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Marouane Fellaini enjoyed a stunning start to the 2020 Chinese Super League season with a quick-fire hat-trick of headers to help Shandong Luneng to an opening-day victory. 

Fellaini, 32, opted to join the side from Manchester United at the start of 2019 after five-and-a-half seasons with the Red Devils. 

But the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China, halted the 2020 campaign for six months as the nation battled the illness, leaving the midfielder out of action.

Fellaini was one of thousands to catch the virus in the country back in March, but made a full recovery and recently completed a spell of isolation having returned to China following a trip to Dubai. 

"The time has come for me to thank from the bottom of my heart, the medical staff of the hospital, their nursing staff as well as my club and its medical staff for taking such good care of me with so much kindness and for ensuring my comfort whilst there," he wrote upon being discharged from the facility in April.

"The hardest part is behind me! Let's keep fighting, it's important!"

The Super League was finally able to kick off this weekend, with the top flight condensed into two groups in order to fit the season into the reduced time-frame. 

And Shandong and Fellaini started in style with a 3-2 victory away to Dalian Pro, in which the former United star scored all three of his side's goals within the space of eight minutes - and, even more impressively, netting each with his head. 

Known for his prowess in the air, the towering midfielder opened his account in the 79th minute to put Shandong within reach at 2-1 down, with Dalian, coached by Rafa Benitez, having raced into a two-goal lead earlier with strikes from ex-Newcastle striker Salomon Rondon and Marcus Danielson. 

He then struck again four minutes later to level the match before completing Shandong's comeback in the 86th minute, ensuring the visitors would leave with all three points. 

Despite the prolonged interruption to the Super League, Fellaini looks keen to pick up where he left off prior to the pandemic after enjoying an impressive debut season in China. 

In 2019 the midfielder scored 13 goals in 34 appearances for Shandong in all competitions, including eight league strikes as the side finished fifth overall. 

Azam FC failed to capitalize on their advantage in the race for a top two finish after being held to a 2-2 draw by Tanzania Prisons.

The 2013/14 champions needed a win in their final match of the season away to Tanzania Prisons to finish above Timu ya Wananchi, Yanga SC.

The Chamazi-based side did well to get an opening goal after just seven minutes on the clock when Jumanne Fadhili turned the ball into his net to hand the Azam a deserved lead and cool the pressure from a few travelling fans.

However, Abdallah Kheri returned the favour in the 17th minute after also scoring an own goal owing to the pressure applied on the defence and sent the teams to level terms.

The administrative side went ahead for the first time in the game just five minutes to the break. Vedastus Mwisambi capitalized on poor defending to ensure the fans have something to celebrate on the stroke of half-time. 

Never Tigere scored the equalizer in the 57th minute to ensure the FA Cup holders got a point on the road.

It was a result which worked in favour of Yanga SC who defeated Lipuli FC by a solitary goal to finish second on the table.

The 27-time champions needed a 39th-minute strike by David Molinga to defeat the Shinyanga-based side. The Jangwani-based side broke from their half and the Congolese was freed from the right flank.

He managed to hold his marker before shooting past the goalkeeper to take the team's tally of the season to 72 points from 38 matches played, two more than Azam.

Champions Simba SC needed a John Bocco brace to defeat their hosts Polisi Tanzania 2-1 to complete the season on 88 points.

The Wekundu wa Msimbazi skipper needed just two minutes to get onto the score sheet. 

However, Polisi were awarded a penalty in the 31st minute and Marcel Kaheza held his cool to convert it.

Bocco completed his brace just before the break to ensure the Dar es Salaam-based side finished the league with maximum points.

Frank Lampard’s fall-out with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will do him good in the long run, according to Harry Redknapp.

The Chelsea manager had a war of words with his Liverpool counterpart following the Blues’ 5-3 defeat at Anfield in midweek, which leaves their Champions League hopes hanging in the balance going into the final day of the season.

It was a fixture in which the Blues rallied from 3-0 and 4-1 down to get back to 4-3 but ultimately saw slip away from them due to an Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain goal six minutes from time.

Lampard swore at Klopp as he branded the Liverpool backroom staff as “arrogant”, while the German claimed the Chelsea boss has a “lot to learn”.

Redknapp, whose managerial career spanned between 1983 and 2017 and saw him take charge of the likes of West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham, believes that his nephew will learn from the experience.

“Frank has been around professional football since he was a toddler. He doesn’t need advice from anyone, although I’ve lots of respect for Klopp,” Redknapp told The Sun.

“Frank is very calm usually, he doesn’t tend to get involved in things like this. For him to react like that, it must have been something to really wind him up.

“Frank respects Jurgen. And I know he will just want to shake hands on it if he can and move on.

“You don’t play so long at the very top and then become a Premier League manager so quickly if you don’t have brains.

“It would be good for them just to put it behind them.

"Their paths will cross and it doesn’t help either of them if they can’t just see it as one of those moments when tempers are frayed.”

Chelsea’s record goalscorer has enjoyed a promising start in the dugout at Stamford Bridge as he had to cope with a transfer ban last summer, which left him with a young squad.

He has taken charge of the Blues 52 times, winning on 28 occasions and suffering only 16 losses. Two of those defeats have come against Klopp’s Liverpool, with the Reds securing a 2-1 victory in September before their high-scoring success at Anfield on Wednesday.

Willy Caballero has been selected ahead of Kepa Arrizabalaga to start Chelsea's crunch Premier League clash with Wolves at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues need one point to be sure of Champions League football next season, with third-placed Manchester United and fifth-placed Leicester City playing each other.

Frank Lampard has opted for a change in goal, however, with regular understudy Caballero preferred to Kepa.

The Spain international's performances have come in for frequent scrutiny this season and he endured a torrid outing during the 5-3 midweek defeat at champions Liverpool.

“Just a choice, Kepa's had some difficult times so I am playing Willy,” Lampard told Sky Sports.

Indeed, Arrizabalaga has never been far from the headlines after moving to London, with the 25-year-old famously disobeying former boss Maurizio Sarri during last season's Carabao Cup final, refusing the come off the pitch despite the Italian boss tried to replace him.

The shot-stopper has been linked with a move away from Chelsea throughout this season, with the Blues keen on Atletico Madrid's ever-reliable Jan Oblak, who would command €120 million (£110m/$137.5m) fee as per his release clause.

Lampard had previously challenged Kepa to up his game, telling a press conference: “I think clearly you want them to be talented, to keep balls out of the net. It's old-school but it’s the first and foremost job in what a goalkeeper should keep closest to their heart. 

“The idea of clean sheets, it’s not always culpable on them, of course, for a 'keeper to have a real desire and talent to produce that. 

“But in the modern day they are even more involved than ever. To use their feet, to be a personality, all-round ability which you see with the top level goalkeepers in the world.

“We were fortunate to see at Chelsea that we had ones we can certainly say were part of huge eras for the club. That has to be Kepa’s desire, to be that person for this club and be a goalkeeper in his own right to say that he’s a huge part of a successful team.

“It’s not just on Kepa, of course, but in his own way that is what he has to believe and work towards.”

Kepa has made 33 Premier League appearances this season, having been previously dropped to the bench for a run of four league matches in February, when Caballero was preferred.

The 38-year-old Argentina international failed to keep a clean sheet during that period and has not featured in the Premier League since, although he has played four of Chelsea's five games en route to the FA Cup final.

Kenyan players Jesse Were and John Makwatta are among the players shortlisted for signing by Young Africans (Yanga SC) ahead of the new season.

According to Hersi Said, who works for GSM, the company bankrolling Yanga, the club will sign at least seven new players to prepare for the next season.

Hersi has also confirmed the new players will start arriving at Yanga from August 1, a few days after the conclusion of the 2019-20 Mainland Premier League season.

The players being targeted by Yanga include Harambee Stars strikers, Were and Makwatta, both who play for Zesco United in Zambia, and according to Sokaletu, only one player will be allowed to sign for the team.

The other targets include Heritier Makambo (Horoya AC), Sogne Yacouba, Michael Sarpong (free agents), winger Tuisila Kisinda (AS Vita), Ally Niyonzima and Eric Rutanga (Rayon Sports), Yassin Moustapha (Polisi Tanzania), and Kibwana Shomari (Mtibwa Sugar).

Meanwhile, Yanga will not break camp when the season comes to an end on Sunday but they will move to camp to start pre-season training for the new season.

A source within the club has confirmed they want to have a long pre-season training so that the coach can have a good time with the players.

“We will not break camp, we will proceed to camp after our final match on Sunday and start pre-season training, we want our plans to have consistency and know each other well, we will not break camp,” the source is quoted by Sokaletu.

“We also want to make sure that we do away with all the players who have not helped us this season, we might be forced to do away with at least 10 players or so, we are waiting for the coach to give us the way forward on this matter.

“We also want to make sure that every position as three players, so as to have a strong squad, we are eager to win trophies, and next season we want to fight and get a trophy or two.”

Yanga will finish the season with an away match against Lipuli FC on Sunday.

South African Football Association (Safa) chief medical officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya says the 2019/20 Premier Soccer League (PSL) season can go ahead, saying the referees are fully prepared to get back to action.

Ngwenya was speaking after the current campaign was halted in March because of the coronavirus pandemic and the football governing body has confirmed the officials would only be ready by the first week of August.

In addition, Ngwenya also confirmed they have not received confirmation on the proposed date of the first weekend of August.

“We’re now awaiting confirmation on our proposed date of the 1st of August,” Ngwenya told the media as quoted by Daily Sun.

“Although we haven’t received confirmation, we have already started preparing as we know the games are going to happen and need to make sure we’re ready when that time comes.

“We don’t want to be in a situation where we have to rush things through and look disorganized. We’re confident the date will come. Hence the process has started.

“We know that teams have already started preparing. It’s realistic that we’ll resume on 1 August.

“Our officials will be ready to officiate. They’ll go into the bio bubble camp two days before the actual start date.”

Although the PSL has been keen on resuming the season on July 18, they are expected to finally announce the restart date tomorrow after its Board of Governors (BoG) meeting which is scheduled to get underway on Monday.

On the other hand, Ngwenya also revealed that while Gauteng might not seem to be an ideal province for the bio bubble camp,  given the fact that it’s the hot spot for the virus, the experienced doctor is of the view that there’ll be no issues regarding safety.

“Indeed, it’s true that perhaps if we (Safa) had been part of the decision-making team regarding where the camp should be, we would have emphasized what the Joint Liaison Committee document is saying,” he added.

“The document states that the area shouldn’t be an epicentre or hot spot for the virus. But what we’ve received from the NSL is that choosing for the venue was done before Gauteng became an epicentre.

“But the comfort that we get from the whole situation is that going to the biologically safe environment will eliminate the risks as the virus is not airborne. This is an area that is Covid-19-free, and those who are going in will have been tested twice.”

Albin Ekdal has opened a war of words with former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, claiming the veteran was a detrimental influence on the national team.

Now 38, the centre forward is starring with Milan in Serie A as they fight for a European spot next season, after he retired from international duty in 2016, having won 116 caps and scored 62 goals – a record for his nation.

While Ibrahimovic’s statistics look formidable, Ekdal has claimed that the presence of the former Juventus, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain striker did not allow others to reach their maximum potential.

“Many players couldn’t handle his gesturing and sharp comments which shot holes in the confidence of some players. I’ve seen that many times, and it seldom benefits the team,” 30-year-old Ekdal told Sverige Radio program ‘Sommar & Vinter i P1’. 

“Probably many people couldn’t handle his massive winning mentality and temperament which he has, despite everything which has taken him to the best clubs in the world and made him Sweden’s best player of all time.”

Ekdal gave an example of the contrasting spirit in the camp for Euro 2016, which was Ibrahimovic’s swansong, and World Cup 2018.

“We were a team made up of one star and a few team-mates in 2016 but we travelled to the World Cup in 2018 in Russia two years later. The entire team was players who were making their debut at the World Cup," he said.

“Zlatan was the big star. He was the one who was supposed to do it, lead Sweden through thick and thin. National team manager Erik Hamren had given him the baton and made him the captain, and the rest of us were supposed to put our trust in him.

“Our team consisted of one superstar and 10 decent players around him helping him to dominate. That idea didn’t pan out.”

Ekdal could suffer a backlash on Wednesday, when his Sampdoria side play host to in-form Milan in Serie A, but first they will aim to stop Juventus securing the league title when they travel to Turin on Sunday.

Ibrahimovic’s Milan, meanwhile, are undefeated since the restart, with the Swede scoring seven in 16 Serie A outings since arriving as a free agent from LA Galaxy on January 1.

Harambee Stars striker Michael Olunga added three goals to his J1 League tally after a 5-1 Kashiwa Reysol win against Vegalta Sendai.

After going for three matches without a goal since the Japanese league resumed on July 4, Olunga has so far scored in the last three matches and went top of the scorers’ chart.

With eight goals now, the former Thika United and Gor Mahia forward has a four-goal cushion against his closest challengers, Yu Kobayashi of Kawasaki Frontale, Musashi Suzuki of Consadole Sapporo, Marcos Junior of Yokohama Marinos, Leonardo Perreira of Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Kyogo Furuhashi of Vissel Kobe.

Hayato Nakama, who has been a key player for Kashiwa Reysol since the resumption alongside his Kenyan teammate, opened the scoring for the home side in the 20th minute with an assist from Ataru Esaka.

Olunga headed into the net in the 40th minute when Yusuke Segawa’s cross found him at the right place inside a sparsely crowded box.

The Kenyan international scored his seventh goal of the season in the 58th minute with an assist from Esaka to stretch Kashiwa Reysol’s lead further from Vegalta Sendai.

The former Tusker striker earned his hat-trick in the 73rd minute when he found the back of the net after he collected a neat pass from Masatoshi Mihara and made it 4-1 for the J2 League 2019 champions.

Segawa, who had provided the first assist for Olunga, scored the fifth goal for Kashiwa Reysol in the 86th minute with an assist from Sachiro Toshima.

Vegalta Sendai’s 48th-minute goal which denied Olunga’s side a home clean sheet was scored by Takuma Nishimura.

The Kenyan star would have come out of the pitch with four goals but his 61st-minute penalty was saved by goalkeeper Yuma Obata.

In the latest interview, Olunga explained how the coronavirus break affected him and revealed his hope of continuing with the current encouraging goal-scoring form.

“When we stopped playing everything went down and we came back and started but lost in the first three games. The condition was not good but then again when you lose you try and work even harder,” Olunga said during the interview.

“I have been working hard during the training sessions and during my own time. The first two goals that I scored gave me the required motivation.

“I am looking forward to the upcoming games hoping my condition gets better and better.”

Kashiwa Reysol will be up against Nagoya Grampus on August 1 for another league encounter.

Bayern Munich are awaiting updates after Benjamin Pavard suffered an injury two weeks ahead of the Champions League last-16 second leg against Chelsea.

Pavard reportedly injured his ankle in a training game on Sunday and had to cut the session short to receive treatment.

The scare comes as Bayern step up preparations for their August 8 clash with Frank Lampard's side in Munich, where they will look to defend a 3-0 lead from the first game.

"Benjamin Pavard sustained an injury," head coach Hansi Flick confirmed in a media conference after training on Sunday. "We are not quite sure exactly what happened, we will have to wait for the diagnosis now. We're not quite sure how long he will be missing, or if he will be missing. We will have to wait and see."

There was better news for Niklas Sule, who continues to work his way back from a serious knee injury. The centre-back has not played since rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in October, although he did make the bench for the DFP-Pokal final win over Bayer Leverkusen this month.

Sule, 24, put in extra training time while his team-mates took a break after that match and the Germany international could get the chance to prove his fitness in a friendly against Marseille on Friday.

"I'm very happy with him, with the way he's training and the intensity he's training with," Flick said. "I assume he's at 100 per cent, we've been working on that. During the holiday, he stayed here and worked with our staff, so he is on track.

"He's missing match practice, but we possibly have the opportunity for him to play against Marseille. We shall see what happens."

New signings Leroy Sane and Tanguy Kouassi are ineligible to face Chelsea and will not be used in the Marseille match, but Flick has been happy with how the pair have adapted to their surroundings.

"All of the new players have integrated well," he said. "For them, it's a new environment so they might need a little time, but I'm very happy with how things are going.

"With Kouassi, we all know that he's an outstanding football player and that we will greatly benefit from him.

"We know in the last few months he's had a couple of injury problems, so we are all hoping that, following this recent injury, he can train pain-free, possibly play. We will have to see what happens in the next couple of days and see what happens.

"I can only confirm that the new signings will not play against Marseille or in the Champions League."

Yusuf Ssozi has explained what motivated him to renew his contract with Police FC despite clear interest from Ugandan Premier League (UPL) champions Vipers SC.

Ssozi, who joined Police from Paidha Black Angles one year ago, signed a two-year contract extension with the law enforcers.

“It’s something I talked about with my agent. And I needed more time at Police because I didn’t feature in the second round due to a knee injury,” Ssozi told Sports Nation.

“We still have some deals in the pipeline from outside.”

The midfielder had a good time on the pitch during the first round of the 2019/20 season before he got injured and missed the second round.

“I missed a lot. I was called to the national team, named in the team of the first round by almost every journalist, so the injury was a major setback,” Ssozi said concerning the effects of the injury.

“I hope for the best next season as I want to join the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) squad, pursue a deal outside Uganda and to do better than last season.”

The Abdalla Mubiru side has already signed experienced Tony Mawejje, Hassan Muhamood and Eric Ssenjobe.

To Ssozi, Mawejje’s arrival will be a chance for him to learn a lot from his compatriot.

“Mawejje is a senior player and a legend so I expect to learn a lot from him and improve a lot in my career because we play in the same position,” the midfielder concluded.

Meanwhile, Express FC striker Frank Ssenyondo has explained how he was signed by the club and eventually went on to register some good performances in the top-tier.

In 25 matches, the former Teronoya star got eight goals and made five assists in his first season with the Red Eagles.

“I came over to Wankulukuku [Express home stadium] for trials and was selected then subsequently signed for the new season,” Ssenyondo told the club’s website.

“Honestly, the stage was big but I believed in myself. As a player, you have to jump at the available opportunity and I did just that and proved myself.”

The forward hopes to have a better season than the previous one.

“I am hoping to surpass last season’s numbers, I want to register double digits and help the team,” he concluded.

Jurgen Klopp has a boastful side, according to Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders – who says the German “walks around like Conor McGregor” if he gets one over his staff.

The highly rated Lijnders says Klopp’s competitive streak comes out when Liverpool’s coaches play padel tennis, which is played on an enclosed court a third the size of a tennis court.

The Dutchman says the staff started playing while they were away on a summer break.

“We started playing about four years ago during our training camp in Tenerife,” Lijnders told the Mirror.

“We were playing the game with our staff and a few players. At first, we didn’t quite know what a padel court looked like and thought it had to be played a bit like table tennis.

“Our media officer looked up the rules of the game on the internet. We didn’t know he had given us the wrong rules till this Spanish chap came by and asked us what on earth we were doing. We said: ‘Playing padel tennis’.

“He laughed and said: ‘Well, I know one thing – you don’t play it like that!’.

“When we got back, the owners built a court for us at Melwood and now we are playing this game almost every day at our training centre.

“Jurgen is fanatical about it – and he’s good, too. But we never say he’s the best out loud – otherwise he starts to walk round like Conor McGregor.

“He battles for every point, with massive focus, too. Even when I am winning, he gets right under my skin.

“So when I do beat him, I let everyone at the club hear about it!’’

Lijnders also says the distraction of a second sport has helped the Liverpool coaching staff come up with tactical solutions on the football pitch.

“The game has been a nice distraction from our daily routine,” he said. “And yet, sometimes we come up with the best ideas to solve issues during these games.

“We sit down on a bench in between two sets and we discuss solutions for football problems. In fact, we do that a lot. When you are constantly playing matches or doing top-level training sessions every day, there is no time to wind down.

“So, these games are the perfect moments to relax.”

Leeds striker Patrick Bamford says that he loves what Marcelo Bielsa has achieved with the club, but admitted that the Argentine’s methods are painstaking at times.

After a 16-year wait, the Elland Road side are back in the Premier League, having claimed the Championship title by 10 points over second-placed West Brom.

The campaign was capped with a thumping 4-0 win over Charlton on Wednesday, and after that fixture Bamford spoke to LUTV to discuss the impact that the notoriously meticulous Bielsa has had over the course of his two-year reign to date.

“It’s almost like a love-hate relationship because he pushes us so hard and I know as a group of lads we moan a lot,” he said. “With the manager everyone says you don’t see that much of a personal side with him.

“We know, deep down he is getting the best out of us, he has improved us all as players and you can see the transformation he has done with the team.

“It was just the pure determination and willingness for him to achieve this goal with us and now you can see him relax. He’s such a loveable guy and me and the whole team owe so much to him.”

More broadly, the 16-goal forward discussed the outcome of the season.

“Who would’ve thought we’d have ended up winning the league by 10 points in the end? It was so tight until the last couple of games,” he said. “It means so much to everyone, the fans, staff and the whole club as a family has done the city proud.

“I don’t think we realise just how much we’ve achieved, there has been 16 years of heartache and we’ve managed to bring Premier League football back and until we retire from playing, I don’t think we’ll realise what kind of feat we’ve achieved here.

“I’m proud and I know the lads are proud, it has been a long season, but we deserve it.”

Although Bielsa has guided the club back into the top level of the English game, there are doubts over his future, with reports suggesting that Lionel Messi wants the former Argentina, Club Athletic and Marseille boss to take charge of Barcelona in the summer.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes the club's fans should show their support for Granit Xhaka when they are allowed back into matches, revealing he had to talk the midfielder out of leaving north London.

Xhaka reacted angrily to fans booing him when he was substituted during Arsenal's draw with Crystal Palace in the Premier League earlier this season.

Previous manager Unai Emery stripped Xhaka of the captaincy and dropped him from the starting XI, seemingly paving the way for the Swiss international to leave Arsenal, but since Arteta came in midway through the campaign, he has restored the defensive midfielder to the first team picture.

Ahead of Arsenal's final Premier League match of the elongated 2019-20 season, at home to Watford, Arteta spoke of Xhaka in glowing terms.

He said: "For a football player when you are on the pitch and you feel you have the fans supporting and you feel their love, it gives you an immense amount of energy and drive.

"Hopefully, he can enjoy that when the fans are back in our stadium. People know better than me what happened and how much it affected all sides when that issue occurred. When I arrived here I had a very high opinion of him and knew him really well."

Arteta admitted he was unsure of Xhaka when he first took over, having witnessed his fallout with Emery and the fans from afar, but had been quickly convinced of the Arsenal No.34's usefulness to his team.

"I had to convince him he had a future, he had a place here and he could enjoy his career and his family could be happy here," he said. "He is a player that when he commits he goes 100 per cent. He has worked really hard and he has won everybody’s trust again.

"I think he’s started to enjoy it again and, normally, when you have those two aspects together – that’s when players perform at the highest level."

Xhaka has played in 39 games for Arsenal this season in all competitions, playing in all but one of their league fixtures since New Year's Day.

Arsenal will finish in their lowest league position for 25 years regardless of their result against Watford on Sunday, but they could still qualify for Europe next season if they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final on August 1.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is pleased with the club’s midfield and singled out Joe Aribo for praise, after he scored again in a 2-0 friendly win over Coventry City on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Nigerian netted the opening goal at Ibrox in the 50th minute before Conor Goldman doubled the lead 17 minutes later. It was the second game in a row Aribo had scored in after netting in their 4-0 win over Motherwell last time out.

It marks a 100% end to Rangers’ pre-season games, keeping clean sheets in all of them. The Scottish Premiership is set to commence for the 2020-21 season on August 1 with the Gers travelling to Aberdeen.

“The midfield we are okay, we're looking strong. Joe Aribo's jumped out of the pack and being really really strong in his performances and we're creating and scoring goals in the final third,” Gerrard told Rangers TV after the match.

“Well, I think a lot of individuals look ready, both keepers have been fantastic, I think from a defensive unit point of view we're keeping clean sheets. I think Connor's showing real good leadership skills and really driving that backline to keep clean sheets

“I think we are looking strong in the full-back areas if you look at over the course of the pre-season. I thought they could have been a little bit better in terms of how they were playing when the ball came to them.

“The only thing I’m slightly concerned about is obviously our options in the number nine position and it's something we're trying to address and it's the reason why I had to be trying to be wise with Alfredo [Morelos] and get him off the pitch as soon as I could.”

Rangers recently signed Nigeria defender Leon Balogun from Wigan Athletic on a one-year deal with the option of extending it for another year.

Gerrard believes Balogun’s arrival will create competition for places at the back, something the Liverpool legend is keen to see.

“I'm delighted to get Balogun in because it's another real strong option for us and he'll challenge the people for the shirt and that's what I want,” the 40-year-old said.

“I want real competition for places because hopefully, that will bring the best and consistency out in individual players.”

SuperSport United midfielder Teboho Mokoena has admitted that he was looking to impress scouts at the 2020 Olympic Games.

The 23-year-old player played an instrumental role in helping South Africa qualify for the global competition as the team finished third at the 2019 Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Egypt.

Mokoena netted South Africa's only goal in the group stage against Ivory Coast and they secured their place in the Olympic Games' Men's Football tournament after defeating Ghana on penalties in the third-place play-off match.

This year's Olympic Games were scheduled to take place in the Japanese capital city Tokyo between July and August 2020, but the competition has been postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I worked hard to help the team qualify for the Games. I wanted to go there and use the platform to market myself in front of European scouts," Mokoena told Daily Sun.

“I would love to see myself playing in Europe someday and was looking forward to being in Japan. I’ve been thinking about the Games a lot this week.”

Mokoena will be 24 years old by the time the tournament starts on July 22, but Fifa has extended the age limit to 24 from 23 following the Games’ postponement due to Covid-19.

“I’ll be gutted if I don’t go to the Games next year. It’s always been my dream to debut at the Olympic Games since we qualified," he continued.

“I’ll be sad if I don’t go and my best bet of going to Tokyo is to continue working very hard at club level and at Bafana Bafana."

The 2019/20 domestic season was also affected by Covid-19 as the campaign has been suspended since March.

Mokoena and his SuperSport teammates recently resumed training ahead of the PSL resumption and he explained that he is slowly getting used to training in a small group of five players.

“We just have to get used to the new reality, and the faster we get used to this kind of training, the better for us all," he added.

The City Press recently reported that PSL is considering cancelling the suspended season due to their stand-off with the South African Football Association (Safa) over when the campaign should resume.

However, Mokoena has pleaded with the PSL not to declare the season null and void with Matsatsantsa placed third on the league standings.

“As players and as a team, we prefer to finish the season and play 30 games,” the former South Africa under-20 international added.

“We didn’t come back to training for anything else, but finish the season. Finishing the season is a matter of principle. Every one of us wants to see where their teams will finish on the log.

“It’s only fair to finish the season in the field of play and not inside the boardroom. That’s my biggest wish and my plea to the powers that be."

Highlands Park have confirmed that an “unbelievable offer” has been tabled for the acquisition of their Premier Soccer League franchise and would give it a serious thought if it is “deliverable.”

Tim Sukazi, the owner of GladAfrica Championship side TS Galaxy, had been rumoured to be behind the push to buy Highlands Park but he has since denied interest in the team.

Highlands Park co-chairman Larry Brookstone says the club is not up for sale but they might be lured to consider an irresistible offer.

“First of all Highlands Park is not up for sale. We had an unsolicited offer on the club‚” said Brookstone as per Sowetan Live.

“And the offer we’ll consider if it’s deliverable. I think everybody in the world‚ if the offer is too good to believe‚ they’ll take it. If the guy can deliver this kind of money then‚ yes‚ we would consider it.”

Brookstone emphasised the magnitude of the offer but appeared to be questioning the feasibility of the amount of money involved.

He, however, admitted to concerns that news of a possible sale of the club could unsettle their players.

“This discussion ... I’m regretting that we even listened to this unsolicited offer‚ quite frankly‚ because there is this speculation and it unsettles my players and everyone around me," Brookstone said.

“It’s not concrete. The offer is unbelievable. If they can deliver it then we will consider it. I’ve got a house on Linksfield Ridge I’ve lived in for 32 years‚ and I can tell you if someone came with this sort of offer on my home I would also consider that.

“I’ll tell you that in a weeks’ time if you hear that I’ve sold the club‚ know for sure that a guy delivered on an unbelievable promise.

“Business is marginally down on very high turnover‚ dealing with public companies and massive corporations who are not affected by the [Covid-19] situation.”

Placed eighth on the PSL standings, Highlands Park are almost assured of top-flight league football next season.

Johnstone Omurwa has been one of the standout performers at the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) side Wazito FC.

The influence he has had on the squad has been visible to all, and this has endeared him to the fans. 

The former Mathare United defender has also commented on the poor start to the 2019/20 season by the 2018/19 National Super League (NSL) champions.

"Yes, initially the team struggled especially at the start of the season," Omurwa told Goal on Sunday.

"It is normal for a team to struggle and Wazito is not an exception."

Inconsistency in the top-tier coupled with inhouse wrangles led to the exit of coaches at the team. Fred Ambani and technical director Stanley Okumbi were the first on the list. Melis Medo took over but was fired after barely a month.

Frank Ouna, who has been hired to assist Stewart Hall, was also axed and all these affected the team. So what made the 21-year-old Omurwa stand tall?

"I could not sit down and watch the team struggle without giving my best. I had to stand out for the team and my teammates and ensure I give my best because it is my responsibility as a player," he continued.

"Despite all, we are still players and everyone has his ambitions.

"Again, by giving my best, you cannot know who is watching or what impact your dedication to the team could have. So I decided to keep on pushing consistently regardless of our struggles."

The Kenya U23 international also revealed why he continued to do his best for the side despite all the changes at the club over the last 12 months.

"And this being our full-time job, if you do not give your best, then you can easily be released," Omurwa continued.

"But if you give your best, there will be no worries. It is for this reason I have been ensuring my work rate is good, the same as the qualities I offer." 

His consistency and discipline have reportedly caught the eye of Angola giants Petro Atletico who are keen on signing the player.

The 15-time Girabola champions are keen on winning the title once again in the 2020/21 season after alst achieving the feat in 2009. 
  

Azam FC assistant coach Bahati Vivier has described their season’s last Mainland Premier League match against Tanzania Prisons as a life and death matter.

Azam and Yanga SC are fighting to finish the campaign second to Simba SC and earn the Caf Champions League spot. Caf has not decided whether Tanzania will be given a second slot though should Libya be stripped of its place.

The Ice Makers are second courtesy of a superior goal difference and a win is what Vivier only wants from his team.

“It is the last match which is very important and one like a final for us,” Vivier said as quoted by the club’s Facebook page.

“This is a life and death match and it means I have to ensure we get good results so that we can assure ourselves of something good in the future.

“Since I said it is going to be like a final match for us, that calls for seriousness from everyone. We have shown seriousness from since we started travelling for this match and I can only hope that we can be more serious in our 'final tie' and get the job done, peacefully.”

The Tanzanian coach also spoke about the preparedness of his players and asked them to rise to the occasion and perform when the team needs them most.

“Psychologically, the team is in the right shape and you can feel every player is just fired up for the match,” he added.

“They have shown interest that they need to play this match as quickly as possible so that they can prove what they have come for.

“The players have to show what they can do for Azam. They have to ensure they write a proper record that when the time called for great performances against Tanzania Prisons, they did just that.”

Vivier will be in charge of the team since his boss Aristica Cioaba is serving a touchline ban and also appealed for total support from the fans.

“To say the truth, it is not something that is good at all because he [Aristica Cioaba] would not be on the touchline for two games,” the assistant coach concluded.

“That means it is going to be my sole responsibility to take charge of the team.

“I know Azam supporters love their team, that is not debatable at all. I know without them we will not be a team in the first place.

“A team without supporters is not a team that is why we need their support, especially at this time.

“Let them come and show us, love, as they have done before and we can repay that love with a good performance.”

All matches will be held on July 26 and will kick off at 16:00 local time.