Mauya, Yassin Mustapha and Waziri Junior are the other players Yanga have handed deals to so far.

Meanwhile, after releasing Yondani and Abdul, Yanga are understood to have called the two to a meeting in order to offer them short-term deals, Goal can report.

They were among the 14 players who were deemed surplus and let go but the club believes the defenders possess important experience that might prove worthy in the near future.

It is for this reason the management called them individually to a meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday but an agreement was not signed by either star.

The defenders are said to have felt the contracts are not as good and requested for more time to ponder whether to sign them or not.

Yondani, 35, has been on the books of Yanga since 2012 when he was signed from arch-rivals Simba SC and those have been the only two clubs he has served in his career.

Abdul acted as the club’s assistant captain to Papy Tshishimbi who was also released.

Other players who were released include Mrisho Ngassa, Jafary Mohamed, Mohamed Issa Banka, Tariq Seif, Andrew Vincent Dante, Patrick Sibomana, Muharami Issa, Ali Ali, Rafael Daud, David Molinga, Gnamien Yikpe, Ali Mtoni Sonso and Eric Kabamba.

Finally, Namungo FC have made their first signing as they prepare for a Caf Confederation Cup appearance next season.

The FA Cup 2020 finalists acquired Fredy Tangalo from relegated side Lipuli FC and have offered him a two-year deal.

Tangalo has been nominated to vie for the best midfielder of the year award alongside Clatous Chama of Simba and Namungo’s Lucas Kikoti.

Head coach Thierry Hitimana explained why they might not sign any foreigner despite their qualification to the continental competition.

“Singing players from outside needs time to watch them and make a decision and if I am going to remain at the club up to next season, I am going to give priority to local stars,” Hitimana told Mwanaspoti.

Namungo finished fourth on the league’s log despite a spirited fight to get second position.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Leagues and Competitions Department has confirmed the transfer window will open on Monday, August 10.

Since the annulment of the league owing to Covid-19, plans in Kenyan football have been moving at snail's pace. With clubs set to strengthen, no communication had been put across regarding the period of transfers, but the puzzle has now been solved.

"Football Kenya Federation wishes to notify all clubs scheduled to participate in the ... and other stakeholders, that the primary transfer window for the 2020/21 season shall officially open on Monday, August 10, and Monday, August 17 for the [Kenyan] Premier League and the [National] Super League respectively," the statement obtained by Goal read.

Teams will have up to three months to ensure they bring onboard players they feel are capable of adding worth to their clubs.

"The window shall open for twelve weeks and close on Monday, November 2 for the [Kenyan] Premier League and Monday, November 9 the [National] Super League at 1700Hrs. 

"The window for international transfers closes on Monday, November 2 at 2359Hrs."

The committee has further communicated new dates for commencement of the new season will be communicated.

"The Competitions Calendar including the commencement dates for both Leagues shall be communicated in due course."  

On April 30, FKF confirmed Gor Mahia as the 2019/20 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) champions. 

"The top-tier took a break mid-March owing to the Covid-19 pandemic with no definite return date. By the time, K'Ogalo were leading the table with 54 points after playing 23 matches.  

However, Kenyan Premier League Limited protested the move stating the Federation had no legal mandate to annul the league and raised the same with the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT).

The Tribunal is set to rule over the same before the end of August.

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) followed suit by annulling their league. With 80% of matches played, Vipers SC were crowned and given the right to represent Uganda in the Caf Champions League.

Former champions KCCA FC who were second were given the mandate to play in the Caf Confederation Cup.

For Tanzania, it was different; the league was played to completion. Simba SC won it as well as the FA Cup.

While Wekundu wa Msimbazi will represent the nation in Caf Champions League, Namungo will play in the second-tier competition. 

Eric Garcia has turned down a contract extension with Manchester City amid major interest from Barcelona.

Goal reported on July 31 how the Spanish giants have made the 19-year-old their top target, with his contract running down at the Etihad Stadium.

Ahead of City's Champions League last-16 second leg with Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola revealed that Garcia has rejected a new deal and will leave when his contract expires.

"He announced to us that he doesn’t want to extend his contract with Manchester City," Guardiola told a press conference.

"He has one more year and after that, he doesn’t want to extend. We want it but he doesn’t want to extend it so I imagine he wants to play in other places."

Garcia left Barca's La Masia academy three years ago and has since broken into the first team at City but the Catalans want to bring him back to Camp Nou and see him as the long-term successor to Gerard Pique.

City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain was set to sit down with the player's representatives to discuss a new deal before the Covid-19 outbreak.

According to sources in Spain, Garcia was considering his future because of Guardiola's uncertainty at the Premier League club. The City boss is currently in the final 12 months of his contract at the Etihad Stadium and has so far refused to say whether he will commit to a further extension.

In July, Guardiola said that he was confident that Garcia would sign a new long-term deal but Barca remain convinced they can persuade him to return.

City have been short of defensive options since former captain Vincent Kompany left at the end of his contract in the summer of 2019.

And the issue became a bigger problem when Aymeric Laporte missed five months of the season through injury, while the form of Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones has dropped.

Garcia has established himself as a regular in Guardiola's line-up since Project Restart, featuring in the Premier League clash with Liverpool and FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal and is expected to line-up alongside Laporte against Real Madrid.

City have already acted to address their defensive problems for next season by bringing in Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake in a deal worth an initial £40 million ($53m).

He is not expected to be the only defensive acquisition with the club also looking at Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Sevilla’s Diego Carlos as they try to close the gap on Liverpool having failed to mount a Premier League title challenge in 2019-20.

But the loss of Garcia will be a huge blow with the defender seen as having a big future at the club.

The teenager has been praised for his understanding of the game at such a young age but the lure of a return to his boyhood club looks like it will prove too much.