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Gor Mahia organising secretary Judith Nyangi has claimed Ambrose Rachier threatens candidates interested in challenging him for the chairmanship post.

Nyangi and Rachier have been at loggerheads recently following the requirements of the election that every candidate running for any post in the August 8 vote must possess a degree.

The organising secretary claimed those requirements are meant to lock her out of the race for the honorary treasurer’s post.

Nyangi, in an interview with Radio Jambo, alleged Rachier, who did not attract an opponent before the nomination process closed, is always issuing threats.

“Rachier is a man of threats,” Nyangi said.

“He has been clear to me over a number of occasions that Gor Mahia is his. The Sports Act is clear that no one should serve more than two terms and if anyone dares stand against Rachier, he will be threatened by him.

“Rachier has been saying that anything he has built he cannot allow anyone to take it away from him. He has been there since 2008 does it mean he is a Gor Mahia's life chairman?

“I have been wondering whether Gor Mahia are a community club or a private club.”

Nyangi further claimed Rachier’s dictatorial tendencies have denied Gor Mahia proper growth compared to other regional clubs.

“He should vacate office for other people now. Yes, Gor Mahia have been winning cups but what I know is that Gor Mahia are more than winning cups,” she added.

“At this time, we should be at the same level as Yanga SC and Simba SC, teams that have been robbing players from us. They are capable of taking our players because Gor Mahia are being run like a kiosk.

“The politics now at Gor Mahia is that everyone must support the ‘deep state’ and if you do not support the ‘deep state’ that is Rachier you should not be in the office in the first place.

“There is only one man that I will never oppose and that is Raila Amollo Odinga [the former Prime Minister].”

The deep state, mostly used in the political arena, is a body of people, typically influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of policies.

But Rachier, in a separate interview, explained why members might have opted not to challenge him.

“That depends on an individual's interpretation [whether he has done a good job at Gor Mahia or not],” Rachier said.

“I have on many occasions welcomed people interested to stand against me to come forward and that was before our nomination process was closed.

“When the nomination process ended, it emerged that I did not have an opponent. It may be because I have done a good job or otherwise.

“I am thankful to the members who have shown confidence in me. Members should come out and elect officials to the positions that are still vacant when the time arrives.”

Dissatisfied K’Ogalo members have already threatened to take matters to the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) and stop the elections.

Antonio Conte told Romelu Lukaku he must improve despite the Inter striker's fine form in his first season in Serie A.

Lukaku has scored 23 league goals since signing from Manchester United last year, including four in his past five games.

The Belgium international netted twice in Inter's 3-0 win at Genoa on Saturday, prompting praise from Conte, who marvelled at a brilliant second strike in stoppage time.

But the Nerazzurri head coach also suggested Lukaku could improve and hammered this message home ahead of Tuesday's clash with Napoli.

"He is a footballer who has room for improvement," Conte told Inter TV. "In some game situations, he can and must improve.

"As I said after the [Genoa] match, we are talking about an atypical footballer. Despite his size and his strength, he is also fast, with the ability to score goals like the one against Genoa in the 93rd minute.

"It's up to him and his desire to improve. The important thing is that each of us is hungry to raise the bar and try to grow more and more."

Inter are preparing to play Napoli for the fourth time this season, having faced the Partenopei in a two-legged Coppa Italia semi-final.

Conte is aware of the threat his side's next opponents possess after crashing out of that competition 2-1 on aggregate, yet he believes their performance in the second leg - a 1-1 draw - ranks among their best of the campaign.

Asked how he enjoyed the 3-1 away league win in Naples, the coach said: "It was a good game on our part, but in some ways I think that, of the three games, perhaps the most beautiful was the return leg in the Coppa Italia, where we would deserved more.

"But we are talking about a strong team, able to frustate those who have won the Scudetto in recent years. They have a very good squad and they were impressive in winning the Coppa."

Inter are second in the Serie A with two games left to the campaign. After they host Napoli on Tuesday, they visit third-place Atalanta before turning their attention to the Europa League tie against Getafe.

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has sent a farewell message to his "unbelievable friend" Dejan Lovren after he completed a permanent switch to Zenit St. Petersburg.

Lovren signed a three-year contract with the Russian Premier League outfit on Monday, bringing an end to his six-year stint with the Reds.

During his stay on Merseyside, the Croatian centre-back struck a bond with Salah after the Egypt international arrived from Roma in 2017.

They both played crucial roles in helping Liverpool end their 30-year wait for a Premier League title in the 2019-20 season and also clinched the Champions League, Uefa Super Cup, and Club World Cup trophies last year.

Aside from their relationship on the pitch, Salah and Lovren displayed their bromance with cheeky social media trolls and comments on each other’s posts.

In his reaction to Lovren’s exit, the two-African Footballer of the Year said he was speechless and he would miss his "great friend" so much.

"I don't know how to say, my friend. You don't know my feeling right now. We're really going to miss you a lot - especially me,” Salah told the club website.

"You've been an unbelievable player and a great friend for me. We're going to miss you a lot. I miss you a lot, I love you so much. You've been fantastic outside the field and inside the field.

"So, thank you for everything you did for the club, thank you for everything you did for me. I wish you all the best in the future and I wish you to have a great career as well, enjoying the new club with your family.

"Thank you very much and see you soon."

Salah was a second-half substitute in Liverpool's 3-1 comeback win over Newcastle United on Sunday while Lovren was missing in their final game of the Premier League season.

The Egypt international ended the 2019-20 season with 23 goals and 12 assists for the Reds across all competitions.

The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has urged the government to consider renaming the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam to Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

The former President, who ruled the East African country for two terms from 1995 to 2005, died early on Friday aged 81 in a Dar es Salaam hospital, and was behind the construction of the country’s biggest stadia.

The 60,000 sitter stadium is situated in Dar es Salaam, next to another venue – Uhuru Stadium – and was constructed during the period Mkapa was the President of the country in conjunction with some foreign investors.

TFF president Wallace Karia has called on the government to consider renaming the venue to Mkapa Stadium so as to remember the late head of state.

“I think this is the perfect moment for our friends tasked to overlook the National Stadium to change its name to Benjamin Mkapa Stadium so the upcoming generations should also be remembering him,” Karia is quoted by Daily News.

“It will be interesting to hear the name of Mkapa be regularly mentioned when national team, Simba SC or Young Africans (Yanga SC) want to use the venue to play matches.”

Karia suggested by renaming the stadium to Mkapa, it will remain as a great honour to the departed hero and will follow in the footsteps of other renamed venues like Karume Stadium and Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium, Sokoine Stadium, and Samora Stadium.

“We are fortunate to have such a magnificent stadium which is the best in East and Central Africa. Most of the countries in Africa do not have such kind of the stadium but we have it courtesy of him [late Mkapa],” Karia continued.

“I believe by the time he decided to construct the stadium, he realised that football is now a major source of revenue generation and employment to the players who are making money to support their lives through football.”

On Saturday, Yanga revealed they were planning to hold a special programme to honour late Mkapa.

Terming the third Tanzanian President as their number one fan, the club’s interim secretary-general Simon Patrick said the ceremony is to pay their last respects for Mkapa and this would be done after their final league match against Lipuli FC.

Barcelona have had to postpone renewing Clement Lenglet’s contract for financial reasons.

The 25-year-old centre-back has been a regular in the starting XI at Barca and has three years left on his deal at Camp Nou.

The Catalan side are happy with the progress he has made and are eager to tie him down for the long-term, but the Covid-19 pandemic has forced them to delay their next round of negotiations.

The Spanish giants have been hit hard by the pandemic, leading to the playing staff taking a pay cut to help alleviate their financial issues.

Although Lenglet has attracted interest from many of Europe’s top teams, the defender wants to stay with Barca and is aware the club want to upgrade his contract, which is worth less than €2 million (£ 1.83m/@2.35m) per season.

The defender will not listen to offers from elsewhere until he has received a proposal from Barcelona, who hope to commence talks again a few weeks before the new La Liga campaign kicks off.

He blossomed into an important part of Quique Setien’s team, making 38 appearances in all competitions in 2019-20, and he insisted in May that he wants to remain at the club next season.

"You never really know what the future will be like when you are a football  player, but I hope to be at Barcelona next season, yes,” he said to RMC Sport.

"It will necessarily depend on the transfer window, this is a special period for the clubs, and we're safe, but I hope to stay."

Lenglet’s situation is similar to that of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who will also have to wait before negotiations over a new deal pick up again.

The Germany international revealed in June that discussions had been taking place before the pandemic hit.

"There were already the first meetings between my agent and the club [regarding a contract extension], then the coronavirus issue came up and it was not time to discuss a contract,” he said.

"At a time when many people are concerned about their lives, we decided to postpone it. I feel good in Barcelona, ​​also because my family feels good."

Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt has expressed delight in the fact that the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) campaign will finally resume next month, saying they are looking forward to it.

Although the league is yet to confirm the kick-off times and venues, the Clever Boys will face Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-final clash and the experienced manager says he will see what team he will play because players are rusty.

The PSL campaign was forcefully halted in March following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and the games will return in Gauteng in a Biological Safe Environment (BSE) while the campaign will be wrapped up in September.

“Yeah, we’ll play and we are looking forward to it. At least now we know we will play the cup game on the eighth I think,” Hunt told Goal.

“Well, we will see what type of team we will get out on the day because the players haven’t been playing but we are fine in terms of the mood - we don’t have problems.”

The Braamfontein-based club will look to finish the season on a high just after they were sold to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) and are expected to relocate to Limpopo province prior to the start of the new campaign.

The 56-year-old manager’s men are sixth on the log with 38 points from 21 games but Hunt could not commit to their PSL title ambitions to unseat log leaders Kaizer Chiefs, who lead the table with 48 points.

“[On] the PSL title challenge, we’ll see how it goes. We'll try and do our best in every game and see where it takes us you know,” he added.

“We will see and take it from there, but we are looking forward to the games definitely.”

The confirmation of the PSL season’s return comes after an announcement made by chairman Dr. Irvin Khoza on Monday, in which he said the games will resume with the Nedbank Cup competition, and the last game of the season will be the final.

Meanwhile, Bloemfontein Celtic are scheduled to face Baroka in the other semi-final whilst coach Pitso Mosimane will also look to retain Sundowns' PSL crown.

On the other hand, Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United share the third spot with 40 points and coach Eric Tinkler’s Maritzburg United are fifth with 39 points.

KF Tirana coach Ndubuisi Egbo has likened winning the Albanian Superliga title to Barack Obama winning the American presidency since he also suffered racial abuse on the way to achieving the historical feat.

The 47-year-old Nigerian became the first African head coach to guide a European team to a league title and is also set to be the first tactician from his continent to lead a team in the Uefa Champions League.

But before Tirana were crowned Albanian champions for the first time in 11 years, Egbo - who is fluent in Albanian - said he had to endure racial abuse which he, however, did not allow to discourage him.

“There are people who don't want me to win because of my colour. There is racism. One game they threw a banana at me. They spat at me,” Egbo told BBC Sport.

“The officials of the Albanian FA did not do anything, because it was an away game and they had a white set of fans. The police and security were there - and nobody did anything.

"They were afraid of the fans there. I couldn't do anything. I just had to accept it.

“I said to them, 'have you finished'? They wanted the ground to open up for them to disappear.”

After playing for Tirana as a goalkeeper between 2001 and 2004, Egbo rejoined the club as a goalkeeping coach in 2014.

But he only assumed the head coach role midway through the just-ended campaign, in December 2019.

It was a remarkable triumph for the Nigerian who took over the team when they stared relegation in the face and transformed them into champions.

When he was appointed head coach, Tirana were 15 points off the leaders but went on to win 20 of the 23 remaining games on their way to the champions podium.

“My fellow Africans said, 'you don't know what you've done for us by winning this championship'. It is just like when Obama won the Presidency in America. That's exactly how it is seen here,” added Egbo.

The ex-Super Eagles goalkeeper also talked about the few opportunities for African coaches in Europe.

“If you look at the English Premier League, you rarely see any dark-skinned coaches there. You have to go into the National League before you see that," Egbo continued.

“I feel both joy and sadness. We are not given enough opportunities. We only want the same opportunities. It is just like what Black Lives Matter are doing, but it the football circles, to give opportunities to those who deserve them.”

Egbo’s feat took place the same weekend former Cameroon forward Pierre Achille Webo helped Istanbul Basaksehir win the Turkish Super Lig title as an assistant coach.

Ex-Chelsea and Arsenal star Nicolas Anelka is set to be the subject of his own documentary, following in the digital streaming platform's successes with Sunderland Till I Die and the Leeds-centric Take Us Home. 

A prolific goalscorer in his own right, Anelka has also been at the centre of various controversies - with the documentary expected to be a tell-all of his side of those stories.

Goal has what you need to know about the upcoming Nicolas Anelka documentary including how to watch it, when it will be released and more.

What is the Nicolas Anelka documentary?

The former France international's upcoming documentary will be titled Anelka: Misunderstood.

Despite successful spells at the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea Real Madrid, and Juventus - where he won a combined two Premier League titles, a Serie A title and a Champions League, not to mention a European Championship with France - his career has been doused in controversy.

In the trailer, Anelka is seen saying, “I’m a footballer, I wasn’t there to have fun. If you really like me and want to do what I’ve done, you’ll only make enemies.”

Anelka: Misunderstood will no doubt delve into the ex-Arsenal star's side of the events, with his infamous exclusion from France's 2010 World Cup squad certain to be explored.

Says Netflix: "Bad boy or football genius? Famed French footballer Nicolas Anelka's controversial legacy is examined in an unflinching documentary".

Former team-mates and coaching figures such as Arsene Wenger, Thierry Henry, Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Petit and Paul Pogba will all provide insight on the Frenchman.

In one of the most high-profile controversies of his career, Anelka was sent home from the France team after allegedly verbally abusing then-coach Raymond Domenech at half-time during Les Bleus' 2-0 defeat to Mexico at the World Cup.

After being criticised for his positioning by Domenech, Anelka reportedly told him in French: "Go f*** yourself you son of a w****".

Anelka refused to apologise for the exchange after being asked to do so by the French Football Federation (FFF). As punishment for the exchange, Anelka was handed an 18-game suspension from international football, though he later claimed he found the situation hilarious as he had already decided to retire from France duty.

His indivudal honours include a Premier League Golden Boot with Chelsea during the 2008-09 season, and a two-time inclusion in the PFA Team of the Year.

He retired from football in 2015 after a stint with Mumbai City FC.

You can watch the trailer for Anelka: Misunderstood below.

When will Anelka: Misunderstood be released?

Anelka: Misunderstood will be released August 5.

How can I watch Anelka: Misunderstood?

You will need a Netlix account to watch Anelka: Misunderstood. The link to watch the series is here.

In order to set up an account, go to www.netlix.com and follow the instructions or do so via the app.

In the UK, monthly Netlix subscription prices range from £5.99 (basic) to £8.99 (standard) to £11.99 (premium).

In the U.S., a monthly Netflix subscription will cost from $8.99 (basic) to $12.99 (standard) to $15.99 (premium).

Jeffrey Schlupp has been nominated as the Crystal Palace Man of the Match in their final game of the season which ended in a 1-1 draw at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

The 27-year-old beat Palace academy graduate Tyrick Mitchell and experienced centre-back Scott Dann in a poll cast by fans of the club.

The Eagles had nothing to fight for heading into matchday 38 as they were guaranteed survival for the next season. The Lilywhites, meanwhile, were pushing for a Europa League spot.

It was Jose Mourinho’s men who took the lead through talisman Harry Kane in the 13th minute and they held that lead until the 53rd minute when Schlupp equalised.

James McCarthy played a corner and Dann headed the ball into Jordan Ayew’s path who in turn fed Schlupp to volley home from close range.

It was Schlupp's third goal of the season, his first in 2020 and first since a 1-0 win over relegated-Bournemouth on December 3, 2019. His first of the campaign was in the preceding game at Burnley which ended 2-0, with Ivory Coast international Wilfried Zaha scoring the first goal.

Schlupp was limited to just 17 Premier League appearances of which 11 were starts, largely due to a hip injury.

Palace ultimately finished the season in 14th place and Schlupp is disappointed they couldn’t have been higher up on the log.

Indeed, at one stage, they were close to the European places with a four-game winning run in which Ayew scored in three of them. However, a seven-game losing run saw the south London club drop down and Schlupp believes avoiding defeat against Tottenham was a good end to the season.

"Since the restart, results haven’t been what we wanted but we wanted to finish off the season well and I think we’ve done that today,” the former Leicester City player said on the Crystal Palace website.

“We’ve had some key injuries. All in all, it has been a good season for us; we wanted to maybe challenge for something a bit higher in the league but it didn’t happen.

“We had some disappointing results but it was important for us to finish well and hopefully we can take that into the next season.

“We deserve a good break first and foremost, and then we get straight back into it with a shorter pre-season than normal and pick-up where we left-off after today.”

Ghana coach Baba Nuhu is excited to have received the green light to commence training with his team ahead of the 2021 Women's U17 World Cup qualifying encounter with Nigeria.

The Black Maidens were forced to break camp in March owing to a national ban on all sports as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the final round exchange against their arch-rivals also getting rescheduled.

On Sunday, Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo announced the team is permitted to regroup under a special dispensation, as are the women's U20 team and the men's U17 outfit.

"I am so happy and glad that the President has given us the green light to start camping towards our last hurdle," Nuhu said, as reported by the GFA's official website on Monday.

"I gave out several exercises during the restriction period to all the players who were in camp before the break.

"My technical team and I did this in bid to keep them active. I am glad that now we can group together as a team to fine-tune our preparations."

Ghana will welcome Nigeria for the first leg in Cape Coast and travel away for the return fixture.

The winners over two legs book a place at the final tournament in India.

"On behalf of my teammates, we are very happy and excited that after Fifa and Caf had given the go-ahead to resume the qualifiers, today the President has also given us the green light to begin camping," Black Maidens captain Basira Alhassan remarked.

"The entire team is very happy about our coming back to the field. I believe together we will be able to put the team in a very good shape ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Nigeria."

The World Cup, which was originally planned for November this year, has been moved to February-March 2021 owing to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. 

Ghana's best performance in six past appearances at the global showpiece is a third-placed finish at the expense of Germany at Azerbaijan in 2012, having played at each of the past editions of the tournaments held thus far.

Ghana were due to take on Nigeria earlier in May but the games had to be moved to a new date over health concerns.

Chelsea are pushing to complete the signing of 21-year-old Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen and will next look to agree a fee after establishing that the German wants to move to Stamford Bridge.

Discussions have primarily been conducted through Havertz's entourage so far and qualification for next season's Champions League through a top-four finish has only strengthened the west Londoners' hand.

The Blues were waiting to see the outcome of their league campaign before doing further business after completing the double signing of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech for a combined fee of £91 million (€100m/$114m).

However, the Bundesliga club have still yet to receive any official offers after putting an asking price on Havertz at around €100 million (£90m/$111m). It is felt that a lower fee will ultimately be negotiated at around €76m (£70m/$87m).

Blues confidence centres around their financial might in the upcoming transfer window, having recently had a transfer ban while selling Eden Hazard for £88m (€96m/$113m) to Real Madrid and Alvaro Morata to Atletico Madrid for £58m (€65m/$75m).

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were both interested in Havertz, who is pushing for a move following Leverkusen's failure to qualify for the Champions League, but both clubs may not have the funds to complete a deal.

Bayern are unable to make any other major transfers due to the financial impact of coronavirus alongside their lucrative signing of Manchester City's Leroy Sane. Similarly, Real Madrid have ruled out major deal this summer due to the economic realities of the pandemic.

Havertz is back training with Leverkusen ahead of their Europa League campaign but the talks may lead to him missing the upcoming game with Rangers, much like how Timo Werner opted out of RB Leipzig's Champions League run.

Further Chelsea transfer targets include Leicester City's Ben Chilwell at left-back as well as West Ham's Declan Rice, although neither of their clubs wants to sell this summer.

Chelsea are still considering strengthening their defence as they weigh up future contract discussions with both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who both have less than two-years left on their deals.

Meanwhile, the Blues are have interest in Emerson Palmieri from Internazionale and Juventus which could raise further funds.

The west Londoners have also been scouting and considering their options regarding a goalkeeper since January, and Kepa Arrizabalaga was dropped from his No 1 goalkeeping spot for the second time this season against Wolves on Sunday with 38-year-old Willy Caballero was promoted in his place.

However they have to find an escape route for their £71m (€78m/$91.5m) record signing before considering their options. Valencia have shown an interest in a loan move but it remains to be seen whether they can even afford his £170,000-a-week wages, never mind any other fees.

Chelsea are aware of Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak and his €120 million (£110m/$137.5m) release clause, while Ajax's Andre Onana has been offered to Frank Lampard's side.

The transfer window officially opened on Monday for English clubs following the completion of the Premier League season, and it shuts on October 5.

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has named Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in his Premier League Team of the Week.

The 31-year-old was in spectacular form to help the Emirates Stadium outfit secure a 3-2 victory in their last league game of the 2019-20 season.

The Gabon international scored twice and set up Kieran Tierney for the second goal of the encounter to ensure the Gunners secured their 14th victory in the campaign, although it was not enough to see them clinch a Europa League spot.

The striker’s performances have not gone unnoticed as he has been included among the best performing players in the week under review.

Aubameyang ended the 2019-20 season with 22 league goals and three assists to finish behind Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy in the top-scorer chart.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker has been consistent in front of goal since teaming up with the Gunners, having registered 54 strikes in 85 league games.

In the recently concluded season, Aubameyang was the standout player for Mikel Arteta’s side, scoring 27 goals and providing three assists in 43 appearances across all competitions.

Last term, the striker finished as Premier League joint-top scorer along with Liverpool forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

Aubameyang, who will reach the end of his contract with the Gunners in June 2021, has been linked with a number of European clubs following his eye-catching performances, including Spanish giants Barcelona.

It is yet to be seen if he will be part of Arteta’s side next season, having previously spoken of his desire to play in the Champions League again.

Aubameyang has featured for AC Milan and Saint-Etienne before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2013, where he enjoyed great success.

The forward bagged 98 goals in 144 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund during his five-year stay with the side and helped them to win a number of accolades including the Super Cup title.

The 31-year-old is current the captain of the Gabon national team and has 25 goals in 63 appearances for the Central African country.

Kylian Mbappe is set to miss out on Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League quarter-final clash with Atalanta due to an ankle injury, his club have confirmed.

The forward suffered a nasty tackle in the first half of PSG's Coupe de France final victory over Saint-Etienne on Friday, and took part in the trophy celebrations after the 1-0 win while on crutches.

It now seems very likely he will not be fit in time to face the Serie A side, with PSG saying Mbappe will be out for at least three weeks.

A PSG statement on the club website said: "As announced after the final of the Coupe de France against Saint-Etienne, Kylian Mbappe was examined on Monday in order to know the severity of his right ankle injury. 

"The examination performed today confirms a sprained ankle with external ligament injury. Following this, the recovery time is estimated at around three weeks."

This means Mbappe wouldn't be fit in time to face Atalanta on August 12, although he could return for the semi-finals and final of the Champions League tournament held in Lisbon, should PSG make it that far.

The latter stages of the leading European club cup competition are taking place in the Portuguese capital over a series of one-off games next month, rather than the usual two-legged home and away affairs, after they were rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The highly condensed nature of the competition means PSG will be sweating on the fitness of one of their biggest stars as they attempt to win the Champions League for the first time in their history.

The saving grace for PSG is that the France international has avoided serious ligament damage or any broken bones following Loic Perrin’s tackle on Mbappe, which earned the Saint-Etienne captain a straight red card.

They also have the Coupe de la Ligue final against Lyon to negotiate on July 31, as they look to complete a domestic treble before refocusing on August’s revamped Champions League.

While Thomas Tuchel's side will still be considered heavy favourites by many going into the clash with Atalanta, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have scored 96 goals in 36 Serie A games this season so cannot be underestimated.

Tuchel will still have considerable attacking talent to choose from if Mbappe is unavailable but with Edinson Cavani having already departed after the end of his contract, it would be a significant blow.

Mbappe has scored 30 goals and registered 18 assists in 34 appearances for PSG this season. That includes five goals and five assists in seven games in the Champions League.

David Beckham has spoken about the importance of being open about your mental state after recalling the vilification he went through after the 1998 World Cup.

England were eliminated at the last-16 stage by Argentina, after Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Diego Simeone after being fouled by the now-Atletico Madrid manager.

Beckham turned from media darling to one of the most hated men in England. He received death threats, an image of a Beckham effigy hanging outside a pub found infamy, while the Mirror’s headline of ’10 Heroic Lions, One Stupid Boy’ was followed by a David Beckham dartboard.

Then at Manchester United, Beckham recovered his reputation to once again become one of the world’s most popular sports stars, but looking back, he is grateful social media hadn’t yet been invented to amplify the experience.

“I made a mistake in ‘98 and the reaction at the time was pretty brutal,” Beckham said as part of the ‘Mentally Healthy Football’ declaration from the Heads Up campaign.

“If social media was around when I was going through that time, it would have been a whole different story, but I was lucky, I had a support system within Manchester United, the manager, and obviously family.

“Did I feel it was ok at the time to go to someone and say I need help? No, because it was a different era, and I just felt that I had to keep it all in and deal with it myself. Whereas now I’m the one preaching to my kids and to other kids that I talk to out there that it’s really important to talk.

“We all know now that it’s ok not to be ok, and it’s ok to say that. It’s ok to come out and say, ‘I need help’.”

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti is also part of the Heads Up campaign, and he says he has seen welcome signs of change from players in recent years.

He said: “In my experience, it is really rare that players come to you and say, ‘Mentally I’m not good’.

“It’s changing in the past few years. I hope that this is going to [continue to] change because it is a really important aspect.

“It is really important for the relationship you are able to build with the players. It’s really important the club is able to build an environment where the players feel comfortable, safe and feel they can explain their thoughts without a problem.”

Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has set Wednesday, July 29 as the date for the first leg of the promotion/relegation play-offs. 

The Tanzania Mainland League came to a close last weekend with the second tier also concluding. Dodoma Jiji and Gwambina FC have already been promoted to the top tier after finishing top of their respective groups.

Geita Gold FC will square it out with Mbeya City FC while Ihefu take on Mbao FC. Geita and Ihefu finished second in their respective zones and will have to take their counterparts heads on to determine who plays in the top tier next season.

Mbeya finished in the 15th position in the top tier with 45 points after getting 12 wins, nine draws and 17 losses. Mbao managed the same number of points after registering the same results, only that they conceded more.

The overall winner in each tie will play in the top tier for the 2020/21 season.

Wekundu wa Msimbazi won the league for the third time in as many seasons, and the 21st title in their history. As a result, they will once again represent the nation in the Caf Champions League. 

Singida United, Ndanda FC, Alliance FC, and Lipuli FC were relegated after failing to get the results they needed to survive.

Singida United had already been relegated before the conclusion of the season as they were at the bottom of the 20-team table with just 18 points.

Lipuli needed a final day victory but they did not manage it and were sent down as a result, while Alliance's win against Namungo was not enough to save them.

A last day 2-0 defeat at home against Biashara United just confirmed Singida United’s relegation to the second-tier and they went down with a whopping -50 goal difference.

Deogratius Munish scored a 20th-minute opener for Biashara United while a David Nartey 27th own goal just made the matters worse for Singida United as they went on to lose the game on their own turf.

Ndanda were relegated after they came second last with 41 points losing their season final match to Mbao.

Jordan John’s 66th-minute goal and another from Wazir Junior is all that Mbao needed to ensure they picked up the victory.

Mtibwa Sugar were victors after they registered a 2-1 win over Ruvu Shooting at home. Boban Zilintusa earned a brace as Sadat Mohamed scored the only goal for the visitors.

Mohamed opened the score for Ruvu Shooting in the 35th minute but a second-half comeback by Mbao saw them equalise in the 51st minute and picked up the winning goal in the 65th minute.

Mtibwa Sugar end the season with 45 points and at position 14 while Ruvu Shooting are 12th with two more points than the Sugar Millers.

Namungo, who were long-time challengers for the second spot that has finally been taken by Yanga SC, lost 3-2 to Alliance.

After a gruelling Championship season, the race for the third promotion place has reached its nail-biting conclusion.

Champions Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion have already booked their places in the Premier League for next season after fine campaigns, but now Brentford, Swansea City, Cardiff City and Fulham have the opportunity to join them.

The playoffs are typically testing and dramatic affairs, where teams—already ravaged from the demands of a long 46-game season—put everything on the line in order to reach the big time.

Heading into the mini-tournament, Brentford appeared to be the strongest of the four teams, having recently enjoyed a remarkable eight-game winning streak, inspired by the outstanding work of Said Benrahma.

The Algeria international has been linked with a move to Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester City in recent weeks after an excellent campaign in the second tier in which he scored 17 goals and contributed a further eight assists.

However, consecutive defeats in their final two matches allowed The Albion to take the second automatic spot, and Brentford—now shorn of the vigour and dynamism that characterised their winning run—appear flat as they entered the playoffs.

They were duly defeated by an Andre Ayew-inspired Swansea City in the first semi-final on Sunday, with the Ghana international making up for missing a penalty by slamming home a delightful left-footed effort after excellent interplay on the edge of the box.

Dede, now 30, surely didn’t anticipate he’d be playing in the Championship at this stage of his career, but to his credit, he’s been an influential presence for the Swans this term.

The Welsh side enjoyed a remarkable final day turnaround to oust Nottingham Forest from the final playoff spot, and, unlike Brentford, have momentum on their side.

The two sides meet on Wednesday evening in the second leg of their semi, looking to reach the Wembley final.

In the other half of the draw are Cardiff City and Fulham, both freshly relegated sides who are looking to bounce back at the first attempt.

Scott Parker’s Cottagers were in the running for automatic promotion until the final day, but ultimately fell just short, and they’ll be hoping that the striking prowess of Aleksandar Mitrovic—surely too good for this level—sees them past Cardiff.

The Serb will be supported by a talented cast including Neeskens Kebano, Anthony Knockaert, Tom Cairney and Josh Onomah—all of whom have tasted the Premier League in the past—and Cardiff will have to find a way to keep these talents at bay.

For Neil Harris, the likes of Sean Morrison and Joe Ralls will be key, although he’ll have to do without Isaac Vassell and Greg Cunningham.

Cardiff and Fulham meet in the first leg on Monday, before the second leg of their semi on Thursday evening, with both matches set to be broadcast live on SuperSport.

SuperSport Fixtures

Monday 27 July – Cardiff City vs Fulham (EFL Championship Playoffs)

Tuesday 28 July – Parma vs Atalanta (Serie A)

Tuesday 28 July – Inter Milan vs Napoli (Serie A)

Wednesday 29 July – Brentford vs Swansea (EFL Championship Playoffs)

Wednesday 29 July – Lazio vs Brescia (Serie A)

Wednesday 29 July – Sampdoria vs AC Milan (Serie A)

Wednesday 29 July – Cagliari vs Juventus (Serie A)

Thursday 30 July – Fulham vs Cardiff City (EFL Championship Playoffs)

While the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga have all drawn to a close, we still have two matchdays to look forward to in Serie A, with all of Italy’s biggest sides in action in midweek.

Juventus, fresh from their title triumph at the weekend, are away at Cagliari on Wednesday, as the islanders look to expose some of the brittleness the Old Lady have shown recently.

However, while they’ve stuttered during the run-in, they got the job done against Sampdoria on Sunday, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernadeschi scoring the goals to get them over the line.

The task of Maurizio Sarri and his team now is to underpin their latest title success with consistently convincing performances, as the victory over Samp was only their second win in six.

In truth, Juve’s failings have not been capitalised upon by the chasing back, with the like of Lazio and Internazionale struggling to find their rhythm following the restart.

The Rome heavyweights were only one point off Juve when football was suspended, but after the pause, their limited squad struggled to cope with injuries and they avoided defeat in only three of their next eight matches.

They at last have the chance to sign off at home with all three points—and are still in the running for second place—at home against Brescia on Wednesday.

Inter, currently in second, have also seen too many promising leads slip away, which means work to do for Antonio Conte over the coming months as they look to become bona fide title contenders next season.

They threw away three points that appeared almost guaranteed against the likes of Hellas Verona and Sassuolo, and face a stern test when they host Napoli on Tuesday.

Gennaro Gattuso’s side are still in the hunt for Europa League qualification—they’re on 59 points with two to play, one behind sixth-placed AC Milan—and could overtake the Rossoneri if Stefano Pioli’s side drop points away at Samp on Wednesday.

Finally, Atalanta are away at Parma on Tuesday as they come to the end of another fantastic campaign, having finished third last term—their highest league position.

They could still break that record if they can unseat Inter (currently one point ahead) and finish the season in second place, while Gian Piero Gasperini may be wary that a fourth-place finish may not guarantee Champions League football if Napoli and AS Roma win the UCL and Europa League, respectively, this season.

Willian looks set to return for the FA Cup final on Sunday after he sat out Chelsea's final league match of the season against Wolves.

The 31-year-old was left out after informing the medical staff of what turned out to be an inflammation of his Achilles tendon.

Having received treatment at Cobham ahead of kick-off along with N'Golo Kante, the pair travelled to the stadium to watch their side win 2-0 against Nuno Espirito Santo's side at Stamford Bridge and confirm their Champions League status for next season.

"I did treatment until the last minute to be able to be in the field, but this time, unfortunately, it will not be possible. I will be at Stamford Bridge supporting my teammates," Willian posted to Twitter ahead of kick-off.

Willian continues his recovery but his injury is understood to be relatively minor ahead of the showpiece match at Wembley on Saturday afternoon against Mikel Arteta's side.

Meanwhile, Lampard has confirmed that Pedro is set to leave the club after being given a final run-out in the behind closed doors setting at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

“Pedro has played his last game for the club," Lampard said on Sunday. "The lads have just pretty much serenaded him in the changing room and rightly so because of the career he has had generally and for this club.

"It was his last Premier League game, but the impact he has had here is huge. I want to say a big thanks to Peds and wish him well as he goes forward. He is here for the remainder of games, but a big player of the club leaves and the spirit of the club I saw afterwards was pretty special.”

Both Willian and Pedro have deals running until the end of the season, which is a flexible arrangement to allow them to play in the FA Cup final and Champions League against Bayern Munich, or beyond should they mount an incredible comeback from 3-0 down in the upcoming away leg against the Bundesliga champions.

Serie A side  Roma have a pre-contract arrangement with Pedro agreed upon the completion of the season , while  Chelsea have re-opened talks to keep Willian amid interest from Arsenal and Tottenham, but the length of the contract remains the sticking point.

Among Chelsea's other injury concerns, Kante was close to a return against Wolves but didn't make it after a late fitness test, but Lampard will hope to have his star midfielder to face Arsenal.

Billy Gilmour is a confirmed absentee after having surgery on a meniscus injury in his knee and is currently on crutches ahead of what could be a four-month lay-off.

The 19-year-old was also pictured in the stadium on Sundaym sat near Timo Werner who made the trip to London for the first time following his £47.5 million (€52m/$60m) move from RB Leipzig.

"He was here today and I am hoping he would have seen a team play with a lot of spirit and professionalism to get through a game which was potentially very difficult for us," Lampard added.

“He would have seen a moment like Mason Mount did to break the deadlock, which is a problem we have had this season, control a game, not score and then conceded. We have things we want to improve on.

“I think he would see we have talent in the squad, a real resilience and strong quality in the group and then he can bring his qualities to that. Hopefully it was a nice first viewing for him and we look forward to having him next season.”

The Germany striker conducted his first training session at Cobham as well as fitness tests as well as a solo training session as Chelsea's players were given a day-off following a busy period in the league.

Hakim Ziyech is already training with Chelsea following his £37m (€40m/$47m) move from Ajax, and Werner could be introduced into the group this week after returning from his holidays following the completion of the Bundesliga season.

Juventus are sweating over the fitness of Paulo Dybala after a scan on the Argentine forward revealed a thigh muscle strain.

Dybala went off injured in the first half of Juve’s 2-0 win over Sampdoria on Sunday night which saw them claim a ninth consecutive Serie A title.

On Monday, Juve released a statement confirming he had undergone tests which had revealed "an elongation of the rectus femoral muscle of the left thigh", and he will now have his condition monitored on a daily basis.

While Maurizio Sarri's side have the league title wrapped up with two games to spare, they would be loathe to lose one of their star players ahead of the return of the Champions League.

Juve host Ligue 1 side Lyon on August 7 needing to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit in order to reach the knockout tournament in Portugal. If they do turn the tie around, they would face one of Manchester City or Real Madrid in the quarter-final.

Juventus have been eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the Champions League in each of the last two seasons, having reached the final in two of the three years prior.

Right-back Danilo, who joined the Old Lady from City at the beginning of the season, also went off injured against Sampdoria but tests revealed no serious injury and he is expected to be available for Lyon.

Dybala’s importance to Juventus has been underlined recently, with chief football officer Fabio Paratici revealing the club are in advanced talks to extend the forward’s contract .

"We often speak with his entourage and we are moving forward, despite all the difficulties related to the commitments and the movement due to the games that are played every three days," Paratici told Sky Sport Italia."Even in this period, we are talking quite frequently and we are well advanced."

Dybala has scored 17 goals and registered 14 assists in all competitions this season, including a recent run which saw him find the net in five consecutive Serie A games.

In all, he has now scored 95 goals in five seasons at Juve, having joined from Palermo in 2015 as one of world football's most promising young players.

Leyton Orient manager Ross Embleton admits to having considered talk of Yaya Toure joining his ranks to be a “wind-up”, but the Manchester City legend is training with the League Two club and may yet to be talked into a stunning deal.

At 37 years of age, the iconic Ivorian midfielder is winding down on an illustrious career.

He is not ready to hang up his boots just yet, though, and having already represented Monaco, Barcelona and City among others, is looking to take on one more challenge.

The fourth tier of English football is not where many would have expected him to end up, but Toure is looking to work on his fitness with Orient.

Embleton is delighted to have the Liga, Premier League and Africa Cup of Nations winner on his books, even if he is pinching himself at such a remarkable turn of events.

On how Toure ended up in east London, Embleton told talkSPORT: “We received an email from who we thought or was told was Yaya Toure’s agent. You can imagine my reaction was: ‘Yeah, course it is’.

“I said to the chief executive, ‘give me the email address, I’ll get in touch and call his bluff’, because I thought it was a wind-up. It took a day or two to get a response, so then, straight away, I just thought it was a wind-up.

“Then the guy came back to me and said, ‘[I’m] really sorry, I’m in Singapore and the time delay means I’m not able to reply to you straight away’. We had a bit of coming and going over a couple of days and then he said that he’d give me someone in the UK to deal with to get the process rolling.

“Quickly, within two or three days, I started to get an idea that Yaya Toure was coming to Chigwell to train with Leyton Orient and it happened.”

The big question now is, how long will Toure stick around?

Embleton concedes that a modern day great is unlikely to form part of his plans for 2020-21, but nothing is being ruled out at this stage.

“I think there’s a chance you might see him walking out at the Breyer Group Stadium because we’re playing an internal game next weekend,” the Orient boss added.

“It will be our first pre-season friendly and we wanted to try and be creative, so we’re doing it internally. So, there’s every chance he could walk out at the Breyer Group Stadium, as we’ll try and get him to play in that.

“I think it’s highly unlikely [that he’ll sign a contract]. The initial conversations I’ve had with him are about him coming in and doing a couple of weeks, but that’s as loose as it’s been. So could be longer, could be shorter. If we impress him, who knows where it leads to.”

The 2019-20 PSL season will resume on August 8, the league's board of governors reportedly resolved on Monday.

The held an urgent board of governors meeting with its 32-member clubs where the decision was taken to go ahead and complete the suspended campaign. 

All the remaining matches, including National First Division (NFD) games, as previously confirmed by the PSL, will be played in Gauteng. 

There are 14 stadiums earmarked by the PSL as training venues while competitive matches will take place at 11 different stadiums across the province. 

Addressing the media on Monday, PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza said all the teams that have complied with the stringent measures as set out by the government and the Joint Liaison (JLC) will be expected to be in a bio-bubble at least a day before the resumption of the season.

"Standing here, I have just come out of the board of governors meeting which was a meeting that was extended to make sure that I go and engage the stakeholders on the status of the resumption of the PSL," Khoza told the media. 

"Today, unanimously, agreed that we must resume the games on the 8th of August. That has just been conveyed, before I joined everybody, to our sponsors - Absa, Nedbank and the broadcasters - to make them aware that the board of governors have since accepted to resume the games on the 8th of August," he confirmed. 

"And I immediately phoned the president of Safa to make him aware that we are resuming the games on the 8th of August." 

"I tried to phone the Minister [of Sports] but his phone was ringing [unanswered] but I understand that he has political meetings on Mondays but I left a message on his phone that we are resuming on the 8th of August." 

"The MEC of Sport in Gauteng was also briefed. Remember Gauteng are the people that are going to be hosting the BSE in so far as transporting the teams as they come at the point of entry - to and from the hotels and to the training and match venues.  

"This is a historic, exciting moment in a difficult time in the history of this country. I think the announcement is going to assist in mitigating the challenges that are faced by this country. It will also assist in the mental wellness of the people once we are navigating this unknown, intangible virus that is affecting the whole world," he revealed.   

Khoza made it clear that the season will resume with the Nedbank Cup semi-finals, meaning Mamelodi Sundowns, Bloemfontein Celtic, Bidvest Wits and Baroka will be expected to be in the bio-bubble on August 7.

The rest of the teams that aren't taking part in the Nedbank Cup will be expected in the bio-bubble by no later than August 11. 

"What we have said is that the teams that must assemble in the BSE must be latest the day before the resumption of the games. 

"Teams that are going to go first into the bubble are those that are involved in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals which is going to be before the 8th of August. All the other teams will be required to be in the bubble on the 11th of August. As thing stand, it's all systems go," concluded Khoza.  

Competitive football in the country has been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Initially, the PSL was hoping to resume on July 18 but the proposed date was rejected by the South African Football Association (Safa) on the basis that the match officials would not be ready. 

However, that has been cleared as all the 110 match officials are undergoing fitness and medical tests in preparation for the resumption of the campaign.