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Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice as Milan picked Sampdoria apart and extended their unbeaten run to 12 matches in all competitions with a 4-1 victory.

Stefano Pioli's men have not lost since the Serie A season resumed in June, a run of form that has taken them to sixth place and European qualification while securing the coach an extended contract.

January signing Ibrahimovic has been key and proved the star of the show again with his two goals plus an assist for Hakan Calhanoglu - following a VAR review - in a dominant display at the Marassi that concluded with Rafael Leao's well-taken fourth.

Gianluigi Donnarumma saved a penalty in the second half but was eventually beaten by a brilliant effort from Kristoffer Askildsen.

Milan were outstanding from the off and needed just four minutes to forge the opener as Ante Rebic's smart turn on the left created space for a cross that found Ibrahimovic inexplicably unmarked for a simple header.

A second should have swiftly followed, but Theo Hernandez shot straight at Wladimiro Falcone, who bounced back up to steer Davide Calabria's drive clear.

Falcone then got a toe to Rebic's low finish, before he again came to Samp's rescue with a scrambling stop from a scuffed Ibrahimovic effort on the half-hour mark.

The home side somehow made it to half-time just a goal behind and almost capitalised with an equaliser six minutes after the restart as Donnarumma parried Fabio Quagliarella's free-kick and Omar Colley nodded the rebound over.

However, Milan went straight down the other end and deservedly doubled their lead, with Calhanoglu reaching Ibrahimovic's knockdown to thrash home. Referee Fabrizio Pasqua initially perceived a non-existent foul on Ronaldo Vieira by the goalscorer but made amends with a visit to the pitchside monitor.

Now ruthless where they had earlier been wasteful, Milan had a third when Calhanoglu returned the favour and fed Ibrahimovic to shoot through Falcone.

Donnarumma blocked from close range to deny Quagliarella a consolation and Samp still could not beat the goalkeeper even after Simon Kjaer barged Andrea Bertolacci to the ground in the area, with Gonzalo Maroni's penalty saved.

It took a spectacular effort to finally get the better of Donnarumma as Askildsen curled into the top-right corner three minutes from time, far too late to cause Milan major concern as Leao instead restored the three-goal cushion in style in stoppage time.
 

What does it mean? Milan in fine fettle

Milan will have a watchful eye on Roma's result against Torino later on Wednesday as they may yet be able to leapfrog the Giallorossi on the final day and avoid the qualifying rounds of the Europa League.

But considering how ordinary the Rossoneri have been at times in seasons past, the entertainment of recent performances alone will send supporters into next term on a high, keen to see their side quickly pick up where they are leaving off.

Veteran vital for Pioli

Indeed, it has been a long time since Milan were this much fun to watch. As Rebic buzzes around up front, the full-backs pile forward, but at the centre of it all is Ibrahimovic.

The giant Swede may now be 38, but he has scored 10 times since January and brings others into play brilliantly. Milan must do whatever it takes to keep him at San Siro.

Rowdy Rebic escapes red

The one Milan disappointment since football's return was their Coppa Italia semi-final exit to a rusty Juventus side. They might well have won that tie, too, but for a foolish Rebic red card.

The forward avoided another dismissal here but only after a lengthy VAR review assessed his clash with Gaston Ramirez. Escaping with a booking, Rebic was then hooked at half-time with Milan unable to afford his ill discipline.

Key Opta Facts

- Only Manchester City (34) have scored more goals than Milan (32) in Europe's 'top five' leagues since the lockdown break.
- Milan have scored two or more goals in six straight games in Serie A; the last time they had a longer run was back in 1964 (nine games).
- Donnarumma has saved four penalties in Serie A this season; the last goalkeeper to save more in a single top-flight campaign was Samir Handanovic in 2010-11 (six).
- Calhanoglu is the first Milan player to have a hand in 10 goals in five appearances since Filippo Inzaghi in 2008.

What's next?

Sampdoria have little to play for against already-relegated Brescia on Saturday's final day, while Milan will back themselves to extend their unbeaten run further at home to Cagliari.

Leon Balogun's arrival at Glasgow Rangers is a ‘good addition’ for the Ibrox Stadium outfit, according to former Tottenham Hotspur defender Alan Hutton, who doesn't expect the Nigeria international to be a starter at Ibrox Stadium.

Balogun joined the Gers on a one-year contract on Friday, with the option for an extension, having come to the end of his contract at Brighton & Hove Albion. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Wigan Athletic, but was unable to prevent the Latics from relegation.

The defender becomes the second Super Eagles player in Steven Gerrard's team after Joe Aribo, who was a key fixture in their midfield last term, but despite his immense international experience, Hutton has predicted that Balogun won't be a starter next term.

“I was kind of stunned when I saw it, I looked on my phone and then bang, signing, it kind of came out of nowhere,” Hutton told Football Insider. “We spoke about them wanting the fourth centre-half, I think it was a priority to bring someone in.

He’s 32 now, he’s experienced and I know he’s not played so much in the last few years but he’s an international player who’s played abroad – he knows the game.

Balogun struggled to make an impact in English football at Brighton, where he failed to break up the Seagulls' centre-back pairing of Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy.

“I think he will be more of a backup option," added Hutton, who played for Rangers between 2002-2008, "'[but he's] a good option to have."

Meanwhile, Balogun took to social media on Wednesday to react to his maiden training session with Gerrard's men.

He will be aiming to make his debut in the Scottish Premiership when Rangers travel to Aberdeen for their opening fixture in the 2020-21 league season on Saturday.

First-half goals from Luca Gagliano and Giovanni Simeone gave Cagliari a deserved 2-0 victory over Serie A champions Juventus.

Juve wrapped up their ninth consecutive title with a 2-0 win over Sampdoria at the weekend, although patchy recent form means Maurizio Sarri's side have now won only two of their past seven matches.

A vibrant Cagliari were the beneficiaries on this occasion, with Gagliano giving them an early lead to set them on the way to a first July win at the ninth and final attempt.

It proved a frustrating night for Cristiano Ronaldo, while Simeone – the son of Atletico Madrid boss Diego – came up with a superb finish worthy of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner in first-half stoppage time.

Gianluigi Buffon was back in the Juventus starting line-up and picking the ball out of his net in the eighth minute, when Federico Mattiello drove Paolo Farago's right-wing cross back across goal for Gagliano to finish from close range.

Ronaldo – engaged in what appears to be an increasingly futile pursuit of Ciro Immobile in the Capocannoniere stakes – touched in Federico Bernardeschi's stabbed throughball from an offside position and racked up four blocked attempts by the interval.

Gonzalo Higuain volleyed over from Bernardeschi's 38th-minute corner before Juve found themselves further beyond due to Simeone's sublime 20-yard drive.

Joao Pedro sent a shot from similar range skimming wide early in the second half before Buffon plunged to keep out a Simeone volley – the defence in front of the veteran gloveman continuing to look terribly disjointed.

Atalanta-bound Simone Muratore had a long-range effort saved by Cagliari keeper Alessio Cragno, who also got down sharply to keep out Ronaldo's left-footer from 25 yard in the 68th minute.

Simeone might have added to his tally and Juve's misery when he sliced wide before the visitors pounded at the Cagliari defence with diminishing return until the final whistle.

What does it mean? Sarri has steepening Champions League task

The more Juventus turn in performances like this, the less their schedule of competitive action before the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Lyon feels like an advantage.

The Ligue 1 side have, of course, been out of action since March as they prepare to defend a 1-0 lead in Turin next month. Sarri badly needs his team to find some rhythm, something an experimental line-up entirely ruled out in Sardinia.

Simeone back in the groove

The moment of defining quality was produced by Simeone as he sized up a backpedalling Leonardo Bonucci before lashing beyond a helpless Buffon. It was his 12th goal of the Serie A season – closing on the 14 he scored in a breakout 2017-18 at Fiorentina.

That form proved good enough to earn international honours, but the last of his five caps also came in 2018. At 25, he still has plenty of time to get back on track.

Record man Ronaldo falls flat

Ronaldo is two shy of chalking up the most prolific Serie A season in Juventus history even if Immobile is now surely out of reach. But he was brought to Turin to help bring Champions League glory.

The sight of that wider goal appeared to be lost by all concerned as Sarri indulged a spiralling shot count and another 90 minutes in the legs for the 35-year-old.

What's next

Juventus wrap up their Serie A season at home to Roma on Saturday, when Cagliari are on the road at in-form Milan.

Sevilla have confirmed a member of their first-team squad has tested positive for coronavirus, later revealed to be Serbia international Nemanja Gudelj.

The player was tested on Sunday along with coaching staff and the rest of the first-team squad, before the results were returned on Monday.

Gudelj, who chose to waive anonymity in order to send a message to fans on Wednesday, is asymptomatic and self-isolating at home, though the club immediately suspended training sessions.

"Good afternoon everybody, after confirming my positive Covid-19 test I want to tell you all that I am perfectly fine, I have no symptoms," the former Ajax midfielder explained in a video released on his official Twitter page. 

"I hope to be back with my team-mates soon and help the club reach its goals at the end of this season. 

"Thanks for all your messages of support, we are still here training and we'll see you soon."

Two further tests have since been carried out on the rest of the squad and the coaching staff.

While the first batch of tests all came back negative, Sevilla do not expect the results of the second round to be known until Thursday.

Should there be no further positive results among the side's squad and employees, Sevilla plan to return to individual training – with "all the applicable measures" in place – on Thursday.

Sevilla concluded their La Liga campaign with a 1-0 win over Valencia on July 19 to finish fourth, but their Europa League commitments resume against Roma on August 6.

The Andalucians are one of a string of sides in Spain who have seen their plans disrupted by a fresh outbreak of the virus, which has led the United Kingdom to issue travel restrictions in recent days. 

Real Madrid confirmed on Tuesday that forward Mariano was suffering from the virus ahead of their trip to the Etihad Stadium to take on Manchester City in the Champions League, while Segunda Division side Zaragoza have also seen an unnamed player return positive in testing prior to participating in the upcoming promotion play-offs.

Victor Osimhen’s former agent Jean-Gerard Benoit Czajka has revealed how talks with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis and Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly changed the Lille star’s mindset about Italy.

The Nigeria international, who is said to be on the verge of moving to the Stadio San Paolo this summer, was worried by racism incidents in Serie A, and the fears initially affected his negotiations with the Parthenopeans.

Benoit Czajka, who was Osimhen’s representative until this month before they parted ways for undisclosed reasons, said the 21-year-old was even ready to turn down a bumper annual salary of €10 million from Juventus if they made a move because of his fears.

“Victor did not want to go to Italy. From the start, he has been stuck on the idea of ​​playing in Serie A,” Benoit Czajka told France Football.

“He told me that racism issues scared him and that he didn't feel it. He even told me in March-April: "I don't want to go and play in Italy even if it's for Juventus at €10 million net per year".

“I told Victor that before having such strong ideas, that he had to travel to see for himself, meet people, talk with players who are confronted with racism, etc.

“Something that we finally did on July 1, 2 and 3 where we met the coach, the sports director, as well as the president De Laurentiis who is a man with values ​​and experience, and who seems to have convinced the player. Victor also spoke a lot with Kalidou Koulibaly and this was decisive in his choice for Napoli.”

Osimhen enjoyed an incredible debut season in France, scoring 13 Ligue 1 goals for Lille who ended the campaign in the fourth spot before the league was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Benoit Czajka disclosed that an agreement between Lille and Napoli had been reached "a long time ago" and the French club might be unhappy with the inconclusiveness of the deal.

“We have been in contact with them since March,” he added. “With the Covid, we finally managed to see each other at the end of May, early June in Monaco with Giuntoli and then we moved with the player at the beginning of July in Naples.

“To be clear, if we go to Italy it is because the two clubs have been in agreement for a long time and they told us so. I think that Lille did not appreciate that Victor comes and comes back without having signed his contract.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic set the latest record of his glittering career as the evergreen forward fired Milan into the lead against Sampdoria on Wednesday. 

Ibrahimovic has proved a huge asset to the Rossoneri since completing a free transfer in January, transforming the club's prospects. 

Milan languished in 11th in the Serie A Christmas break but have lost just twice in the league since Zlatan arrived, a run that has lifted them up to sixth and guaranteed Europa League football next season. 

The former Manchester United, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Inter and Sweden ace has chipped in with eight goals during his second spell at the club, the latest of which came after just four minutes in Wednesday's penultimate Serie A clash of 2019-20. 

It was also his 50th league strike in Milan colours, having scored 42 in 61 games during his first stint at the club back in 2010-11 and 2011-12,  which sealed a unique feat for the outspoken 38-year-old in the city. 

Zlatan also helped himself to 57 goals on the blue side of Milan with Inter, whom he represented between 2006 and 2009, meaning he is now the first-ever player to reach a half-century for both Italian giants, who share use of the legendary San Siro stadium. 

His total goal haul in club and international football now stands at 552 in 934 matches, a tally only bettered by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among players active in the game. 

At 38 the striker shows no sign of slowing, prompting questions over where he will line up in 2020-1. 

Reports suggest that he will not continue at Milan beyond the current season, but Ibrahimovic himself scotched any talk of hanging up his boots.

"So you think I'm done, that my career will end soon. You don't know me." Ibrahimovic said during a short video posted on his official Instagram account on Saturday.

"All my life I had to fight. Nobody believed in me, so I had to believe in myself. Some people wanted to break me, but they only made me stronger.

"Others wanted to exploit me, but they made me smarter. And now you think that I'm done. 

"To all of you, I only have one thing to say: I am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and I'm just warming up."

Nairobi City Stars team coordinator Samson Otieno has revealed the club’s transfer plans as they prepare to return to the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

City Stars were promoted alongside Bidco United and Otieno has confirmed key players have already extended their contracts after a successful campaign in the National Super League (NSL).

“The core unit that kept Simba wa Nairobi at the top of the NSL for a better part of the season to eventually promote the team is still intact heading to next season,” Otieno told the club’s website.

“This is important as it guarantees us continuity.

“When we started out last season a number of players were on one-year engagements but mid-way through we extended those contracts as the view to the Premier League became crystal clear.

“Just two teenagers – striker Vincent ‘Jamaica’ Otieno and midfielder Elvis Ojiambo started out with long-term deals.

“Part of the early players to extend their contracts were defender Wycliffe Otieno who added another year as well as midfielder Anthony Kimani, long-serving defender Calvin Masawa, defensive midfielder Charles Otieno Oduro and striker Davis Agesa who committed to a further two years.

“Others that followed in staying at City Stars for two more years include offensive midfielder Oliver Maloba, striker Ebrima Sanneh, defenders Salim ‘Shitu’ Abdalla and Edwin Buliba. Goalkeeper Ronny Kagunzi and left-back Wesley Onguso were the latest with each adding a year to their contracts,”

“January arrivals Peter Opiyo and Azizi Okaka have a season to go while keeper Jacob Osano, returning winger John Kamau and striker Ezekiel Odera have two more seasons.”

Otieno revealed a number of other players might extend their contracts after coach Sanjin Alagic signalled a willingness to work with them.

“We have some players whose contracts have since expired but the coach has hinted he’d still want to keep some of them for longer should they agree to,” he stated.

“Noah Abich, Eric Ochieng, Tedian Esilaba, Kevin Okumu, David Gateri and Jimmy Bageya are some of those players. That will give us a much more close-knit unit.”

The coordinator further said they will be looking to sign some players, especially a replacement for Levis Opiyo, who has already signed for Gor Mahia.

“Despite having the core intact we are also in the market to fill up some positions such as in goalkeeping after lead custodian [Levis] Opiyo officially left the club and just in case some of the out of contract players chose to head elsewhere,” Otieno explained.

“Had the coronavirus pandemic not struck, City Stars would have concluded its engagement with players for next season as far back as April.”

Nigeria’s Ikouwem Utin has completed a season-long loan to newly-promoted Israeli Premier League club Bnei Sakhnin from Maccabi Haifa.

Utin is the latest addition to join Eldad Shavit's team ahead of the commencement of the 2020-21 Ligat Ha`Al campaign on August 8.

The Nigeria international will be hoping to gather more playing time in Sakhnin after he was restricted to 176 minutes of football action in seven league appearances in Haifa last campaign.

Bnei Sakhnin are one of the two teams promoted to the Israeli Premier League this term after finishing second in the 2019–20 Liga Leumit table, behind champions Maccabi Petah Tikva.

Utin started his European career in Israel after completing a three-year deal to Maccabi Haifa from Nigeria Professional Football League outfit Enyimba in May 2019.

He developed his game with the Nigerian giants, rising through their youth ranks and he eventually earned promotion to the first-team in 2017.

The 20-year-old was named the NFF Young Player of the Year in 2018 after helping the home-based Super Eagles to a second-place finish at the 2018 African Nations Championship in Morocco.

He was part of Nigeria’s squad to the 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Niger where the country placed fourth after bowing to South Africa via penalties in the third-place play-offs.

The Akwa Ibom-born defender also travelled with the Flying Eagles to Poland for the 2019 Fifa U20 World Cup, and he played every minute of their games before they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by Senegal.

Boycotts can be an effective form of protest, serving to highlight complaints and occasionally bringing about change.

They are usually associated with social or political issues, but, interestingly, it's an avenue that a small number fans of the FIFA franchise have talked about going down in response to issues they have with the game.

A boycott of FIFA 21 could be to PES 2021's gain, with gamers potentially switching their football video game allegiance come autumn.

So why are some FIFA players threatening to boycott the new game?  Goal takes a look at the reasons.

Why are some fans threatening a FIFA 21 boycott?

There are a number of reasons for a proposed boycott of FIFA 21, with online discussion forums and social media housing sometimes heated debate about the popular EA Sports franchise.

Among the perceived issues are the sense that the game is not changing much year on year, at least not to the point where it validates the prices that are applied to the new titles.

Some gamers argue that, with few significant gameplay changes or new additions, some new editions of FIFA have simply become "glorified re-skins" with new kits and updated squads.

Of course, EA Sports would strongly dispute this and the company can certainly point to the inclusion of Volta football in FIFA 20 - the small-sided game mode - as evidence of their new work.

However, complaints persist among the community of gamers regarding things such as Career Mode, which many feel continues to fall short of expectations.

The fact that Konami released a PES 2021 'Season Update' game at a much cheaper price than FIFA 21 - available for £24.99 as opposed to £59.99 - served to exacerbate the sense of outrage.

While promoting it as PES 2021, Konami specifically explained that the new game is an "updated edition of eFootball PES 2020" and the relatively low price is also a special 25th anniversary offer.

PES games have frequently been marketed at a lower price than FIFA games, but never to the point where they have been available for half the price.

Konami's focus is firmly on optimising their PES title for the next generation of consoles - PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X - which goes some way towards explaining the cheaper price tag for the PS4 and Xbox One.

It should be noted that EA Sports is offering a free next generation upgrade to anyone who buys FIFA 21 for PS4 or Xbox One through their Dual Entitlement scheme.

Another contentious issue among FIFA gamers is the controversial pay-to-win element of Ultimate Team,  where players are essentially rewarded the more they spend on in-game purchases of packs.

EA Sports has clashed with authorities in Belgium over the perceived gambling dimension of so-called "loot boxes" in FUT, while the issue has been discussed by parliament in the United Kingdom.

For online FIFA gamers, server issues have been ongoing for a number of years, with lag time and outages causing disappointment among gamers.

How would a FIFA 21 boycott work?

A boycott of FIFA 21 could simply involve a refusal to purchase the new game when it is officially launched in autumn, thereby depriving EA Sports of sale revenue.

Some gamers have used platforms such as Reddit and even the FIFA forums on EA Sports' official website to talk about the idea of boycotting FIFA titles.

Other methods include protest demonstrations, such as that which happened in 2019, when a group was organised and held a small gathering outside EA's Bucharest headquarters.

Social media websites such as Twitter and Facebook have seen the deployment of hashtags such as '#BoycottFIFA21'  by disgruntled gamers voicing their opposition to the franchise. 

As well as everyday FIFA players, it has been suggested that it would be useful to bring notable YouTube personalities who play FIFA and professional esports gamers on board.

However, that seems fanciful given that those characters usually have an interest in enthusiastically promoting the new games when they come out.

It is not exactly clear how much traction a boycott of FIFA 21 would actually get and the previous attempt to boycott FIFA 20 doesn't seem to have worked given that the game remained a best-seller in 2019.

While sustained pressure could work, the disorganised movement of scattered voices means that the individuals calling for a boycott online may ultimately find that they are fighting a losing battle.

Although Metacritic indicated that FIFA 20 scored the worst aggregated review rating of the 21st century for the annual release of the main FIFA franchise release, gameplay improvements for FIFA 21 could silence the doubters.

Andre Villas Boas singled out former mentor Jose Mourinho and Benfica great Artur Jorge as an inspiration to young Portuguese coaches, praising the Tottenham manager's ability to adapt to leagues across Europe as the mark of his greatness. 

Now at the helm at Ligue 1 club Marseille, Villas Boas received his break as Mourinho's No. 2 at Porto while still in his 20s. 

He followed the coach to Chelsea after lifting the Champions League with the Portuguese club and got his hands on the European trophy again at Inter before striking out on his own in 2009. 

Villas Boas' career to date may not have yielded quite the same trophy haul as his former boss', although he did manage to take Porto to Primeira Liga and Europa League success in his only season on the bench in 2010-11 and guided Zenit St. Petersburg to a Russian title amid less successful spells with the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Shanghai SIPG. 

But he acknowledges the impact of the Special One in setting an example for his compatriots, while also singling out ex-Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and CSKA Moscow boss Jorge as another trailblazer.

“Our ability to adapt to different environments makes the difference, as well as our wisdom and study of the game, our ability to lead and communicate," the 42-year-old Marseille coach signalled in an interview with Canal 11.

"It is undeniable that these doors were initially opened by Artur Jorge and José Mourinho, as the first great ambassadors of Portuguese coaches abroad and that allowed us to open doors in any market in the world.

"Of course, then you have to succeed and that's the brand that we guarantee, a little bit like what the Dutch coaches achieved a few years ago."

"That image is now associated with the Portuguese coaches: the ability to adapt, to arrive and win, to assemble good teams and good structures is undoubtedly one of our brands and I think that's the main fact for which we are most respected around the world.”

Villas-Boas took over at Marseille in May 2019, succeeding Rudi Garcia, and made an immediate impact at the club in his curtailed debut season. 

L'OM stood second to PSG when the French top flight was ended prematurely after 28 rounds of fixtures, meaning that they will enjoy Champions League football in 2020-1 - the first time since 2013-14 that they have qualified for Europe's premier club competition. 

Having an array of official licenses and authentic teams has long been a selling point of EA Sports' FIFA franchise and FIFA 21 will be no different.

Real kits and genuine team names help to augment the gamer's immersive experience while playing, with FIFA consistently boasting the most extensive catalogue of licensed competitions.

While competitors have been catching up in recent years, FIFA 21 will be the only game to feature certain competitions, so it will be something to bear in mind when you're deciding whether to buy or not.

There will be over 700 teams to play with, so which leagues and cup competitions are available in the latest edition of FIFA? Goal brings you all the details.

FIFA 21 will have over 30 leagues and competitions, including a host of the world's biggest tournaments, such as the Champions League and the Premier League.

You can see the confirmed leagues and competitions (in bold) that are expected to be in FIFA 21 in the table below.
(*Teams marked with an asterisk featured in FIFA 20 and have not yet been officially confirmed for FIFA 21.)

The Champions League, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup are exclusive to FIFA 21, as are the Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga. 

As well as the Premier League, English football fans will be able to play with all 72 EFL teams across the Championship, League One and League Two. 

Kylian Mbappe, of course, is the star attraction on the cover of the game and Ligue 1 is also one of FIFA's official leagues, along with the Eredivisie in the Netherlands and the Primeira Division in Portugal.

Italy's Serie A is part of FIFA 21, but it will not have Juventus due to a deal between the Bianconeri and Konami. Instead, the Turin outfit will be presented as Piemonte Calcio. However, FIFA 21 will be the only place to play with AC Milan and Inter, with Konami's agreements with those clubs coming to an end.

The Chinese Super League and Japan's J-1 League are included in FIFA 21 too, as is Australia's A-League, if you're looking for a taste of football in the southern hemisphere.

North American soccer teams are available through the inclusion of Major League Soccer and Liga MX.

Luc Eymael has revealed he has landed safely in Belgium just two days after he was sacked by Young Africans (Yanga SC).

The 60-year-old Belgian coach was shown the exit door by the Jangwani Street-based giants after a video of him allegedly making demeaning comments about Tanzanians and especially Timu Ya Wananchi supporters was leaked to the public.

Following a 1-1 draw with Mtibwa Sugar which saw his team finish second in the league, Eymael tore into the club's supporters, claiming they were ignorant about football, and lambasting the conditions he had been working in since arriving in Tanzania.

"The fans can only shout and are like monkeys who are barking ‘babababa’," Eymael told local journalists in audio obtained by Goal. "These fans do not know anything about soccer.

"This place is not for me, playing in pitches at a level of seventh or eighth division in Europe is not for me.

"The changing rooms, too, are not for me.

"I am not enjoying your country; you are uneducated people. I don’t have a car, what is that?

"I do not have Wi-Fi and I do not have DSTV. No, no, no!"

Eymael has now confirmed he has landed safely in his native Belgium but has been ordered to appear before a TFF disciplinary committee on August 1.

“I have finally arrived in Belgium,” Eymael told Goal on Wednesday. “I have also received a notice to appear before the TFF disciplinary committee on August 1.”

Asked whether he will be able to attend the meeting, Eymael said: “I don’t know for sure, let us wait and see.”

In an earlier interview with Goal, Eymael defended himself from the racist allegations claiming he has never been a racist and never will be.

“I am not a racist, and you know that very well,” Eymael told Goal. “I have coached in Africa for the last ten years and my record is there to speak for itself, I have never gone to the extent of being a racist because I am not a racist.

“I don’t want to dwell on what happened, because it already happened, I apologised immediately to Yanga fans and Tanzanian people because of the comments and now it is time to move on.

“You can see even some players from Yanga are supporting me, even those I worked with in Kenya are behind me, because they know I am not a racist, this issue has been too much for me now, and gone too far, it is even destroying my family and kids.

“I don’t want to talk anything about it anymore.”

Eymael has previously worked in South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia. 

Lille have contacted Tout Puissant Mazembe for the transfer of the Democratic Republic of the Congo international striker Jackson Muleka.

Following some impressive showings in this season’s Caf Champions League in which he managed seven goals in 10 games, Muleka has attracted widespread interest, especially from North Africa.

Ligue 1 returnees RC Lens, as well as Belgian giants Anderlecht and Standard Liege, were also reportedly after the Congolese forward.

But it is Lille who appear likely to win his signature and the French side have since opened talks with the five-time African champions.

TP Mazembe sporting director and general manager Frederic Kintengie confirmed that Belgian First Division A side Royal Mouscron approached the Congolese side on behalf of the Ligue 1 outfit.

Mouscron, who are Lille's satellite club, are reportedly keen on securing Muleka on a loan deal from Lille if they sign the player.

The striker is, however, being touted as a possible replacement for Lille's Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen, whose services are seriously being sought after by Napoli.

"At the end of last week, Lille acknowledged that Mouscron was acting on their behalf and that from this week, Lille will come to TP Mazembe and we will discuss," Kintengie told Top Congo FM as per Media Congo.

Some reports have indicated that Mazembe are asking for €2.5 million for Muleka’s services.

“Regarding the money, Mazembe has not yet spoken of the amount. This is speculation by agents and the press. Mazembe is not here to ask for too little or too much money,” said Kintengie.

Portuguese Primeira Liga side Boavista have also emerged as angling to sign Muleka on loan from Lille if the Ligue 1 side manages to sign him.

“We absolutely have to bypass the influence of the agents. Lille are keen on having Jackson Muleka and would like to place him first in either Mouscron or Boavista before he returns to France,” continued Kintengie.

Muleka has been capped four times by DR Congo and has managed one goal for the national team.

Bayern Munich centre-back Jerome Boateng has admitted that he would consider any propositions made to him from Premier League sides.

The 31-year-old’s future is currently unclear, and while the likelihood is that he will remain with the Allianz Arena side, who he helped to the Bundesliga title this season, there is no certainty as to where he will play next term.

He played 34 fixtures this season with Bayern, whose Champions League campaign is yet to conclude, but though he is a starter, that does not guarantee anything.

“I wouldn’t say no,” the former Manchester City man told CGTN Sports, China’s global television network, when asked about his prospects of a return to England.

“I love watching the Premier League and I loved playing there. It helped me a lot to train with world-class players.

“I don’t know what will happen next. You never know but it’s not like I would say that I don’t want to play there. It’s definitely one of my favourite leagues.”

Boateng’s previous spell in English football’s top flight saw him turn out during the 2010-11 season with Manchester City, but he struggled to impose himself at the Etihad Stadium, where he played 24 times without getting a goal or an assist. His campaign, however, was cut short due to a knee injury.

Frustrated at playing largely as a right-back in Manchester, which he believed hampered his chances of playing with the Germany national side, he pushed for a move to Bayern that was granted in July 2011 and he has subsequently established himself as one of the game’s foremost central defenders.

He has won eight Bundesliga titles with Bayern, while he has also picked up the DFB Pokal five times and the 2013 Champions League title.

He successfully broke into the Germany team and was memorably involved in their 2014 World Cup-winning run in Brazil, which included a fixture against Ghana that saw him square up against brother Kevin-Prince in a 2-2 draw in Fortaleza. 

In total, he made 76 appearances for Germany, scoring a single goal against Slovakia at Euro 2016, before being infamously axed by head coach Joachim Low along with Mats Hummels and Thomas Muller in March 2019.

A reunion with Jose Mourinho could be on the cards for Willian this summer, according to Darren Bent, who says that the Chelsea star would be a better fit for Tottenham than Arsenal.

Willian will become a free agent at the end of the season unless he agrees on a contract extension with the Blues.

The 31-year-old would reportedly like to commit his future to Chelsea through to 2024, but the club are only prepared to grant him an extra two years at Stamford Bridge.

Kia Joorabchian, who represents Willian, has revealed that two Premier League clubs have already submitted offers for his client, and he has also been sounded out for a potential move to MLS.

Spurs and Arsenal have been the two clubs most heavily linked with the Brazil international this year, while Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in his services.

Bent thinks the Gunners already boast plenty of depth in attacking areas, but he can see Willian slotting into Mourinho's starting line-up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium seamlessly.

Mourinho was the man who lured the midfielder to the Bridge from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013, and the ex-Spurs striker would not be surprised if the pair were to link up again next month.

“I think Spurs would be in for him with the whole Mourinho factor, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Arsenal were interested – they want all of Chelsea’s leftovers… this is one I’d actually take, though!" Bent told talkSPORT.

“But, you look at Arsenal’s front line and they’ve got Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah, Bukayo Saka… there are quite a few there so he might not suit Arsenal.

“He might not get as much game time and signing him could also stunt the growth of a player like Martinelli.

“But as far as Spurs, he’d fit right in there.

“Their right-hand side has been a problem, they’ve tried Steven Bergwijn and they’re tried Lucas Moura out there and its hasn’t quite worked.

“But if you now go Willian, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, that changes the whole dynamic of that team going forward.”

Bent did, however, insist that Chelsea would be making a mistake by allowing Willian to join a main rival, with it his belief that the Brazilian still has plenty to offer despite heading towards the twilight years of his career.

He added: “If I was Chelsea I’d give Willian a three-year contract. What’s the issue?

Kenyan legend Mike Kisaghi has opined Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should leave the club for greener pastures ‘if they cannot pay him what he wants.”

The future of the Gabon star, who finished the season as Arsenal's top scorer and joint-second in the Premier League with 22 goals, has been up in the air throughout the season, after being linked to various clubs.

There are fears the North London club will be required to cash in on Aubameyang this summer if he refuses to put pen to paper, rather than risk losing him for nothing in a year’s time.

The 31-year-old club captain has just one year left on his deal at the Emirates and is understood to be a seeking £250,000-a-week salary.

The Gunners striker has been strongly linked with a transfer to Barcelona, Chelsea and Real Madrid for a price as low as £20million.

Kisaghi, who played for Gor Mahia in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL), believes winning trophies should not be considered as a key factor for Aubameyang to decide his future but he should instead look at what the Gunners are offering him financially.

“Number one it's all about if he feels really wanted at Arsenal, that is clear, he is needed considering his goal returns since he joined,” Kisaghi, who also played for Kenya’s Harambee Stars, told Goal on Wednesday.

“Two is about how he wants his contract to read. He is in his thirties and that’s the age of when a strikers’ graph starts to bend downwards, so he has to sign a big contract - moneywise.

“Is the club ready to give it to him [a new contract] as much as they need him? A question Arsenal has to answer, he wants a big payday, forget about wanting to win trophies, that’s a scarecrow, not the real reason.

“He has won trophies at Borussia Dortmund with Jurgen [Klopp] and if the club can't pay him what he wants, well there are clubs which are able to pay him better, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, and Inter Milan. It’s all in Arsenal’s hands now.”

Aubameyang is currently on a £180,000-a-week contract and negotiations are believed to be moving in the right direction and he recently hinted at staying at the Emirates in an Instagram live video with his brother Willy.

Aubameyang, who joined Arsenal from Dortmund for £60m in 2018, will finally get the chance to get his hands on some silverware with the club when the Gunners face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Sunday.