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Cape Town City chairman John Comitis has predicted a "looming disaster” as a result of the prolonged 2019/20 season coronavirus-induced break.

Football in South Africa was suspended in March but the government recently gave a thumbs-up for the continuation of the current season.

With the Premier Soccer League (PSL) setting on July 18 for the restart, Safa has blocked that date, saying their referees will only be available in the first week of August.

The football mother body is also not fully satisfied with the health and safety measures put in place by clubs.

This has infuriated some PSL clubs, including Cape Town City, who has warned of the crippling economic effects within football that would continue to be felt in seasons to come.

“If we don’t resume, there’s going to be problems. Sponsors are going to start asking questions - like our own sponsors are asking questions,” Comitis told IOL.

“We are hoping that we will return to football, because we are going to suffer [if we don’t]. The disaster that looms means that people are going to lose their jobs and the industry will collapse.”

Cape Town City were the first PSL confirmed team to resume group training and Comitis says frustration has crept into their camp due to continued training without clear restart dates.

“We’ve been training for the past three months. The players are getting frustrated,” said Comitis.

"The entire industry is getting frustrated. It is not nice. The coaches are getting fired. We are aimlessly training for nothing.

“We are hopeful that sanity will prevail and [we will] return to business, like other businesses that have been allowed to return. We are just waiting to see what will develop.

“We will find out what is going on maybe Monday or Tuesday. We’ve been told to get ready. We need to wait for PSL and Safa to finalise what is going to happen.”

City’s early return to training and eagerness for football to resume could signal their seriousness in securing their PSL status for next season.

They have seven remaining league games and are placed 10th on the standings, seven points above basement side Black Leopards.

Chelsea will have to pay Jan Oblak's €120 million (£110m/$137.5m) release clause to force contract talks with the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper.

It remains unclear whether the 27-year-old would be ready to leave Atletico this summer, with manager Diego Simeone ready to block the exit of the Slovenia international in most circumstances.

However, the relationship between Chelsea and Atleti is good, having seen the transfers of Diego Costa, Alvaro Morata and Thibaut Courtois conducted between clubs in recent seasons.

Blues boss Frank Lampard remains unconvinced with his goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, and he would need to find him an escape route to try to balance the books before considering such an offer for a player such as Oblak.

Valencia have recently enquired about possible arrangements to sign Kepa on loan, as they look to move on their current No.1, Jasper Cillessen.

Los Che would be interested in a two-year loan with an option to buy the Spain international, which might end up being Chelsea's best option for moving on the the £71m (€80m/$90m) signing from Athletic Club in 2018.

Along with the high fee, Kepa also commands high wages and currently earns £170,000-a-week, which remains a stumbling block and put off Sevilla, who are also considering signing a new goalkeeper.

The Blues have shown few problems making big signings so far in the transfer market, having brought in both RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner and Ajax winger Hakim Ziyech already.

However, they must offload a host of talent before making more big moves as they face a bloated wage bill and potentially unhappy players in the squad.

The Spanish transfer market looks set to contract more than the English one with swap deals, loans and free transfers being prioritised at even the bigger clubs. Barcelona, for example, have already had to conduct contrived deals with Juventus over the transfers of Arthur Melo and Miralem Pjanic.

Meanwhile, Chelsea's transfer destiny remains somewhat tied to Atleti as both clubs target left-back Nicolas Tagliafico from Ajax.

Atleti were seeking to do a deal for €5m plus Santiago Arias, but this has not excited the Dutch champions who believe they could get a better deal from the west Londoners, making them favourites to meet their €26 million (£24m/$30m) valuation.

Still, the Blues have so far prioritised signing Ben Chilwell from Leicester City, with Brendan Rodgers repeatedly denying the Foxes would sell despite the interest.

Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz remains a key target for the Stamford Bridge club, although details of a concrete offer have yet to emerge.

Frank Lampard has delivered “miracle stuff” during his debut campaign as Chelsea manager, claims Chris Sutton, with the inexperienced coach leading the Blues into an FA Cup final and towards a top-four finish.

Such success has become the norm for west London giants during the ownership of Roman Abramovich. The 2019-20 campaign had, however, started with expectations reined in on the back of a managerial change and transfer embargo.

Lampard returned to Stamford Bridge aware that he was taking on a tough task after seeing his hands tied in the transfer market and with just one season of coaching experience to his name.

The Chelsea legend has, however, gone above and beyond on his initial remit, with the Blues holding their own with an exciting young squad.

Further proof of that was offered in a 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday, with Lampard bucking a wretched record against the Red Devils to get the better of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in a tactical battle and put his team in contention for major silverware.

“Chelsea went with a back three, matched up, and Manchester United really didn’t lay a glove on Chelsea,” former Blues striker Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live of another step in the right direction from Lampard’s side. “In the first half, I can’t really think of any time when [Willy] Caballero was tested at all.

“They went 2-0 up, yes at the end Manchester United get a consolation – daft challenge from [Callum] Hudson-Odoi in the box on [Anthony] Martial – but I think we have to give Frank credit, in a very trying season.

“You don’t have to think back too far to what he took over, this was a club who had an embargo on them - he couldn’t bring players in.

“Was the expectation there as there has been under the Abramovich regime to go and challenge for a title? No, I don’t think there was, but there was still pressure.

“Before this game we talked about both clubs wanting Champions League places.

“At the start of the season, with everything being equal, we would say that if Frank Lampard got this Chelsea team into a Champions League spot – that is an unbelievable job. If he can add an FA Cup to this as well, that is miracle stuff in his first season.”

Chelsea, who are set to face London rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup final, sit third in the Premier League table at present – with two games left to take in – and will be back in action on Wednesday when they take in a trip to champions Liverpool.

Maroons FC coach Charles Ayiekho is confident he will engineer the club’s promotion back to the Ugandan Premier League (UPL) in just six months.

Maroons, alongside Tooro United and Proline FC, were relegated when the UPL was cancelled in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ayiekho, who is yet to take charge of any Maroons matches since he was appointed just before the league was suspended in March, is confident in his squad’s ability.

He was appointed to replace Douglas Bamweyana.

“I am sure that the squad I have can favourably compete in Big League and I am pretty sure that Maroons will be confirmed back in the top league with six months only,” Ayiekho said as he was quoted by Sports Nation.

“That is after the end of the first round, hopefully, I am given whatever I need.”

Maroons under Ayiekho will participate in the Fufa Big League in anticipation of a quick promotion without key players like Pius Obuya.

Obuya left for KCCA FC while Steven Mukwala saw his loan stint expire. Goalkeeper Hannington Ssebwalunyo is understood to have requested to leave the club but that does not erode Ayiekho’s confidence in the remaining players.

“Maroons have a total number of 59 players with many on loans,” Ayiekho added.

“Therefore, before recruiting any other player, I am going to recall all loaned players and rebuild this team back to where it belongs.

“I want to assure people that they might only see five new faces added in the current squad because I want to give the available players a chance provided they suit what I want.”

The tactician further explained why he is confident that Maroons will not struggle in the second-tier.

“This is not the first time I am getting relegated with the team, it happened when I was at Water FC but I managed to bring it back in the top league in just a season,” Ayiekho stated.

“Maroons have been fighting relegation which was not going to be the case when I am in the team. I have done it with several teams and my history speaks for its self so Maroons will never fight for relegation.”

Maroons were 14th when they were relegated with five matches remaining, but those were not played after the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) cancelled the competition.

“I was very confident that Maroons were not going to lose any game in the remaining five matches then,” a confident Ayiekho concluded.

“We would have at least won three and got two draws, and to my experience, we would have survived relegation.”

Manchester United target Jude Bellingham has completed his move to Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City.

Dortmund released a video confirming the news via their official Twitter account, with players and staff from across the club singing along to 'Hey Jude' by The Beatles to welcome their new arrival.

It has been reported that Bellingham committed to a five-year-contract at Westfalenstadion after a €25 million (£23m/$29m)) fee was agreed between BVB and Birmingham.

If these reports are correct, it would make the 17-year-old the most expensive teenager in European football, to cap a meteoric rise to prominence for the midfielder over the past 12 months.

Bellingham has scored four goals in 43 appearances in all competitions for Birmingham in 2019-20, and will likely make his final outing for the club when they come up against Derby on the final day of the 2019-20 EFL Championship season.

United and Bayern Munich were also strongly linked with the English playmaker, but he has ultimately decided to follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman Jadon Sancho, who left Manchester City to join up with Dortmund as a teenager in 2017.

Bellingham expressed his delight after the announcement was made, while also offering his gratitude towards Birmingham for giving him the chance to begin his professional journey at St Andrew's.

He said: "I can't thank Birmingham City enough for what the club did for me - not just this season, but since I came to the club when I was seven. 

"Now I'm really excited to join one of the biggest clubs in Europe. BVB's path, but especially how they help young players to improve, made the decision very easy for me personally and for my whole family. 

"I can't wait to play in one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, hopefully in front of over 80,000 spectators as soon as possible."

Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc added: "Jude Bellingham chose BVB because he is completely convinced. Primarily because of the sporting perspective that we showed him, he has enormous potential that we want to develop with him in the coming years. 

"He already has a surprising amount of quality in his own possession as well as against the ball, and on top of that, the player also has a strong mentality. 

"We immediately see Jude as a reinforcement for our professional squad, but of course. we will also give him the time to get used to the higher level that he needs."

Nigeria midfielder Azubuike Okechukwu and Senegal striker Demba Ba have expressed their delight after winning the Turkish Super Lig title with Istanbul Basaksehir on Sunday.

The Fatih Terim Stadium outfit clinched the trophy for the first time in their history after defeating Kayserispor 1-0 at Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium.

Mahmut Tekdemir scored the only goal of the encounter in the 19th minute which was enough to seal the victory for Okan Buruk’s men despite Edin Visca’s missed penalty.

Okechukwu, joined Basaksehir last summer on loan from Egyptian side Pyramids FC and has made 31 appearances across all competitions for the club, including 17 in the Super Lig.

The 23-year-old midfielder was, however, not involved as they secured their 20th win of the season, against Kayserispor.

Ba, who has bagged 12 goals in the Turkish top-flight, featured for the duration of the game in his 39th appearance for the club this season.

Following the league’s success, Ba and Okechukwu have taken to social media to share their feelings. 

Okechukwu played for Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side Bayelsa United before joining Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor in 2015.

After three years at Malatya Arena, the midfielder left for Egypt in the summer of 2018 to team up with Pyramids FC.

Ba, meanwhile, joined Basaksehir last summer after terminating his contract with Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua.

The forward, who had 22 caps for Senegal, had previously featured for Premier League clubs Chelsea, Newcastle United and West Ham United.

The 35-year-old striker has also previously played for Mouscron, 1899 Hoffenheim and Turkish side Goztepe.

Ba and Okechukwu will hope to help Basaksehir finish the 2019-20 season with victory when they face Kasimpasa on July 25.

David Luiz put in a “phenomenal” showing for Arsenal in their FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City, says Tony Adams, with the much-maligned Brazilian defender looking to “prove everybody wrong”.

The South American centre-half has come in for plenty of criticism during the 2019-20 campaign, especially since the Premier League restart in mid-June.

Arsenal opened the second part of a disrupted campaign with a heavy defeat away at City, with Luiz contributing significantly to that setback with a mistake for Raheem Sterling’s opener and collecting a red card.

He was, however, to make amends for that showing when lining up against the same opposition at Wembley on Saturday.

Luiz put in a commanding showing against Pep Guardiola’s FA Cup holders, with Mikel Arteta overcoming his managerial mentor as Arsenal ran out comfortable 2-0 winners on the day.

The Gunners saw their game plan work to perfection, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbing a well-taken brace.

At the opposite end of the field, Luiz and co put their bodies on the line to keep City at bay and prove that they can form a reliable back line despite the regular rounds of questions they have faced when it comes to defensive leaks in north London.

Former Arsenal captain Adams was among those left impressed by a much improved performance, telling Stadium Astro: “David Luiz was absolutely phenomenal and I’ve been very critical of him recently and I think a lot of people have been.

“So, give credit where credit’s due, he had the bit between his teeth. He wanted to prove everybody wrong.

“If there was a crowd in the audience, I don’t know if that’s helped him or not, I’m thinking it may have helped him because in recent weeks I think the Arsenal crowd would have been really on his back and I don’t know how he would’ve reacted with that, but he certainly reacted for me so well.

“For this game in particular I just thought he was awesome and I’m going to be shouting from the top of the world that he was outstanding, good performance.”

After helping Arsenal into a major final, Luiz expressed his delight at having silenced some of his critics in what has been a testing debut campaign at Emirates Stadium.

He said: “There was a lot of criticism of me, you can say that. It is part of the football, I understood during my career football is about surviving every day you are going to defend your team and other people are going to support their teams it is about surviving.

Andrew Robertson insists Liverpool are motivated to keep winning after their Premier League triumph.

Liverpool were crowned champions of England for the first time in 30 years on June 25, their coronation confirmed with seven games to spare following Manchester City's defeat at Chelsea.

Jurgen Klopp's men set new standards of excellence before coronavirus stopped play in March, winning 27 of their first 29 fixtures.

The Reds were on course to break City's all-time points record of 100, but their patchy form since the top-flight's resumption on June 17 has seen that opportunity slip away.

Liverpool have dropped points in three of their five outings since being named champions, and it has been suggested that their hunger for trophies will be diminished after picking up such an elusive piece of silverware.

However, Robertson says that no one in the current squad is content to rest on their laurels, and that sustained success is now the main goal for England's new top club.

The left-back told Premier League Productions : “It's about the feeling we had in the hotel when Chelsea beat Man City, it's about the feeling we had on the open-top bus when we beat Tottenham in the Champions League final - they're the feelings that, as a footballer, you can't get much better than and we want to hold on to them.

“We don't want it to be a one or two-times-off, we want that to become the normal, we want that winning feeling every single year and that's why after winning the Champions League we stayed so motivated to go and win the Premier League.

“Our motivation will be there again to go and win all the trophies put in front of us next season. Whether that happens, teams are getting better, everyone's making signings and trying to close the gap and I believe they will. Whether we're good enough we'll wait and see, but our motivation will be there. 

“Our motivation to win trophies for this club is always there. You carry a responsibility when you put on this shirt and we all know that, we all buy into it. With the manager we've got, he doesn't let us drop below 100 per cent. That will continue, so as soon as we do get to that point he'd be there to tell us otherwise and so would the captain.

“We've got really good characters in our squad that won't let our standards slip - not that we ever would think about it. Like I said, we've got a responsibility to try to bring trophies to this club. We've done well so far but it's about continuing that.”

Bruno Fernandes has called for calm on the back of Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea, with the Portuguese pointing out that the Red Devils “were not the best before and are not the worst now”.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side wilted on the Wembley stage against Chelsea on Sunday.

Having entered that contest on a 19-game unbeaten run in all competitions, confidence was high inside the Old Trafford camp.

Solskjaer, however, made surprising tweaks to his system and starting line-up against the Blues, leading to a rather disjointed display.

Costly errors also undermined United’s efforts, with David de Gea failing to keep out efforts from Olivier Giroud and Mason Mount that he would have been expected to save.

United now have to dust themselves down for the resumption of their top-four bid in the Premier League.

One route to major silverware has been shut off, but they can still secure Champions League qualification and challenge for the Europa League crown in 2020. With that in mind, Fernandes has called for a sense of perspective.

The Portuguese has sparked a revival for the Red Devils, with his arrival in the January transfer window coinciding with an upturn in fortune, but he is fully aware that nothing has been achieved as yet.

Taking to Instagram after a 3-1 reversal against Chelsea, Fernandes said: “We were not the best before and we are not the worst now.

“We are really sad about the result and losing the chance to win the FA Cup, something we had hoped for. Now it is time to gather forces and fight for our goal in the Premier League.”

Fernandes did grab United’s consolation effort against Chelsea from the penalty spot – his ninth goal for the club through just 18 appearances.

Solskjaer will be hoping that there are more inspirational showings from him to come in what has become a vital run of games for the Red Devils.

They will be back in Premier League action on Wednesday when taking in a home date with former boss David Moyes and his West Ham side – with a window of opportunity having opened up there on the back of a 3-0 defeat for Leicester against Tottenham, that has United level on points and goal difference with the fourth-placed Foxes while holding a game in hand.

SC Villa coach Edward Kaziba has admitted he has no power to stop the ongoing exodus of players from the Uganda Premier League (UPL) giants.

Villa, who last won the UPL title 16 years ago under coach Micho Sredojevic, are struggling to remain afloat for next season after losing some of their key players, with more also expected to leave before the transfer window shuts.

The most notable player to have left the club is young striker Charles Lwanga, who signed for former champions KCCA FC; Bashir Mutanda has asked for a release letter, with Ambrose Kirya, and forward David Owori also on their way out.

The club will also release Emmanuel Kalyowa and Yayo Lutimba after deciding against renewing the duo’s contracts.

It is a situation that has left coach Kaziba a worried man, insisting he has no power to stop the exit of players since the management does not have money to meet their demands.

“There are players leaving, that is true,” Kaziba is quoted by Daily Monitor, “They are leaving because their demands could not be met by the club.

“I don’t feel good about it [players leaving] but again we have to move on and so we have to get other players definitely.

“Definitely, it hurts but there are still some other good players at the club. It [losing his best players] does not fit into my ambitions for the club but it is something that I can’t do anything about.

“My bosses couldn’t come through on the players’ demands but at the end of the day, we have to work. I spoke to the players and they told me their side of the bargain, then I spoke to my bosses, they also told me their side and so we are in such a situation, which is not good really.”

Villa put up a good display in the last campaign after they managed to finish the season in the third position.

The season was ended by the Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) owing to the effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic with Vipers SC being declared the champions.

Mason Greenwood is better than Marcus Rashford, according to Dwight Yorke, who has described the Manchester United starlet as a "defender's nightmare" and a "fantastic talent".

Greenwood has been a bright spark for United this season, complimenting Rashford and Anthony Martial perfectly to help form one of the deadliest attacking triumvirates in the Premier League.

Solskjaer has been rewarded for placing his trust in a talented young forward with little previous senior experience, as he has hit 18 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions.

Most of those outings have come from the bench, but he has enjoyed a prominent role in Solskjaer's starting XI since last month's top-flight restart.

The England international recently earned a place in the Old Trafford record books for scoring in three consecutive matches, becoming only the second teenager to achieve the feat alongside club legend Wayne Rooney.

Rashford is also enjoying a fine individual campaign, having hit a career-high total of 22 goals, with his potential now starting to be fulfilled after three years of development as a promising academy graduate.

Yorke thinks Greenwood is progressing at an even faster rate than his team-mate, and expects him to continue his current trajectory with Solskjaer on hand to "guide him". 

The former United striker told Apollo Tyres: "He is getting all the praise right now because he is certainly hot at the moment with what he is doing. The trend at United is that the young players have always been getting chances.

"Under LVG [Louis van Gaal] and [Jose] Mourinho, they have not got their chances. Ole has come in and recognized that part of Man Utd. Mason, under Jose, probably would not have got a game. 

"Mason is a defender's nightmare. If you look at us in the last 2-3 years, we have been passing sideways, now these guys are driving teams back into their own area. He is a fantastic talent.

"He is better than Rashford, looking at his record now. You got to understand though he is still 18, at a development stage. Having Ole there, he would guide him along the way."

Mikel Arteta feels any prospective new signing should not need much convincing to join Arsenal, a club with an "obligation to fight for silverware".

The Gunners have endured a seesaw 2019-20 season, including a change of head coach following Unai Emery's departure in November, but have shown promising signs in recent weeks under Arteta.

After victory over Premier League champions Liverpool in midweek, Arsenal recorded an impressive 2-0 triumph against Manchester City in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final, raising the possibility of not just a trophy but also a Europa League spot.

The two results have clearly demonstrated the progress made under the Spaniard, who feels the club's standing on and off the field should make them an attractive option for any player.

"I've said it before that I do not think we should bring in players who need a lot of convincing," Arteta told the media. "This club has enough to be attracted to it.

"The feeling I get when I talk to a lot of people is that the players still want to come to the club, because of the history, the way we do things, our values, the fans that we have and our stadium. They are really attractive things."

With qualification looking unlikely via the league, the FA Cup could provide a welcome route into Europe.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored both goals against City at Wembley, Pep Guardiola's side dominating possession but failing to find a way through an Arsenal defence that has come under heavy criticism this season.

For Arteta, it was a statement result in the early stages of his tenure after leaving City to take charge at Emirates Stadium.

"Our obligation with this club is to fight for silverware, to be with the top teams," said Arteta, Guardiola's former assistant. "We have reached the final. I put that pressure upon myself, because that's the way I look at the club. I know no other way.

"For me, to be able to beat in my opinion the best team in the country is great."

Arsenal will face London rivals Chelsea in the FA Cup final on August 1, after the Blues beat Manchester United 3-1 on Sunday.

Juventus head coach Maurizio Sarri is as fearless as a Formula One racing driver when it comes to rumours over his future at the club.

Sarri has faced speculation that he will be sacked at the end of the season even if he guides Juventus to a ninth consecutive Serie A title.

The Bianconeri are six points clear at the top of the table ahead of Monday's clash with fourth-placed Lazio, although Inter could cut that to four with victory over Roma on Sunday night.

Juve have not won any of their past three games and were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Sarri's former club Napoli last month.

Sarri, however, was in a bullish mood when reporters asked him at a media conference on Sunday if he was concerned about losing his job.

"I have a contract and I want to honour it at all costs," said the ex-Chelsea boss, who was given a three-year deal when he took over Juventus in June 2019.

"Asking me about if I am worried for my future is like asking a Formula One driver if he is afraid to go fast. I'm happier feeling someone breathing down my neck. It's part of my profession - if you win, you are doing well, if you lose, you are doing badly. Football is difficult, wherever you are.

"At Chelsea there was a different situation, I liked the idea of going to England, then last summer I wanted to come back to Italy, but the future is the game against Lazio on Monday and we have to think about every single game. All the rest comes as a result."

In December, Lazio claimed two 3-1 victories over Juve in Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana.

Simone Inzaghi's side were only a point behind the defending champions before the restart, but four defeats in seven games has left them playing catch up. Sarri, though, is wary of the threat they pose.

"Lazio have had a great season, they have proven to be a great team even if they are going through a difficult period," added the 61-year-old. "It is a strange time we're playing in, which is unique in the history of football.

"This is a team we have always struggled against. In a single game everything can change, so the difficulty of this game speaks for itself."

Back in 1998, Vijay Mallya owned United Breweries (UB) Group penned a historic sponsorship deal with Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.

The two historic clubs ushered in a new era shrugging off their sentiments by entering into a Joint Venture (JV) with a corporate. The two traditional giants were averse to a company promoting alcohol-based products using the club's name. Also, there was the issue of ceding some control on the club's board to a corporate entity.

Before the UB deal, Tata Tea and Khadim's used to sponsor Mohun Bagan and East Bengal respectively but these companies never entered into a partnership with the club.

The UB Group formed a company with East Bengal named Kingfisher East Bengal Football Team Private Limited of which 50 per cent was owned by each party. United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of UB, formed a JV entity with Mohun Bagan named United Mohun Bagan Private Limited with a similar ownership structure.

The Kolkata clubs enjoyed success during the liquor baron’s association with the clubs as they were amongst the top spenders in Indian football.

Back in 2000, after just two years of their association, UB Group had decided to slash the team budgets of both clubs by more than INR 1 Crore. While East Bengal's poor on-field performances prompted UB to slash their budget, Mohun Bagan's off the field issues and ongoing court cases at that time did not go down well with the liquor firm.

Unfortunately, things went further south in the last decade after the UB Group decided to curtail their investments. UB's airline company Kingfisher Airlines ran into massive losses and was closed in 2012. After the debacle, the company started to cut their costs on all fronts and they even proposed to slash the budget of both the clubs back in 2012.

In 2013, though, UB Group entered into a fresh agreement with the clubs under which the company decided to provide INR 80 crores over a 10-year period.

Mohun Bagan was the first among the two clubs to face a major financial brunt in 2014 when British multinational beverages company Diageo PLC took majority stakes (54.8 per cent) in UB Group’s USL.

Diageo Group was reportedly reluctant to continue the association with the Green and Maroons and allegedly stopped their funding by November 2014. Even though Bagan bagged the I-League title in the 2014-15 season, they were facing immense financial constraint with no cash flow from their erstwhile sponsors.

The club officials decided to drag their chief sponsors to court on November 2015 after a year without a penny of sponsorship money as promised back in 2013. The club refused to wear the McDowell's logo on their shirt during the 2015-16 I-League season.

The deal finally saw a premature end in 2016 when it was agreed that USL would give up their 50 per cent in the JV and returned their shares.

After four seasons without a major title sponsor, Bagan finally entered into a merger with ISL champions ATK and will take part in the top tier league in the upcoming season.

East Bengal did not face many financial difficulties in 2014 as the parent company continued their association with the club despite Heineken becoming the principal owner of UB Group in 2015 with 42.1 per cent share. Vijay Mallya, one of the directors of the club at that point, had only 37.5 per cent stakes.

The relationship suddenly took a dip after the conclusion of the 2017-18 season. In May 2018 during a meeting with the club officials, UB Group announced that they would slash the sponsorship money to a mere INR 1.5 crores which was less than half of what East Bengal were getting until then.

The Red and Golds quite expectedly did not agree to UB’s terms and decided to end the partnership. UB group did not hesitate to return their 50 per cent stake in JV and the sporting rights to field a team in a recognised tournament (which was held by the JV).

Thereafter, East Bengal entered into a fresh JV with Bengaluru-based Business service providing company Quess Corp. The new venture was named Quess Bengal FC Private Limited whose 70 per cent stake was with Quess and 30 per cent with the club.

UB Group wanted to remain as a co-sponsor at East Bengal but the offer was rejected by the club and their new investors in 2018. Quess' association with East Bengal though did not last long as after just two seasons, the company decided to terminate their agreement with the club and end the JV.

Currently, without a title sponsor or an investor, East Bengal are reportedly in talks with several parties in order to attract investment into the club.

It has to be noted that although UB’s sponsorship deals of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal had ended in 2016 and 2018 respectively, the companies which were formed back in 1998 remained active for a longer time.

The last balance sheets of United Mohun Bagan Private Limited and Kingfisher East Bengal Football Team Private Limited was last filed on March 31, 2018 and 2019 respectively.

New Balance are in the mood to celebrate Liverpool's historic Premier League title win and are giving away a 2019-20 jersey signed by their entire team. 

Jurgen Klopp's side have enjoyed a remarkable season having won 30 of their 36 league matches to date. 

In honour of the Reds recent triumph, New Balance have decided to give away a signed jersey that would look great in the pool room of any Liverpool fan. 

To enter, simply make a purchase of over $100 at https://www.newbalance.com.au and complete the form here . 

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Napoli head coach Gennaro Gattuso admitted he is "worried" amid a spike in coronavirus cases in Barcelona ahead of next month's Champions League showdown.

Gattuso's Napoli are scheduled to visit Barcelona for the second leg of their last-16 tie on August 8 behind closed doors but a surge in COVID-19 cases in Catalonia has prompted concerns.

UEFA has confirmed it would be ready to move the clash away from Camp Nou, with the city locked down again and residents asked to stay at home for a fortnight.

Asked about the situation following Sunday's last-gasp 2-1 Serie A victory over Udinese, Gattuso said: "I haven't got caught up on any of it because it's not my job. It's something for the president and his guys.

"They always do this kind of thing. We are worried, of course, but I stay put because the chairman and his entourage will know what to do."

Napoli snatched victory in the 95th minute on Sunday via Matteo Politano after team-mate Arkadiusz Milik's 31st-minute equaliser cancelled out Rodrigo De Paul's opener for Udinese.

Sixth in the standings with four league matches remaining, Gattuso added: "After COVID we are playing another sport.

"Playing every three days without our fans with no time to prepare matches it is hard. I must say that the team is doing well."

"We hope to get there, on August 8 very fit against Barcelona," he continued. "It will be very important the way you get there. If you have the right mentality and I think that in the last couple of months we did well."

Napoli star Dries Mertens was forced off the field through injury after just 31 minutes against Udinese.

"Mertens took a knee to his backside so he couldn't run fluently. I hope it's nothing serious," Gattuso said.

Mertens recently pledged his future to the Neapolitan side, putting an end to speculation that the forward might join Chelsea or Inter, but there remains uncertainty regarding some of the club's other big names.

Indeed, the likes of Milik, Kalidou Koulibaly, Hirving Lozano and Brazilian midfielder Allan have all been subject to transfer speculation and Gattuso admits that he doesn't expect to retain the services of everyone currently at his disposal.

"We don't need to operate too much in the market,” the trainer told the press last month. "We have to see who's going to leave us. Our chairman knows it – we speak about it every week. This is a strong team but I think that only 70-80% of the players will stay with us.

"We will do a few transfers but I know this team has great quality [already]."

Jewel Raja Shaikh tasted success at a tender age of 18. He started his senior career with Dempo in 2008 and had won the I-League in just his second season in professional football.

Shaikh’s impressive performances for the Goan outfit had earned him a call into the India U-23 national team while he was still a teenager and made his senior national team debut at the age of 21.

Unfortunately, his high-flying career came to a tragic end at the age of 27. His last season at the top tier of Indian football was in the 2017-18 season when he played for FC Pune City.

He had a rough start to his campaign at Pune City as he had picked up an injury right before their season opener. He had even started the match but had to leave the pitch within the first 10 minutes of the game.

Shaikh explained that it was a minor groin injury and he had taken only 20 days to get back into fitness. However, he alleges that coach Ranko Popovic did not give him enough chances to make a comeback.

“I had picked up a groin injury in the very first match of the season against Delhi Dynamos but it wasn’t serious. The injury happened during warm-up. I came back after 20 days and had even played a match against FC Goa.

“The coach had problems with me after I got injured. He had asked me to continue with upper body exercises after the injury but the team doctor advised me to take rest for the next couple of days. I decided to follow the doctor’s advice and took complete rest. The coach came to know that I did not follow his instructions and that I guess hurt his ego. He told me that I was not a disciplined person and hence, he never gave me a proper chance,” alleged the midfielder.

Shaikh continued, “After coming back from the injury, I did very well in the training sessions but he completely ignored me. In the Super Cup, he played all the young players but once against ignored me.”

The former India international cited examples of his former coaches Zico and Antonio Habas at FC Goa and ATK respectively and suggested that he had similar injury issues at those clubs but the coaches never sidelined him from the squad.

“Even in the first season at FC Goa I had picked up a similar injury and was out for 10-15 days. Zico was the coach at that time but even he never asked me to do anything that the doctor did not advice. When I came back from the injury Zico called me back into the starting lineup. The same thing happened at ATK. I missed quite a few matches due to injury but once I was fit, then coach Antonio Habas had called me back into the team,” said the midfielder.

Amongst his regrets, Shaikh rues selecting Pune’s offer over Mohun Bagan in 2017-18 and suggested that his career would have gone in a different direction if he had joined his hometown club.

“I regret not joining Mohun Bagan in 2017. They had offered me as then coach Sanjay Sen had wanted me at the club. But I decided to go to Pune. I regret it. Actually the reason I went to Pune City is coach Habas. When Pune approached me, he was still in charge and had recommended my name. Habas was also present during the ISL 2017 draft. But after I signed their contract I came to know that he had left due to some problem and Popovic joined,” concluded Shaikh.

Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta said the Nerazzurri have not made an approach for Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo and "probably won't" in the future, while he also discussed the possibility of signing Alexis Sanchez permanently from Manchester United.

Zaniolo has flourished in the Italian capital since joining Roma from Serie A rivals Inter in 2018, establishing himself as a key player for the Giallorossi and Italy.

But the attacking midfielder, who returned from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) earlier this month, has been linked with an Inter reunion, while Italian champions Juventus are also reportedly interested.

Marotta, however, played down reports Zaniolo could make a San Siro comeback prior to Sunday's 2-2 draw between Inter and Roma.

"He's one of most interesting players in the league, but we haven't approached Roma officials and probably won't," Marotta told Sky Sport Italia of Zaniolo, who did not feature for Roma at home to Inter.

Inter CEO Marotta was also asked about another Roma player – captain Edin Dzeko.

Antonio Conte was desperate to sign Dzeko at the start of the season, but a transfer did not materialise as the veteran Bosnian striker re-signed until 2022.

"It's a bit inappropriate to talk about the transfer market now," Marotta said. "There are competitions that still have to end and the upcoming window will be an unusual one."

Sanchez continued his fine form for Inter on Sunday, supplying another assist amid speculation over his long-term future.

On loan from Premier League giants United, Sanchez has tallied seven assists and scored twice since Serie A returned last month after the league was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic in March.

Only Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi (nine) has provided more assists than Sanchez since the return of the top European leagues.

"As for Sanchez, we'll make targeted assessments on him and see what can be done. I think mixing experienced players with younger ones is the right thing to do," Marotta added.

"We're looking for both kinds of players. Investing in talent is a job for the future. Experienced players, on the other hand, can make an impact immediately. We have to raise the bar and get closer to victory."