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With MLS is Back concluding August 11, questions have been raised about when the remainder of the regular MLS season will take place.

The MLS regular season started on February 29, but teams were only able to play two games before the Covid-19 outbreak forced all games to be suspended from March onwards.

So when could the remainder of 2020 MLS be played? Goal takes a look.

When will the regular MLS season resume?

MLS 2020 could continue with their regular season as soon as August 22, two weeks after the MLS is Back final on August 11.

MLS is Back began on July 8 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, with the three group-stage fixtures counting towards the final standings.

Additionally, the winner of the MLS is Back tournament will earn a place in the Concacaf Champions League, as well as a share of a $1.1 million (£880k) prize fund.

Once the tournament ends, MLS plans to continue the regular season "with a revised schedule in home markets" and complete the MLS Cup playoffs and final.

No official confirmation has been released about the remainder of the MLS 2020 season, but several figures from around the league have hinted about the current campaign's future.

Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson iterated his belief that the campaign will begin later this summer, alongside expert advice from MLS medical staff on how to resume the season safely.

“I’d say I’m confident,” Paulson said. “It’s not without its challenges. A lot of thinking, equal amount if not more thinking, is going into the second phase of this season post-Orlando MLS is Back Tournament.

"And a lot more moving parts there. I know the league is working tirelessly right now in ironing out a plan. Again, not without its challenges, but I’d say I’m confident.”

Additionally, New England Revolution coach Bruce Arena added: “I think there’s a plan. And I know the league hasn’t announced that yet, but we anticipate getting on with our regular season once we leave Orlando, and there’s going to be a lot more games ahead.”

“I think when September comes around, we’re going to have a better feel for all the clubs in Major League Soccer."

What could the MLS 2020 schedule look like?

According to the Athletic, the potential fixture schedule for MLS 2020 would see teams playing six games between August 22 and September 13 as part of phase one of the restart.

The three MLS Canadian teams (Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps) would stay in Canada and play exclusively against each other.

The second phase of the restart would involve teams playing 12 games from September 16 to November 8, which would mean that each team would play a total of 23 regular season games (including the two fixtures played prior to the Covid-19 suspension, as well as three from the teams' group stage results during MLS is Back).

The 18 remaining fixtures following the conclusion of MLS is Back would be played over 11 weeks.

Following the end of the regular season, the 18 sides (nine per conference) progress to the postseason that begins on November 20.

The teams participating would then play in a single-elimination tournament leading up to the MLS Cup as the grand finale of MLS 2020, to take place on a proposed date of December 12.

Azam FC have completed the signing of midfielder Awesu Ally Awesu from Kagera Sugar on a two-year deal.

The player makes a return to the team which developed him between 2014-15 while at the Azam Academy. In the last two seasons, the player has been in good form and it was not a tough decision for the technical bench to make him the first signing in the transfer window. 

"I am delighted to sign this deal, it is like making a return home," Awesu said during the signing.

"No one can turn down a deal from Azam because it is a big team in Tanzania. It is home for me because I played for them [in the reserve team] for two years.

"I had to leave and gain experience elsewhere, but in my heart, I always promised myself to make a return to the team and not in the reserve but as a first-team player. I am happy it has happened."

The creative midfielder has also shed light on what he intends to do at the 2014 Tanzania Mainland League champions. 

"I am here to help the team as much as I can," Awesu continued.

"My desire was to come back in this team and achieve something; I want to achieve great things with this team and God will help me realise my objectives."

After leaving the Chamazi-based academy, Awesu managed to play for Mwadui, and the now second-tier side Singida United before joining the Sugar Millers. Last season, he managed to score seven goals.

Azam have not had as good a season as they had anticipated at the beginning of the campaign.

They finished third in the league with 70 points, 18 fewer than winners Simba SC, and two behind second-placed Yanga SC. They managed to get 20 wins, 10 draws and eight losses.

The team also failed to defend their FA Cup title to stand a chance of representing the country in the Caf Confederation Cup. They were paired with Wekundu wa Msimbazi in the quarter-finals and fell 2-0.

The technical bench promised to bolster the squad and has now signed their former youth product. 

Lyon right-back Leo Dubois says Kylian Mbappe's absence will not affect his side's strategy in the Coupe de la Ligue final against Paris Saint-Germain.

The two sides will meet in the decider on Friday, but PSG's star attacker will not be available after being ruled out for at least three weeks with an ankle injury. 

But with the likes of Neymar and Mauro Icardi still available, Dubois has warned that his side will have a tough time regardless of Mbappe's absence.

"It doesn't change the plans. There are only world-class players opposite us, even in the absence of Kylian," the 25-year-old told reporters.

"We are convinced of our quality, of our ability to win this trophy. Lyon need it. We come with this mentality and we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Lyon have not played a competitive match since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, whereas PSG beat Saint-Etienne in the Coupe de France final last week.

But Dubois feels his side are mentally ready for the clash and hopes they are in good physical condition for the clash with the French champions.

"We had to get the bodies back on track, we prepared our bodies well for the resumption of competition. Everything has been done to prepare well for the past eight weeks," he added.

"We know the qualities of PSG. On the physical question, we are a little in the unknown, but mentally we are preparing for a very high level match. 

"We have to go and dig deep into ourselves. It's up to us to set the bar very high. I'm sure there will be a lot of intensity even if it will be our first competitive game and there will be a lot of heat. 

"We will have the ambition to go for a title, and I think that will take over.

"Tomorrow's match may allow us to win a trophy. It's the only thing we think about. The preparation matches are over, we are really entering the competition. 

"With this Coupe de la Ligue final, we have to be motivated. The club expects that, the supporters too. We can go look for Europe for next season, and that's just what we're focused on."

Kenyan striker Ronald Okoth believes Nicholas Pepe has not flopped in his first Premier League season at Arsenal.

The Ivorian was signed for £72 million from Lille and the huge transfer fee attracted high expectations from Arsenal fans.

The expectations from club and fans alike, and difficulty settling in a new country might have contributed to his inconsistent form in the 2019/20 campaign, according to Okoth.

“I think he has not been a flop because he was still fighting to adapt and again I also think he has not played that bad,” Okoth told Goal.

“The moments he has been playing his work on the pitch has been seen, to me, those were some good performances.

“You know when the whole team is having a bad day, there will be no player who can be regarded as outstanding. It is more of a collective effort and that is why he might have been seen as a flop, which is not the case to me.

“The expectations that the club had on him as well as the fans especially after arriving with so much invested in him money-wise, might have drastically affected him.

“He has not lived up to those expectations, yes, but hopefully in the next season he might rightfully prove his worth.”

The 25-year-old forward was signed by Unai Emery before the manager was sacked before Mikel Arteta took over, and Okoth believes the Emery-Arteta transition had an impact on Pepe’s maiden season in England as well.

“Without a doubt, a change of managers affected his performance overall,” the Sofapaka striker added.

“In any club, any new manager will come with his own playing style and philosophies that will affect players in one way or another.

“But under Arteta, it is a matter of time before Pepe hits his top form. This season has been more of a survival fight but in the next campaign, it will be a new team chasing new ambitions.

“In that regard, Pepe stands a better chance of having good days on the pitch.”

The 2013 Kenyan Premier League (KPL)-winning striker also compared Pepe to the signings that were made during his time of England arrival.

“There were plenty of good signings that were made when Arsenal went for Pepe and he is among the best. I can say every team signed in accordance with their ambitions and Pepe was one of them.

“Every team is always signing a good player in their own perspective, and Pepe is among the best signings done in the EPL then.

“He is one of the best players we have on the continent at the moment.”

The Ivorian scored his first Arsenal goal, a spot-kick, during a 3-2 win over Mbwana Samatta’s Aston Villa.

His first European goals came during a Europa League match against Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Emirates.

On June 28, the former Angers star earned his first FA Cup goal against Sheffield United as Arsenal won the game 2-1.

Amanda Staveley, the businesswoman at the centre of a Saudi-backed bid to buy Newcastle United, has claimed opposition from other Premier League clubs caused the deal to break down.

On Thursday, a consortium led by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) pulled out of a bid to buy the club.

A proposed £300 million ($390m) purchase, backed by the PIF, whose chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had been withdrawn mainly due to the protracted nature of negotiations.

Staveley, whose PCP Capital Partners would have taken 10 per cent of the club, with another 10 per cent going to property developers Simon and David Reuben, was at the centre of negotiations.

"We are heartbroken obviously," she told The Times. "Of course we do [blame the Premier League]. They had a chance, they say we have not answered all the questions and we have done so.

"The other clubs in the Premier League didn't want it to happen.

"We are so heartbroken for the Newcastle fans as the investment that was going to go into the club, especially with everything happening with Brexit and Covid-19, would have been so important. This is catastrophic for them. It has been going on for so long and the opportunity was there."

A further complication to the deal came after Saudi Arabia were found by the World Trade Organisation to have enabled the piracy of Premier League matches being broadcast by beIN Sport. Staveley, though, insists the hurdle could have been easily overcome.

"The piracy issue was not an issue but we tried to resolve it anyway," she said. "They [the Premier League] tried to make the state of Saudi a director. The PIF had agreed to become a director."

However, Staveley hinted there may be a possibility of reigniting the deal.

"Do we give up now? I don't know, there may be a way forward, but we have had to put a statement out," she added. "I'm trying to deal with the facts and we had to make a decision today."

A statement released on Thursday on behalf of the PIF, PCP Capital Partners and Reuben Brothers confirmed: "With a deep appreciation for the Newcastle community and the significance of its football club, we have come to the decision to withdraw our interest in acquiring Newcastle United Football Club.

"We do so with regret, as we were excited and fully committed to invest in the great city of Newcastle and believe we could have returned the club to the position of its history, tradition and fans' merit.

"Unfortunately, the prolonged process under the current circumstances coupled with global uncertainty has rendered the potential investment no longer commercially viable."

Ghana international Rahim Ayew believes younger brother Jordan deserves to be named as the Black Stars' deputy skipper and the team's next captain.

The Crystal Palace forward is one of the longest-serving players in the national team, having made his debut in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier against Swaziland in 2010.

Swansea City attacker Andre, the third of the Ayew siblings, is the current captain of the Black Stars, having assumed duty in May last year ahead of the 2019 Afcon in Egypt, while Inter Milan defender Kwadwo Asamoah currently enjoys the privilege as deputy skipper.

“What I know personally, apart from Dede [Andre Ayew] and Jonathan Mensah, I think Jordan should be the next captain because he has been there for long, but the coach has the power to decide," Rahim told Adom TV.

“However, I feel he deserves to be the assistant captain for now because he has the character and he is a leader as well."

Jordan has made over 60 appearances for the Black Stars, including outings at all but one Afcon tournament since 2012.

He also featured at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where Ghana exited the tournament at the group stage.

“He [Jordan] has been in the Black Stars for a very long time. I made my debut in 2009 and I have not been able to play again," Rahim explained further to Asempa FM after his comments generated controversy.

“I said when Jonathan and the likes are not around, Jordan must be made the next captain.

“Jordan has the qualities of a leader. He is a guy of few words but he has everything as a leader.

“Jordan is a different player compared to Andre Ayew but within the family, we don’t do comparisons.

“I stand by what I said. Jordan deserves to be the next Black Stars captain. He has proven it and moving forward, that must be the way to go."

On Wednesday, Jordan scooped a treble of honours at Crystal Palace's end of season awards on the back of a brilliant 2019-20 term.

The 28-year-old, who was adjudged Crystal Palace Player of the Season, Crystal Palace Players' Player of the Season and the scorer of the most outstanding goal, finished the campaign as the club's top scorer with nine goals. 

Highlands Park coach Owen Da Gama has confirmed his loyalty is with the Tembisa-based club despite media reports linking him with a move to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM).

The Lions of the North manager, however, confirmed he was approached by an official from the National First Division (NFD) outfit as the club that bought Bidvest Wits look to secure Gavin Hunt’s successor.

In addition, Highlands Park are reportedly considering selling their Premier Soccer League (PSL) status and are heavily linked with TS Galaxy, but the former Bafana Bafana manager says everything is going normally in their camp.

“Someone [from TTM] called me some time ago, during the sale,” Da Gama told Phakaaathi.

“But it was not the owner of the club, it was someone with a name I have never heard of, and I told them I am under contract at Highlands Park and happy at Highlands Park.

“All we know is also what we have heard and read about [about the sale of the club]. There is nothing official, so from our perspective, we are just carrying on with the team.”

On the other hand, the former Platinum Stars coach says they welcome the move to play their home games at Dobsonville Stadium, saying the pitch has been of good quality.

“We have played a few friendlies there, it is a very good field, I don’t know how well it has been maintained during the Covid-19 period, but I am sure that the PSL has done its spadework. The pitch has always been even and of good quality,” Da Gama added.

The MTN8 losing finalists will play their remaining 2019/20 PSL season home games in Soweto in a Biologically Safe Environment (BSE) in Gauteng, a move that is aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

As things stand, the Lions of the North are eighth on the PSL table with 31 points from 24 matches and are gunning for a top-eight finish.

Da Gama’s troops will resume their campaign with a clash against reigning PSL champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who will ironically use the same venue as their home base for the rest of the campaign.

However, the eagerly anticipated match will technically be hosted by the Tembisa-based outfit as the league matches will get underway on Tuesday, August 11 when Orlando Pirates visit Masandawana.

Amnesty International has suggested the collapse of Newcastle United's Saudi-backed takeover will be seen as a "sign" that human rights defenders have not been completely disregarded.

A proposed £300 million ($390m) purchase of the Premier League club, backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) whose chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had been ongoing for several months.

The prospective new owners pulled out of a deal on Thursday, owing largely to the protracted nature of negotiations, which combined with the coronavirus pandemic had made the investment "no longer commercially viable".

There had been strong opposition to the deal from human rights campaigners concerned about Saudi Arabia's welfare practices.

Matters were complicated further when the World Trade Organization (WTO) published a report that found representatives of the kingdom facilitated the breach of piracy laws through broadcasting network beoutQ, who were accused of illegally showing Premier League football and other sport.

Amnesty International, the world's leading human rights organisation, was among the most vocal critics when the deal first came to light, saying in April that the takeover was an attempt to "sportswash" – using sports or a club as a PR tool to divert attention from areas of concern, or improve a country's image.

Following Thursday's collapse, the organisation is hoping human rights defenders take heart.

"This deal was always a blatant attempt by the government of Saudi Arabia to try to sportswash its abysmal human rights record by buying into the passion, prestige and pride of Tyneside football," Peter Frankental, Amnesty International UK's economics affairs programme director, said.

"The fact that this sportswashing bid has failed will be seen by human rights defenders in Saudi Arabia as a sign that their suffering has not been entirely overlooked.

"Numerous peaceful Saudi human rights activists are currently behind bars, and of course a Saudi journalist was grotesquely murdered by agents of the Saudi state less than two years ago.

"Looking ahead, there needs to be a rule change to ensure the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' test provides proper scrutiny of the human rights records of those trying to buy into English football, not least when the buyers are governments or government representatives.

"We'll be watching developments at St James' Park with interest and meanwhile we wish Newcastle United and its fans well."

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nicholas Mwendwa has claimed Fifa will take over the elections matters should it be blocked further by court injunctions.

The FKF failed to hold the mandatory elections in the last two attempts as the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) blocked them after dissatisfied members raised issues, especially regarding the electoral code.

In a leaked audio recording, Mwendwa is heard assuring his election campaign team of Fifa protection should more court cases be registered.

“I have made a clear explanation to Fifa of the risk we are facing especially people rushing to courts,” Mwendwa said in an audio message received by Goal.

“They have understood our situation and said if anyone goes to court again, it is they who will handle the situation.”

Mwendwa assured his ‘Team Blue’ campaign team that they need not worry as he hopes they will overcome the challenges.

“Members of ‘Team Blue' let me go through it again so that everyone listens and understands,” he added.

“When you were here, I remember saying you need to be confident in order to surmount any challenge. We have seen the challenges so far but the challenges have not defeated us. This is not the time to panic.

“There is nothing to fear about although some of us were calling for fresh exercises so that our opponents should not have any more reasons to complain.

“My point is we cannot seem weak to Fifa. Fifa is being told that we are fearing elections and that we are locking people out. Let us be calm, support one another and be ready for elections.”

Mwendwa further confirmed there will be a repeat of elections for the lower level positions of the federation.

“Elections are set to be repeated from the branch levels going up to the national office. But anyone who had presented his papers and paid [the nomination fee], will not need to present them again or pay the money,” the incumbent added.

“Only opponents, if there are any at all, in every county are the ones that will present the papers and pay the requisite money.

“We have analysed and seen that in over 35 counties, there would be no opponent.

“Secondly, there will be no changes to the electoral board. This is because there is no mechanism of changing the electoral code because the national executive committee members are not in the office and I cannot call for a Special General Meeting (SGM).

“What is going to happen is, the people who want to run for the national offices and the former players will be allowed to run.

“At the branch level, there will be no changes.”

Ghana international Bernard Tekpetey has prematurely ended his loan stint with relegated Bundesliga side Fortuna Dusseldorf, the club have announced.

The development brings to end weeks of dispute between the two parties which resulted in the player being excused from training earlier this week.

Promptly, the attacker, who was on loan from Schalke 04, has joined Bulgarian side Ludogorets on a two-year loan deal.

"Bernard Tekpetey returns to FC Schalke 04 after one season. The loan was originally designed for two years," Dusseldorf announced on their official website on Thursday.

Tekpetey signed a two-year loan deal with Dusseldorf last summer following the club’s promotion to the elite division.

The 22-year-old was, however, agitated by his limited playing time at Merkur Spiel-Arena as the club suffered relegation at the end of the season.

With just nine league appearances involving five starts all through last term, he made up his mind to move on despite one more year remaining on his contract and refused to show up to training this week.

"The loan from Bernard Tekpetey could now be ended prematurely because we found a solution with Schalke 04 that could fully take our economic demands into account. We wish Bernard all the best for the future," Dusseldorf Sports Director Uwe Klein explained.

Earlier, Tekpetey was quoted by Express saying he "will never play for Dusseldorf again", a comment which drew a reaction from Klein.

"If a player is disappointed, he cannot simply say that he doesn't want to come anymore. I made it clear to him and his adviser in a personal conversation that I gave my opinion. We won't just give Bernard the go-ahead," the Dusseldorf executive remarked.

Last season, Tekpetey played in the Bundesliga 2 with Paderborn, making 32 appearances involving 23 starts, with 10 goals and four assists.

He joined parent club Schalke from Ghanaian side UniStar Academy in 2016.

The following year, the attacker was farmed out on loan to Austrian fold Altach owing to limited opportunities at Veltins-Arena,

He was then sold to Paderborn ahead of the 2018-19 term but a fine outing in the lower division saw Schalke exercise a buy-back option to re-sign the Ghanaian before promptly sending him out on a two-year loan to Dusseldorf last summer.

A full Ghana international, Tekpetey represented the Black Stars at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

Thomas Tuchel says Paris Saint-Germain will need a "miracle" to have Kylian Mbappe fit in time to face Atalanta in the Champions League. 

The 21-year-old attacker was this week ruled out for around three weeks after suffering an ankle injury in his side's Coupe de France final victory over Saint-Etienne last Friday.

PSG's Champions League campaign will resume on August 12 when they take on the Serie A side in the quarter-finals of the competition, and Tuchel does not expect the France star to be available for selection.

"This will have an important influence for us, but I hope that the solution will be found," Tuchel told reporters ahead of Friday's Coupe de la Ligue final against Lyon. "We still hope [he can play against Atalanta], but the chances will be very, very small. Every day counts to achieve a miracle, but tomorrow we will have to adapt without Kylian."

Tuchel's team will call on Mauro Icardi to line up alongside Neymar for the matches against Lyon and Atalanta, and Tuchel is confident the Argentine forward, who has scored 20 goals in all competitions since joining from Inter initially on loan then on a permanent transfer, will continue his good form. 

"He was very strong in the first friendlies, he is always very strong with Neymar, Kylian and Angel Di Maria. He likes to play with all three," Tuchel said.

"He matches the characteristics of the team. It is not necessary for him not to touch the ball too many times. He can wait. He has a lot of patience. It's up to everyone to improve, not just him. He will improve and he can play better. He works a lot defensively, he is disciplined, he is important for us.

"If we don't play enough for him, we can tell that he is not in good shape but it is not like that. He remains the same player as when he arrived. He always wants to score and it is also our goal to give him good balls to score. He remains important for us."

Nevertheless, the German manager will not be treating Friday's final as a warm-up for the European clash, as their Italian opponents have a completely different playing style.

"It is not possible to tactically prepare for Atalanta in a match against Lyon," he added. "I don't know a team that plays like Atalanta. We can just work on our state of mind and show our hunger to win. This will prepare us from this point of view if we get a good result tomorrow."

Osinachi Ohale has joined Serie A Women's League outfit AS Roma on a one-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

The Nigeria international parted ways with Spanish side CD Tacon, now renamed Real Madrid, last month after the expiration of her contract with the Primera Iberdrola outfit.

On joining CD Tacon from Swedish side Vaxjo last September, she made 15 appearances, scoring twice for David Aznar's side before the Spanish league's coronavirus cancellation.

For her two goals, the first came in Tacon's 5-1 thrashing of Toni Payne's Sevilla on January 4 and the second in a 4-3 win over rivals Madrid CFF in a local derby in the capital four weeks later.

Following her announcement, she becomes the latest Nigerian to join an Italian outfit and also the club’s third signing this summer after Spain's Paloma Lazaro and Italy's Rachele Baldi.

Reacting to her historic move, Ohale told the club website: “I chose Roma because of so many things; so many amazing things about the club, about this city and this country that interested me.

“I felt like it would be a great thing for me, to explore and to experience new things and a new challenge.”

At club level, the 28-year-old starred at Delta Queens and Rivers Angels in Nigeria before her first contract abroad with Houston Dash in the United States, and she later moved to Sweden for stints with Vittsjo and Vaxjo.

The defender, who has 26 international appearances for Nigeria, has won four African Women's Cup of Nations titles and featured at three Fifa Women's World Cups with the Super Falcons.

Having joined the Giallorosse, Ohale will hope to make a fine debut in Italy when Roma open their league campaign in  September.

Spanish Primera Iberdrola outfit Sevilla have secured the services of Namibia striker Zenatha Coleman for the 2020-21 season.

The Namibia international becomes the latest addition to Cristian Toro's team ahead of the commencement of the season in September after ending her journey with rivals Valencia in May.

In 2018, she started with Zaragoza after arriving in Spain from Lithuanian side Gintra Universitetas, where she scored 110 goals in 31 games and had her first taste of the Women’s Champions League.

The 26-year-old, who joined Valencia from then Spanish top-flight side Zaragoza in 2018, scored 11 goals in 42 appearances for Jose Bargues' team during her two-year stint at the club.

During her first season, she scored seven goals in 24 matches, including being nominated for the Player of the Week award twice and in her second outing, netted four times in 21 appearances.

The striker is Namibia women's national team captain and featured at several Cosafa Women's Cups and also starred at the 2014 Africa Women's Cup of Nations staged in her country.

Her signing means manager Toro has secured a replacement for Nigeria's Uchenna Kanu, who left for Swedish Damallsvenskan side Linkopings as he moved to bolster his ranks for the new season.

She will become the second African at the club as she teams up with Nigerian-American striker Toni Payne, who joined from Netherlands Eredivisie women's champions Ajax in 2018.

Having excelled in Spain, she will be aiming to bring her experience and goalscoring ability to Cristian Toro's side in pursuit of domestic glory this term, having finished 11th last season.

The PSL has finalised and released a full fixture list for the remaining matches of the season. 

As previously confirmed, the Nedbank Cup semi-finals will be played on August 8 with league matches followed three days later. 

The final of the Nedbank Cup will be played on Tuesday, September 8, just three days after the completion of league matches. 

The league is yet to release kick-off times for both the semi-finals and final matches of the Nedbank Cup. 

This means final round of league matches will be played on September 5 with the final two rounds of matches taking place at the same time as this has been the case in previous years. 

According to the fixture list, Mamelodi Sundowns will get league matches underway with a home fixture against Orlando Pirates on August 11. The match is scheduled for 18h00 at Dobsonville Stadium. 

The match will be followed a day later by another mouthwatering clash between log leaders Kaizer Chiefs and Bidvest Wits at Orlando Stadium. Kick-off for that match is also 18h00. 

Amakhosi and Wits will be facing each other for the time this season, and the return leg is set to take place on August 30 at FNB Stadium; the Students' new home for the remainder of the campaign.

Apart from the abovementioned fixtures which will certainly draw a lot of attention from football fans across the country, all eyes will be on the match between Chiefs and Sundowns. 

The two teams have already met this season with the Soweto giants getting the better of Sundowns away from home in 2019. 

They will again renew their rivalry for the second time this season with the return leg of the season scheduled for August 27 at Orlando Stadium.  

Sundowns, who have a game in hand, are second on the PSL standings and four points behind Amakhosi who have been at the top of the log since August. 

The clash at Orlando Stadium is considered a title decider given how impressive both teams have been so far this season.

According to the PSL, the first match of the relegation/promotion play-offs will be played on September 6 with the final match pencilled for September 21.    

København manager Stale Solbakken has praised Dame N'Doye as one of the greatest players ever to have played for the club.

The Senegal international ended his second stint with the side after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract with the Telia Parke outfit.  

The 35-year-old forward returned to the Danish club in the summer of 2018 as a free agent after leaving Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor.   

During his two stints with the side, the striker racked up 118 goals in 218 appearances across all competitions, despite a serious injury which limited his appearances to 14 in the 2019-20 campaign.

Solbakken has praised the contribution of the former Lokomotiv Moscow striker for København and explained how the club made frantic effort to tie him to a new contract.

"N'Doye is without a doubt the best striker in the history of the club and the Superliga, and he writes himself in the history books as one of the greatest ever at FCK. There can be no two opinions about that," Solbakken told the club website.

"We also had a desire to keep him in the club for another year despite his serious injuries, but he has declined the offer of the contract extension we had presented. We offered both a short-term deal so he could play against Basaksehir and also an extension until next summer.

"It is clear that the serious injuries and his age have meant that we have had to be responsible in relation to the finances of the contract, but we stretched ourselves as far as we possibly could in the current situation and we have made two good and fair deals, we believe.

 "We are sad that we have not been able to reach an agreement, but we have been through a lot together and we part as friends with lots of respect for each other.

"There were some who questioned us when we brought N'Doye back to FCK a few years ago, but he has shown that he is a player at the highest international level when he is injury-free. At the same time he is a leader by virtue of his strength and mentality, and we will miss him at the club, but the door will always be open for him.

"Now that we won't have N'Doye among the forward options, we now have a situation where the likes of Jonas Wind, Michael Santos and Mikkel Kaufmann can play as pure strikers, while Mohamed Daramy and Viktor Fischer can also play in forward positions.

"We must now analyse how that formation can work, and whether we need to adjust further there."

N'Doye, who has 26 caps for Senegal, has previously featured for Panathinaikos, Lokomotiv Moscow and Hull City among others.

A consortium led by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) has pulled out of their bid to buy Newcastle United.

The proposed £300 million ($390m) purchase of the Premier League club, backed by the PIF, whose chairman is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been withdrawn largely due to the protracted nature of negotiations.

A statement initially carried by Sky Sports News on behalf of the PIF, PCP Capital Partners and Reuben Brothers confirmed: "With a deep appreciation for the Newcastle community and the significance of its football club, we have come to the decision to withdraw our interest in acquiring Newcastle United Football Club.

"We do so with regret, as we were excited and fully committed to invest in the great city of Newcastle and believe we could have returned the club to the position of its history, tradition and fans' merit.

"Unfortunately, the prolonged process under the current circumstances coupled with global uncertainty has rendered the potential investment no longer commercially viable.

"To that end, we feel a responsibility to the fans to explain the lack of alternatives from an investment perspective.

"As an autonomous and purely commercial investor, our focus was on building long-term value for the club, its fans and the community as we remained committed to collaboration, practicality and proactivity through a difficult period of global uncertainty and significant challenges for the fans and the club.

"Ultimately, during the unforeseeably prolonged process, the commercial agreement between the Investment Group and the club's owners expired and our investment thesis could not be sustained, particularly with no clarity as to the circumstances under which the next season will start and the new norms that will arise for matches, training and other activities.

"As often occurs with proposed investments in uncertain periods, time itself became an enemy of the transaction, particularly during this difficult phase marked by the many real challenges facing us all from Covid-19.

"We feel great compassion for the Newcastle United fans, with whom we shared a great commitment to help Newcastle United harness its tremendous potential and build upon its impressive and historic legacy while working closely with the local community.

"We would like to say that we truly appreciated your incredible expressions of support and your patience throughout this process. We are sorry it is not to be. We wish the team and everyone associated with it much good luck and success."

Talk of the takeover has rumbled on for some months but the process has been far from smooth.

There has been opposition to the deal from human rights campaigners concerned about Saudi Arabia's welfare practices, while matters were complicated further when the World Trade Organization published a report that found representatives of the Kingdom had facilitated the breach of piracy laws through broadcasting network beoutQ.

BeoutQ has been accused of illegally showing live sport, including Premier League games, with broadcast rights in the Middle East belonging to Qatar-based beIN Sports.

Public health concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic mean that the 2020-21 Champions League campaign has been pushed back by a number of months.

The final of the 2019-20 edition will be played at the end of August and the extraordinary nature of the Covid-19 crisis means that there is some crossover in the season calendars.

So when does next season's Champions League begin and which teams have booked their places in the group stage of the competition?

Goal brings you all the details about the next edition of UEFA's premier club competition.

Contents

When does the Champions League 2020-21 start?

Champions League 2020-21 kicks off on August 8 with the preliminary qualifying rounds and the group stage will begin two months later on October 20.

The qualification stage - which encompasses a total of five rounds - will conclude with the play-off round, with those games set for September 22/23 and September 29/30.

After the preliminary qualifying round, teams will pass through the first, second and third qualifying rounds before advancing to the play-off round, from which six teams will progress to the group stage.

With the qualifying rounds commencing in August, that means we will have the unusual situation of the 2019-20 and the 2020-21 Champions League seasons running at the same time.

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Which teams have qualified for the Champions League 2020-21 group stage?

The bulk of the teams are confirmed for the Champions League group stage. A total of 26 teams automatically qualify, with the remaining six coming through the play-off round.

A number of teams are already sure of their seeding pots, with the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Juventus among those in pot one. Borussia Dortmund will be in pot two and Lazio in pot three. However as it stands the majority of seeding pots remain subject to change.

The only remaining automatic qualifiers to be determined are the winners of the Champions League and the winners of the Europa League.

If the winners of the 2019-20 Champions League have already qualified for the group stage through their domestic league, then Ajax will assume that berth as champions of the 11th-ranked association (Netherlands).

In the event that the 2019-20 Europa League winners have already qualified, Rennes will be elevated to the group stage as the third-placed team of the fifth-ranked association (France).

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When is the draw for the Champions League 2020-21 group stage?

The draw for the 2020-21 Champions League group stage is scheduled to be held on Thursday October 1 in Athens.

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Champions League 2020-21 group stage teams by country

Teams from Spain, England, Italy and Germany dominate the Champions League group stage, accounting for at least 16 of the 32 participants (four automatic qualifiers from each league). 

France and Russia have fewer automatic qualifiers (two each), with Portugal, Belgium, Ukraine and Turkey having one each.

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Who won the Champions League 2019-20?

The 2019-20 Champions League is still ongoing, with 12 teams still in with a chance to win the trophy. The final will be played on August 23, 2020.

The routes to the final have been plotted out though, so we have an idea of which teams will play each other in each stage.

On one side of the draw, a finalist will come from this group of teams: Real Madrid, Man City, Lyon, Juventus, Napoli, Barcelona, Chelsea or Bayern Munich.

One of these teams will take the second finalist's berth: RB Leipzig, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta or PSG.

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Avram Grant joked he would have been "sent to Siberia" by Roman Abramovich had he led Chelsea to a fourth-placed finish, but the former Blues boss is thrilled for Frank Lampard.

Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Wolves on the final day of the season ensured Lampard's side will be playing in the Champions League next term.

The Blues now have the FA Cup final against Arsenal to focus on before they face Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, though the Bundesliga winners hold a 3-0 aggregate lead.

In his sole season at the club in 2007-08, Grant guided Chelsea to a second-placed finish in the Premier League, while the Blues lost to Tottenham in the EFL Cup final and then succumbed to Manchester United on penalties to miss out on Champions League success.

Grant was sacked soon after that Champions League finale, and though he is thrilled that Lampard has taken Chelsea to the top four this season, he pointed out Abramovich did not give him such leniency 12 years ago.

"I think it's a good season, especially compared to how it began, without being allowed to buy players," Grant told Stats Perform News.

"Compared to the requirement of Roman Abramovich, if I told him some years ago that fourth place would be good for him, probably he would send me to Siberia, but because of the situation before, I think it's a good place. For Frank, I think it's a big achievement.

"It's his first year as a coach in the Premier League. Of course, he was a player with a lot of experience, but you cannot compare a player to a manager, and I think he's managed the team very well.

"A lot of young players and he knew how to play them, how to give them a rest and when to push them. It's a good base for the future, I was very pleased with his performance."

Grant also believes Lampard always had the right mentality as a player to become a top-level coach, with the former midfielder one of a number of players in the Chelsea squad of 2007-08 who showed such promise.

"I was sure, because he was always a leader. When you spoke with him, he had a different view about football," Grant said.

"In my team at Chelsea there was a lot of leaders. I thought [Michael] Ballack would be a good coach, Didier [Drogba], John Terry, because there was a good personality and a lot of knowledge about football.

"Of course, having the knowledge is not the same, you have to pass the knowledge to players, you have to deal with the owner, the media, you have to deal with the supporters, but at the end of the day, you depend on the performance on the pitch – it's results, especially at the top."

The Swiss special prosecutor has opened criminal proceedings against FIFA president Gianni Infantino relating to dealings with the country's attorney general Michael Lauber.

Lauber offered to resign from his position last week after a court claimed he covered up undisclosed meetings with the head of football's governing body and lied to supervisors while his office probed alleged corruption relating to FIFA.

Stefan Keller was appointed as special prosecutor to review criminal complaints against Infantino, Lauber and other individuals. Proceedings have consequently commenced against Infantino and the chief public prosecutor of Upper Valais, Rinaldo Arnold.

Keller has also requested permission to open proceedings against Lauber.

A statement from the Swiss Federal Council said Keller had “reached the conclusion that, in connection with the meetings between Attorney General Lauber and FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the chief public prosecutor of the Upper Valais, there are indications of criminal conduct”.

Both Infantino and Lauber have denied any wrongdoing.

The Federal Council statement added: "The presumption of innocence applies to attorney general Michael Lauber, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and chief public prosecutor Rinaldo Arnold. The special federal public prosecutor is independent in his activities."

The allegations against Infantino and Arnold “concern abuse of public office, breach of official secrecy, assisting offenders and incitement to these acts”, the statement said.

Responding to Thursday's news, Infantino said: "People remember well where FIFA was as an institution back in 2015, and how substantial judicial intervention was actually required to help restore the credibility of the organisation.

"As President of FIFA, it has been my aim from day one, and it remains my aim, to assist the authorities with investigating past wrongdoings at FIFA. FIFA officials have met with prosecutors in other jurisdictions across the world for exactly these purposes.

"People have been convicted and sentenced, thanks to FIFA’s cooperation, and especially in the United States of America, where our cooperation has resulted in over 40 criminal convictions. Therefore, I remain fully supportive of the judicial process, and FIFA remains willing to fully cooperate with the Swiss authorities for these purposes."

A statement from the governing body itself read: "FIFA acknowledges the decision of the Swiss Special Federal Public Prosecutor in opening an investigation regarding the meetings involving the FIFA president and the Swiss attorney general.

"FIFA, including the FIFA President, remains at the disposal of the Swiss authorities and will, as we have always done, cooperate fully with this investigation."

Last month, Infantino said: "To meet with the head prosecutor or attorney general of Switzerland is perfectly legitimate and it’s perfectly legal."

Infantino became FIFA president in 2016, after his predecessor Sepp Blatter was forced to resign the year before over corruption allegations. In December 2015, Blatter was banned from all football-related activities for eight years, later reduced to six on appeal.

Speaking in 2016 after his appointment as Blatter’s successor at a FIFA Congress meeting, Infantino said: "I cannot express my feelings in this moment. We will restore the image and the respect of FIFA and everyone in the world will applaud us. We are finally going to ensure that we can once again focus on the beautiful game of football."

Infantino, who previously worked as secretary general of UEFA, was subsequently reelected to his post at FIFA in June 2019, and in January of this year was elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).