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Kosovan Women's Premier League champions Mitrovica have completed the signing of South Africa striker Andisiwe Mgcoyi and defender Zanale Nhlapo for the upcoming 2020-21 season.

Mgcoyi and Nhlapo sealed their transfers to the Kosovan giants this week after successful medicals and after agreeing to personal terms, according to a statement on the club's Facebook page.

The Banyana stars joined Mitrovica from Albanian Women's League side Apolonia, where they spent the last season, with Mgcoyi scored 17 goals in eight games before the coronavirus cancellation.

Before their move to Europe last year, the South Africans starred for Sasol Women's League giants Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies and are the first signings of the Kosovan champions this summer.

Following their switch, they inch closer to achieving their dreams of featuring in the Uefa Women’s Championships League next season.

They will swell the number of Banyana stars to play in the competition after Glasgow City's Janine Van Wyk and Dinamo-BSUPC trio Lebogang Ramalepe, Rhoda Mulaudzi and Bambanani Mbane.

In a statement, the club announced the duo as their first acquisitions on Facebook, said: "First two reinforcements for the 2020-21 season.

"Today at the premises of the KFF Mitrovica club, the first two reinforcements for the summer deadline 2020 arrived. 

"Zanele Portia Nhlapho and Andisiwe Mgcoyi both came from South Africa where last season were part of KF Apollonia - Fier. 

"In the next few days, our reinforcements will come that will complete the team in order to achieve Champions League goals even in the new championship 2020/21."

Having secured the duo, Seid Onbashi's side will be counting on the South Africans to retain their domestic crowns and excel in the Champions League, having exited the qualifying round twice before.

Manchester City have completed the signing of Valencia winger Ferran Torres in a deal worth an initial £21 million ($27m).

The 20-year-old has signed a five-year contract at the Etihad Stadium and will join up with Pep Guardiola’s squad for the 2020-21 season.

Valencia could receive a further £11m ($14m) in add-ons for the Spain Under-21 international, who was in the final 12 months of his contract.

City beat a host of top European clubs to the signing of Torres, with Manchester United, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all expressing an interest.

But the highly-rated forward was keen to work with Guardiola, and, as Goal reported on July 27, he agreed personal terms after the City boss spoke to him personally to convince him to make the switch to Manchester.

Due to UK travel restrictions surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, Torres completed his medical in Spain but will be available for the new Premier League season.

“I am so happy to be joining City,” Torres told City's official website. “Every player wants to be involved in attacking teams and Manchester City are one of the most attacking in world football.

“Pep encourages a really open, aggressive style, which I love, and he is a manager with a proven track record of improving players. To have him overseeing my development is a dream.

“City have won plenty of trophies in the last 10 years and I hope I can play a role in continuing that success.”

The deal is seen as a bargain for one of Spain’s emerging talents, with Valencia needing to improve their finances after failing to qualify for Europe.

City's director of football Txiki Begiristain added: “We have followed Ferran’s progress closely and have been very impressed.

“He is young and still developing, but his technical qualities are exactly what we are looking for in a winger. He is quick, direct, can create space with one movement and is capable of producing match-winning moments.

“I feel this is the perfect place for him to develop and with Pep in charge he can take his game to the next level.”

City have moved quickly to find a replacement for Leroy Sane after the Germany international moved to Bayern Munich in a deal worth an initial €49m (£45m/$58m) earlier in the summer.

Guardiola is expected to follow up the signing of Torres with the addition of Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake in the coming days in a deal worth £40m ($52m), with a potential further £1m in add-ons.

Torres becomes City’s first major signing of the summer following deals for Juventus forward Pablo Moreno, Brazilian full-back Yan Couto from Coritiba and Burkina Faso defender Issa Kabore from Mechelen.

City are expecting a busy summer as they try to close the gap on Premier League champions Liverpool and are likely to add another central defender and forward before the transfer window closes.

Baroka FC coach Dylan Kerr has acknowledged that his side is not yet ready for Saturday’s Nedbank Cup semi-final match against Bloemfontein Celtic, but is already envisaging his side in the final against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Baroka kick off the return of football in South Africa against Celtic at Orlando Stadium, before Mamelodi Sundowns take on Bidvest Wits a few hours later at the same venue.

If Sundowns reach the final and then complete the Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign in the top-two, their opponents in the Nedbank Cup final would be guaranteed participation in next season’s Caf Confederation Cup even if they come out as losing finalists.

That prospect appears to entice Kerr who also want to win Saturday’s match to set the tonic for their relegation fight in their remaining six league games.

“This is the best Cup competition in African football. If we make the final, I think we will be guaranteed a place in the Caf Confederation Cup, if Sundowns make the final too,” Kerr told the South African Football Journalists Association as per SuperSport.com.

“It will set the tempo of the next six [league] games. Baroka have been to two semi-finals before and lost, but hopefully, we can make it third time lucky. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for some players.

“The chairman might give a financial incentive to them, but that shouldn’t be what they are looking for. Something like 80 percent of my players might never make a cup final again. So this is a huge opportunity.”

But Kerr admits that his players are ill-prepared for Saturday’s showdown after almost five months of inactivity.

The Englishman has described their chances of immediately returning to the top of their game after limited preparations as “not realistic.”

“The reality is that we are at the six-week stage of pre-season, in ordinary circumstances, but we have only trained for three. And only as a group for one. So it is not ideal,” said Kerr.

“You cannot have five months without kicking a football and then expect to come back to training and play to the level I would be happy with, and that my chairman would be happy with. It is not realistic. We have seen in the PL [Premier League], La Liga and in Italy, a lot of top players have been missing through injury because of a lack of preparation.

“I am not ready yet, I am not happy playing first game on Saturday knowing I should have three weeks more to get my team into the shape physically and mentality to play these games. It is going to be who can survive the fittest in the 90 minutes. That is what is going to win the game. You have to have a bit of heart and be tough upstairs [mentally].”

On the league front, Baroka are placed 13th on the log and just three points above basement side Black Leopards.

Harry Redknapp was a more accomplished tactician than Arsene Wenger, according to former Arsenal forward Paul Merson.

Merson spent 12 years at Arsenal but was sold to relegated Middlesbrough just one season into Wenger's reign, eventually going on to shine under Redknapp at Portsmouth.

Portsmouth were promoted to the Premier League after racking up 98 points under Redknapp in 2002-03, with Merson named in the First Division's Team of the Year.

Now, Merson says he believes Redknapp was the best man-manager he played under, saying Wenger had a higher calibre of players to work with.

“One hundred per cent, best man-manager I’ve ever worked under, by a million miles,” Merson told Sky Sports of Redknapp.

“As a man-manager knowing what you want or what you need, you could tell him what you need, he wouldn’t tell you what you needed. I think that was a massive thing with him.

“The thing with Harry, people think, ‘Oh, he’s a wheeler-dealer’… his knowledge of football is second to none.

“I honestly think he’s tactically better than Arsene Wenger, in my opinion. I worked under both.

“Tactically, if I know a manager who wants to set up, make sure we don’t lose a game and stop the other team playing… for me, Harry is the man.

“He’s with George Graham, that sort of [level]. Arsene Wenger, he had some unbelievable players.

“When you’ve got Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, [Robert] Pires, [Patrick] Vieira, [Emmanuel] Petit, [Marc] Overmars and [Freddie] Ljungberg… if I’m the manager of Arsenal, I’m opening the football match up!

“I want the game to expand, to go end-to-end because if it does, there’s only one winner. That’s Arsenal because of the players I just reeled off.

“But when you’ve got a manager who hasn’t got that quality of player and you’ve got to set up, that’s why I think Harry is a phenomenal manager.

“He put a team together, he pulled players into certain positions and it clicked. I played in a phenomenal football team.”

Portsmouth's promotion campaign was the only league title Redknapp won in his career, though he also lifted cups with Pompey, West Ham and Bournemouth, and was named Premier League Manager of the Season in 2009-10.

Harambee Starlets striker Elizabeth Katungwa has sealed a move to Swedish side Dalhem IF.

The former Kwale Starlets attacker has been in good form for both club and country, something that caught the eye of the European side.

Kwale Girls High School coach Mukasa Amboko, who has been nurturing the youngster since her time in school, explained how the forward managed to get the deal.

"One of the Swedish scouts secretly watched Katungwa lead our school team to the National title at Hill School in Eldoret and followed us to the East Africa Secondary School games in Rwanda in March 2018 where Katungwa scored the winning goal to win Kwale girls and Kenya gold medal in football after a long wait," Amboko revealed to Daily Nation.

The player was recalled by her former coach to start working on her fitness after the Gotland-based side made contact in March 2019.

"In March last year, one of the scouts asked about the availability of Katungwa," Amboko continued.

"Fortunately she was called up to the national team and that convinced the scout and Dalhem that she was the kind of player they were looking for.

"At that point, it was important for me to draw an individual training program for her to keep fit until last week when finally restrictions were lifted and Dalhem facilitated the acquisition of her residence VISA and air tickets."

The attacker left for Stockholm in Sweden via Doha Qatar on Monday, August 3. She will be joining former Harambee Starlets skipper Mary Kinuthia who has been playing for the same team since 2017. 

Katungwa is remembered for helping Kwale Girls High School to emerge national secondary school football champions in 2018, the first time a team from the coastal region had achieved the feat.

In 2019, she was voted football player of the year in the schools' category in the Sportsman of the Year Awards commonly referred to as SOYA.

Katungwa is seen as a prospect for the Kenya women's national team alongside another youngster Gentrix Shikangwa. Coach David Ouma is trying to build a team to compete both on the continent and in the world. 

Everton are set to miss out on long-term transfer target Everton, with the Gremio forward edging closer to a move to Portuguese giants Benfica.

Goal has learned a deal between the clubs has moved a step closer, with Benfica set to pay €20 million (£18m/$24m) for the 24-year-old Brazil international.

Gremio will also receive 15 per cent of the profit on any future sale.

Carlo Ancelotti's Everton had been interested in the player for some time, and were said to have been considering an offer during the most recent January transfer window.

The Premier League side were looking for a third scoring option to share responsibilities with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, who each scored 13 goals in the league in 2019-20.

While such a move may have seemed like fate, the player is now set to take his first steps in Europe with Portugal.

He was a prime target for manager Jorge Jesus, who himself has recently returned to Benfica after a hugely successful spell in Brazil with Flamengo.

Benfica finished as runners-up to Porto in both the Primeira Liga and the Taca de Portugal this season, and will be looking to launch an assault on the title in 2020-21.

In Everton, they will be signing a player who registered 15 goals and seven assists in 42 appearances in the most recent completed season, between the Brazilian Serie A and the Copa Libertadores.

He made his senior Brazil debut in 2018 and developed into an important player the following year, featuring prominently in his country’s victorious Copa America campaign and winning the Golden Boot with three goals.

Gremio currently own 50 per cent of Everton’s economic rights. The rest is divided between businessman Gilmar Veloz (30%), Everton’s youth club Fortaleza (10%), and an investor (10%).

Despite the advanced nature of the transfer discussions, Everton is expected to play for Gremio in their game against Internacional on Thursday.

The game will decide the winner of the Campeonato Gaucho, an annual tournament contested between 14 clubs in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Gremio have won the last two tournaments but remain seven titles behind Internacional in the all-time table, with 38 trophies to their rivals’ 45.

Have you ever wanted to throw your gaming controller through the TV because your online FIFA 20 opponent keeps celebrating a goal by shushing or dabbing?

Well, rest assured you might be able to keep your frustration under better control in the new FIFA 21 game, with EA Sports endeavouring to remove toxic features.

Sam Rivera, FIFA's lead gameplay producer, has revealed that the developers have listened to feedback regarding situations where users would purposefully try to anger their opponent.

"We were told by the community that there is toxic behaviour in the game and we wanted to make sure we removed them," Rivera said.

In past editions of FIFA, a common point of frustration was competitors overusing particular celebrations after scoring a goal - and making them run their full duration - to help rise the blood pressure of their opponent.

Rivera says that certain celebrations would be removed from FIFA 21, and although he did not reveal which would be canned from the game, expect moves such as the 'pigeon' and 'dab' to be under threat.

Another bugbear of FIFA users was the waiting times during choreographed scenes such as when the ball was out of play for a throw-in.

Some users would purposefully drag the scene out in order to frustrate an opponent or arrest their momentum.

But in FIFA 21, such cut scenes will be auto-skipped to allow for quicker, more seamless gameplay - and more importantly, less time-wasting and frustration.

There will also be a significant reduction in waiting times for players to take all set-pieces such as kick-offs, corners and free kicks.

Previously, players could let the clock run down while they waited the maximum amount of time to restart play - another tactic that could cause extreme irritation.

It isn't just cutscenes where EA Sports have tried to reduce user frustration - there have also been significant tweaks to the playing mechanics involving tackling.

In FIFA 20, consumers became angry when they repeatedly made tackles and the ball would end up back with the opposition instantly.

However, with a new tackling system implemented in the new version, EA have assured that users will be rewarded more often for executing a well-timed tackle.

With all these added features to reduce player frustration, it appears EA are really trying to improve the levels of enjoyment from their consumers.

Jose Mourinho has claimed that he and Iker Casillas have repaired their relationship after the pair repeatedly clashed during their time at Real Madrid. 

Casillas announced his retirement on Tuesday after a legendary 22-year playing career that saw him win a host of trophies for both club and country. 

Among the honours the 39-year-old secured during his career are two European championships and one World Cup with Spain, and five La Liga titles and three Champions League crowns with Real Madrid. 

Near the end of his run with Real Madrid, Casillas fell out with Mourinho, who dropped his side's long-time starter in favour of Diego Lopez.

After clashing with Casillas and Sergio Ramos among others, Mourinho departed Madrid at the end of the 2012-13 season to re-join Chelsea. 

Now managing Tottenham, Mourinho has claimed that he and his former goalkeeper have patched things up and paid tribute to Casillas as he officially called time on his playing career.

"His intelligence and maturity have made us always respect each other and years later we have even been able to cultivate an honest friendship," Mourinho told AS before acknowledging the pair's difficulties in the past.

"He is a historic goalkeeper for Real Madrid, La Roja and world football," Mourinho continued. "With him I won La Liga and with him I had difficult moments due to my professional and never personal decision to play another player."

Mourinho added that Casillas is a "great goalkeeper and a great man".

After a decade and a half with Madrid, Casillas departed the Spanish capital in 2015 and joined Portuguese giants Porto. 

The goalkeeper made 156 appearances and won two league titles with Porto before suffering a heart attack in May 2019. He was unable to return to the pitch after that incident.

Officially bidding farewell to the game, Casillas posted on social media: "The most important thing is the path you travel and the people who accompany you, not the destination that it takes you.

“I think I can say, without hesitation, that this has been the right path and the dream destination. Thanks.”

Casillas announced his decision to run for the presidency of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in February.

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has picked September 9 as the date to kick off the 2020-21 Mainland Premier League campaign.

According to a statement from the federation obtained by Goal, the top-flight will kick off the season on Sunday, September 6.

However, before the season gets underway, champions Simba SC will take on Namungo FC in the Community Shield season opener on August 29, 2020.

The Division One league will then kick off on October 3, 2020, while the last division will start on November 7, 2020.

The domestic Cup, which is referred to as the Azam Cup, will start on November 28, 2020, while the mid-season transfer window will open on December 12, 2020, and will close on January 15, 2021.

Simba SC, who won three titles – Mainland Premier League, Community Shield, and FA Cup –  in the recently concluded campaign, will be keen to retain the titles when the season gets underway.

Simba won the league with six matches to spare after their closest challengers Young Africans (Yanga SC) and Azam FC failed to reach their tally of points, and they ended the season with 88 points, while Yanga came second and Azam third.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi then went ahead to clinch a treble after beating Namungo FC 2-1 in the final of the FA Cup.

Simba will thus represent the country in the Caf Champions League whereas Namungo will participate in the Confederation Cup.

Currently, the transfer window is open for teams to sign players with the federation stating transfer business by the teams will be carried out within the month of August and there would be no additional time once the window slams shut.

The window was opened just after the conclusion of the top-flight and the lower leagues and some teams are now engaged in play-offs to determine who will get the promotion or relegation slots.

Yanga have been the busiest side in the ongoing transfer window so far as they have signed four players already and released 14.

According to the club, former Gor Mahia striker Gnamien Yikpe, who took much criticism last season, was axed alongside captain Papy Tshishimbi, who refused to renew his contract, and Congolese striker David Molinga have all been released.

Others dropped are veteran striker Mrisho Ngassa, Jafary Mohamed, Mohamed Issa Banka, Tariq Seif, Andrew Vincent Dante, Patrick Sibomana, Muharami Issa, Ali Ali, Rafael Daud, Ali Mtoni Sonso and Eric Kabamba.

Surprisingly, the club have retained controversial Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison, who has missed training since the team suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat against rivals Simba SC in the FA Cup semi-final and was since arrested under suspicion of marijuana possession.

Other players retained include Kenyan keeper Farouk Shikhalo, Metacha Mnata, Ramadhan Kabwili, Haruna Niyonzima, Lamine Moro, Bernard Morrison, Feisal Salum, Juma Mahadhi, Adeyum Saleh, Said Makapu, Balama Mapinduzi, Deus Kaseke, Ditram Nchimbi, Abdulaziz Makame, and Paul Godfrey.

Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Josta Dladla has urged the current generation to adopt the spirit of legends such as Doctor Khumalo and the late John Moshoeu to inspire the team to glory.

The Soweto giants are currently sitting at the summit of the Premier Soccer League (PSL) log with 48 points from 22 matches and are gunning for their first league title since the 2014/15 campaign.

Dladla has also credited coach Ernst Middendorp and assistant Shaun Bartlett for their work whilst challenging the players to finish the job, saying their mentality going into the final stretch of the season could be the difference between success and failure.

“For the Chiefs players, most of them have not won the league at all. They want to taste it and they can smell it, it is just around the corner for them,” Dladla told Phakaaathi.

“At the end of the day, it is all about the attitude and the willingness of the players to say ‘I want to be like the Doctor Khumalos and the Shoes Moshoeus'.

“My mentality was always wanting to be in the history books, I wanted people to talk about me even when I am gone and these players have got a chance to do that.

“[The] 50 years anniversary was a huge deal for Chiefs but they have not won any major trophy in the last five seasons.”

Speaking about the German manager and the former Bafana Bafana hitman, the retired Wits University midfielder added it’s up to the troops to come up with good displays when they retake the field.

“The coaches have done the job, with the training and everything. At this point, what will work the most are the mentality and the hearts of the players,” he added.

“It is really up to the players and whether they are going to absorb the information from the coaches and turn it into good performances on the pitch.”

On the other hand, the Naturena-based club faces a battle to fend off the reigning PSL champions, Sundowns' quest to retain the lucrative title.   

The Brazilians are four points behind Chiefs having played a game less.

“Both teams have got the blueprint, now they have to go out there and graft for their team and get into the history books, because if Chiefs win it,” continued the former Masandawana player.

“The squad will always be remembered as the team that won the league in the 50th anniversary of the club and on the other hand, if it goes to Sundowns, history will remember them as the group that won the league three times in a row.”

Although coach Pitso Mosimane’s men are chasing a 10th championship gold medal, they also stand a chance of lifting the Nedbank Cup trophy as they will face Bidvest Wits in the semi-finals next weekend at Orlando Stadium.

German football faces a dramatic cultural shift if supporters are allowed back to stadiums next season, with away fans, standing and alcoholic drinks all set to be curbed.

Elite clubs joined a key German Football League (DFL) meeting on Tuesday where a set of strict rules was put in place to ensure uniformity in how the coronavirus crisis is handled.

Bundesliga clubs would be ready to welcome back fans if public health authorities consider it a safe step to take, having played out the final weeks of the 2019-20 season behind closed doors.

In a statement, the league said it shared the view of clubs that away fans "make up an important part of German football culture that must be preserved".

Yet under the circumstances clubs from the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga agreed they will not sell tickets to supporters of visiting teams until the end of the year.

The DFL said clubs had also agreed "on a voluntary basis" to forbid standing at games, for the purpose of making it "easier to monitor compliance with distance and hygiene standards in the stadiums".

That was another reluctant move on the part of the league, which stressed: "Completely unaffected by today's decisions is the fundamental commitment of the DFL and its clubs to preserve standing room in the sense of football and fan culture in Germany."

Drinking beer at a game is also popular in Germany, but it will be off the menu until at least October 31, the DFL said. Clubs have agreed not to apply to their local authorities for licences to sell alcohol until that date.

Fixtures for the new season, which begins on September 18, are set to be released on Friday.

Clubs have been told they must show they are ready to play a key role in contact tracing, which will mean tickets are personalised in the new season to show who is watching the game and from what precise area of the stadium.

"The professional clubs have undertaken to ensure in their games that in the event of infection the identity and contact details of possible and eventual affected stadium visitors can be determined," read a DFL statement.

"This is based on the consideration that the local health authorities can only interrupt existing infection chains early and effectively if they can quickly identify and contact the relevant people.

"The precise arrangement of the regulation initially agreed for this calendar year remains the responsibility of the individual clubs, which have to include concrete measures in their location-specific plans."

Angel Gomes has confirmed he has left Manchester United, following months of speculation over whether the 19-year-old would remain at Old Trafford.

It has been widely reported that he has signed for Ligue 1 side Lille on a free transfer, and could be sent straight out on loan. 

Indeed, RMC Sport claims Gomes has signed a five-year deal with Lille, and has joined Portuguese side Boavista on a temporary basis.

Born in London but raised in Salford, attacking midfielder Gomes had been part of United's set-up since the age of six and made his first-team debut under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

Gomes won the Young Player of the Year award for United's Under-23s in 2016-17, but only made 10 first-team appearances in total.

He bade his farewell to United with a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday.

It read: “It’s [taken] me a while because it’s not been easy to put my emotions into words.

“Sadly the time has come to end a beautiful chapter that has been my life for 14 years. Being from Salford, Manchester United is all I have ever known.

“I went from playing on my estate, pretending to be Wayne Rooney to being in the academy and doing the same.

“[On] May 21, 2017 I made my Premier League debut for the club of my dreams aged 16, replacing the legend himself, Wayne Rooney.

“I want to thank every single individual at the club for the help and encouragement I received, from the very first time I signed at the club.

“I want to thank all the coaches from every age group that looked after me from six [years old] to now.

“To all the kit men, Kath the receptionist, the media team, the security, the staff at the cliff, the staff at Littleton Road, the staff at Carrington to the cleaners, you all played a part in getting me to where I am today.

“It is time I take the next step in my career, I hope you can all be proud [of] what I go on to achieve. I wish the club and everyone involved the best of luck, you will all be missed more than you can imagine.

“I also want to thank the fans, your SUPPORT hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Once a RED always a RED.”

The Indian Football Association (IFA) held a meeting with the West Bengal state government on Monday to discuss the possibility of hosting the remainder of the 2019-20 I-League Second Division in the state.

IFA general secretary Joydeep Mukherjee along with representatives from Mohammedan Sporting and Bhowanipore FC, the two local clubs in Second Division, met the West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas.

The IFA secretary told Goal that they have received the green signal from the state government and if the central government permits sporting activities to happen in September, West Bengal will be ready to host the final stages of the Second Division.

“We had a very positive discussion. The West Bengal government is always there to back football in the state. If the Central Government permits sporting activities to resume from September, they have no problem in hosting tournaments,” said Mukherjee.

Joydeep Mukherjee further stated that they have already written to the All India Football Federation and informed them about the state association’s wish of hosting the Second Division league. The IFA has also picked Kalyani as the possible venue to host the matches.

“We have informed the All India Football Federation (AIFF) about our intention (to host the competition). Two out of the five clubs are from West Bengal so there is no reason why it should not be held here.

“We are planning to host the Second Division in Kalyani. The ground is ready, practice grounds are available and there are enough hotels in Kalyani. Most importantly the number of Covid-19 cases is very less in Kalyani compared to other places. So when we consider the issue of safety, then also Kalyani is the best option.”

Karnataka State Football Association had also shown interest in hosting the Second Division League in Bengaluru but now it looks like IFA is the frontrunner. 

Six teams were supposed to take part in the final stage of the league but FC Kerala recently withdrew citing financial constraints due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Simba SC midfielder Clatous Chama has honoured his promise by donating Tsh 1 million to an orphanage.

The Zambian has been in fine form and played a vital role in helping Wekundu wa Msimbazi win a treble in the concluded 2019/20 season.

On Sunday, he was named the FA Cup's Player of the Tournament and went on to promise he will give back to the community.

On Tuesday, August 4, the attacking midfielder ensured he did as promised.

"Clatous Chama has donated Tsh 1 million to Maunga children orphanage in Kinondoni, Dar es Salaam," Simba confirmed on their official social media page.

"The money was part of the promise made on Monday when he was presented with the reward for winning the club's Player of the Season Award by club sponsors SportPesa."

The 29-year-old helped the Msimbazi-based side start the season with the 4-2 Community Shield win against Azam FC. 

Wekundu wa Msimbazi went on to win the league with six matches to spare and secure their third title in a row and 21st overall.

On Sunday, they completed the treble after defeating Namungo, who finished fourth in the league, 2-1 to lift the FA Cup.

Captain John Bocco and Man of the Match Luis Miquissone provided the vital goals that ensured the Dar es Salaam side headed back home as the champions of the domestic cup.

After 35 minutes of failed attempts to break an otherwise tight Namungo backline, Simba finally got a hard-fought opener through Miquissone’s strike.

The Mozambican, who has proved to be an undroppable figure for coach Sven Vandenbroeck, scored an important goal and further showed why his January signing was a masterstroke.

Shomari Kapombe delivered a swinging cross into the penalty box, but Bocco was denied the opportunity to strike as the opponents swarmed around him, but as Namungo focused on Bocco, the ball fell into Miquissone’s path and the winger slotted home.

Bocco added the second goal four minutes after Miquissone had registered the opener, heading into the net and ensured Simba headed into the break with a healthy 2-0 lead.

Namungo scored their consolation in the 57th minute when Edward Charles Manyama managed to beat Aishi Manula in Simba's goal as the affair in Sumbawanga turned into an end-to-end encounter.

The biggest test perhaps lies ahead for the former Zambian national team coach as he has to ensure Simba prosper in the 2020-21 Caf Champions League.

Under his predecessor Patrick Aussems, the club was eliminated in the preliminary round by UD Songo of Mozambique.

Express FC have swooped for the services of defender Murushid Juuko ahead of the new season.

According to New Vision, Juuko, a full Uganda international, has signed for the Red Eagles on a one-year deal but will be allowed to leave the club if he gets an offer from a foreign club.

His decision to sign for Express has left Ugandan Premier League (UPL) champions Vipers SC and last season's winners KCCA FC in shock as they were both eyeing the services of the player.

New Vision has reported the transfer of the 26-year-old player was made possible by the club’s CEO Isaac Mwesigwa and will see them get 20% of the transfer fee if he manages to get a move abroad.

Juuko has previously played for Vipers and Simba SC of Tanzania and becomes the fifth signing for Express after Godfrey Lwesibawa, Mahad Yaya Kakooza, Charles Busingye, and John Byamukama.

The arrival of the player will be a great boost to coach Wasswa Bbosa, who is expecting a competitive 2020/21 UPL season.

Many teams are buffing up their squads in preparations for the new campaign which will begin in October. The tactician stated he is already aware of what to expect from opposing teams.

"We all know clubs are re-organizing themselves and that they will be competitive next season," Bossa said as quoted by the club's official website.

"But actually if anything, we have already done our homework on all the teams. So I would say we are braced up for any team that will come our way."

The six-time league champions finished the abandoned league in the ninth position with 31 points, after managing nine wins, four draws, and 12 defeats.

Bossa was appointed at the club at the expense of the sacked George Ssimwogere. After steering the team from the relegation zone to a ninth-place finish, he was rewarded with a three-year contract.

The tactician, in an earlier interview, said he wants to come up with a competitive squad, able to challenge their rivals in the top-flight.

After the 2019/20 struggles, the Wankulukuku-based side went on to release 18 players who they felt were surplus to requirements.

Those released were Tonny Kyamera, Joshua Adea, Mohammed Yiga, Emmanuel Bafoe, Martin Kizza, Joseph Zziwa, Hamis Batega, Andrew Kiwanuka, David Kakeeto, Hamdan Nsubuga, Axel Konan, Lawrence Kigonya, Dennis Sserukwaya, Peter Mutebi, Isaac Doka, Shafiq Avemah, Baker Lukooya and Idris Kabonge. 

Talk of Manchester City launching a raid on Barcelona for Sergi Roberto has been rubbished by the player’s agent, with no offers put on the table as yet.

It has been suggested that Pep Guardiola will look to prise a top talent away from his former employers at Camp Nou now that another window has swung open.

City have issues to address in defence, and it could be that they look to reinforce their options at right-back.

Roberto would compete with Kyle Walker for that position, with the versatile 28-year-old also capable of operating in midfield.

The La Masia academy graduate may prove to be a useful addition at the Etihad Stadium, but his representative claims there has been no approach despite the mounting speculation.

Josep Maria Orobitg said in the Manchester Evening News: “Sergi Roberto has no plans to leave Barca.

“Now there are no clubs showing interest and Barca has not submitted any proposals for the player to us.”

Amid the talk of City looking to land Roberto, Barca have been asking questions in the opposite direction of Eric Garcia.

The Catalan giants want a player who left their youth ranks in 2017 back on their books, but Guardiola is eager to tie the 19-year-old defender to fresh terms in England.

The Blues boss has also hinted that he will be looking to bring a number of fresh faces into his squad before the next deadline, with deals already in the pipeline for Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres.

Guardiola has said: “It depends on the players we’ll have next season, it depends on the quality of each one as to how we adapt the way we attack and defend.

“New players can maybe come or maybe not, it will not change the freshness of the team completely. Everyone has to be fresh - not just one or maybe none or two or three or 10 or 20 [signings] - all of us have to freshen up our minds and bodies and desires to continue to be competitive in all the competitions.

“If you bring in eight or nine players, which is impossible, you change a lot, the mentality or the freshness or the way you want to play. But I think 80 per cent or 85 per cent or 90 per cent of the team will be the same so it depends on the people who are here.”

Brandon Williams has signed a new Manchester United contract that will keep him at the club until June 2024, with the option to extend for a further year.

The full-back was handed his first-team debut in October in the Europa League and has since gone on to make 33 appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in all competitions.

The 19-year-old was only given his previous deal in October 2019, which was due to run until 2022, but his performances this term have seen him rewarded with a new and improved contract.

“Signing this contract is another really proud moment for myself and my family. Having been at Manchester United since I was seven years old, it’s genuinely a dream come true to be playing in the first team,” Williams said.

“It has taken a huge amount of hard work to reach this point and it has been really special for me to break through into the squad. I’ve learned a lot throughout the season from the manager, his coaching staff and my team-mates and I want to repay the trust that they have all shown in me.

“I know that everyone at the club is working really hard every day to achieve success in the coming years and I am really excited to be a part of that.” 

Solskjaer, who has given game time to 12 academy graduates this season as he looks to promote youth, has been impressed with Williams’ work ethic and contribution during the a challenging 2019-20 campaign.

“Brandon has had an excellent first season, so we are delighted that he has signed a new contract. This new deal is a real testament to his hard work and the progress that he has made since his debut,” Solskjaer said.

“Brandon never looked back after stepping up from the academy and having come all the way through the system he understands what it means to play for Manchester United. 

“He has all of the attributes required to be a member of this exciting young squad.  He will continue to learn every day in training and we look forward to watching him develop over the coming seasons.”