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Eden Hazard has admitted to having mixed emotions after Real Madrid's La Liga triumph, insisting the 2019-20 campaign has been "the worst season" of his career to date.

Much was expected of Hazard when he completed a €100 million (£91m/$114m) move to Santiago Bernabeu from Chelsea last summer.

The Belgium international was initially seen as the natural successor to Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Juventus in 2018, but he hasn't quite been able to live up to that billing during his debut season in La Liga.

A string of niggling injuries have hampered the 29-year-old's progress in Madrid, and he has been restricted to just 21 appearances in all competitions for Zinedine Zidane's side over the past year.

Hazard has only scored once during that period, with his former Chelsea team-mate Cesc Fabregas of the opinion that the winger has been a "little self-conscious" since his arrival at the Bernabeu.

The Belgian winger became a Liga champion last week, as Madrid secured a 2-1 home win over Villarreal to wrestle the top-flight crown away from arch-rivals Barcelona.

However, Hazard is not completely satisfied with his contribution, and has therefore been unable to fully revel in the club's domestic success.

He told France Info: "This year, we collectively won this league title, but I have surely had the worst season of my career individually."

Asked to discuss Zidane's role in Madrid's run to a 34th top-flight crown, Hazard responded: "We all know Zidane as a player, he was the best. As a coach, we don't even need to describe him anymore. He has shown, in just a few years, that he is already one of the best coaches.

"As a coach, he is like when he was a player. He is a simple person who knows how to say things at the right time. He trusts his players and his players trust him, that's why it works."

The former Chelsea star went on to praise the four Madrid stars that he believes have had the biggest impact on the team this term.

“Karim Benzema is very nice on a daily basis, very simple. He is there to win games, to score goals. I think this year has shown again that it is simply the best," said Hazard.

"There is also [Raphael] Varane. In my career, I have met great defenders, such as John Terry or Vincent Kompany. I think Varane, while still young, is already one of the best central defenders in the world. 

"The partnership he forms with Sergio Ramos is great. As for [Ferland] Mendy, he has shown that he is not there just to look pretty. If the club has signed him, it means that he has qualities. 

"It is never easy to get to a club, when you are young, and in a club like that. He has shown that he represents the future."

Hazard and Madrid will conclude their domestic schedule with a clash against Leganes on Sunday, before turning their attention to a Champions League round of 16 second leg showdown against Manchester City next month.

The mercurial attacker added on the Blancos' chances of winning a unique league and cup double: “It was a somewhat strange season, with everything that happened. The season is already very good, but I think it can be even better if we qualify in our second leg of the Champions League round of 16. 

"When you play for Real Madrid, you want to win all the titles. The next one has to be the Champions League, although it will be difficult because we have to play in Manchester City and they have a very good team."

Stefano Pioli said he needed to manage Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the AC Milan star looked angry at being substituted against Bologna.

Ibrahimovic provided an assist before being taken off just after the hour-mark of the Rossoneri's 5-1 Serie A victory at San Siro on Saturday.

However, the 38-year-old appeared annoyed at being substituted, with a minor altercation ensuing at the touchline as he left the pitch. 

Coach Pioli dismissed the idea of a falling out and said he was simply managing Ibrahimovic in order to ensure the veteran striker maintains an acceptable level of fitness.

"He said something, but honestly I didn't understand. It's also normal," the Milan boss told DAZN of the Swede's apparent irritation.

"I have to manage him, playing so much I need everyone to be well."

While he did provide an assist in the victory, Ibrahimovic failed to find the net, meaning he was unable to add to his tally of five goals in 14 Serie A appearances this season.

Alexis Saelemaekers, Hakan Calhanoglu, Ismael Bennacer, Ante Rebic and Davide Calabria were on the scoresheet for Milan though.

Sitting sixth in Serie A, Milan are now unbeaten in nine games since returning from the coronavirus-enforced break and Pioli is delighted with his side's form.

"The team is having fun and this is positive. We played a high-level game, we were good," said the former Inter and Fiorentina boss.

"It means that we are well and we have gained confidence."

Pioli was particularly impressed by the contributions of midfielder Franck Kessie in the victory, hailing the Ivory Coast international as "a real leader".

“Franck is a modern and complete midfielder who does well both attacking and defending," he noted. 

"He’s at peak fitness now and has such presence, he’s always ready and generous to motivate his teammates, so has become a real leader in the squad.”

Milan are in action again on Tuesday when they take on Sassuolo and they will be keen to keep the pressure on Roma as they seek to clinch fifth place.

Chelsea will have an advantage in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Bayern Munich, according to Leon Goretzka.

Bayern hold a commanding 3-0 lead following an impressive victory at Stamford Bridge in February, but they will not have played a competitive game in over a month when they take on the Blues at the Allianz Arena on August 8.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will conclude their Premier League campaign on July 26 and contest the FA Cup final on August 1 if they defeat Manchester United in their semi-final at Wembley on Sunday.

Goretzka thinks that gives Frank Lampard's side an edge, though the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal champions will do their utmost to ensure Chelsea do not repeat their 2012 Champions League final success over Bayern in Munich.

"We've already had a great season, winning the championship and the cup," Goretzka told Bild am Sonntag . "It is clear to every one of us that the competition and our path to the final is extremely challenging."

Whoever progresses from the tie between Chelsea and Bayern will take on either Napoli or Barcelona in the quarter finals in Lisbon, with one of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Lyon and Juventus waiting in the final four.

Goretzka continued: "All our focus in on the game against Chelsea. The good thing about such top opponents is that they have as much respect for us as we do for them.

"Chelsea has the advantage that they are travelling to Munich just after the season, while we want to keep up our rhythm.

"We will do everything to make sure Chelsea will not be successful again in Munich."

The Bundesliga was the first of Europe's top five leagues to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the campaign wrapped up on June 27. Goretzka impressed in the heart of Bayern's midfield following the resumption in May and put it down to increasing his muscle mass during the hiatus.

"For me, lockdown was both a crisis and an opportunity," said Goretzka. "A crisis because you miss football and daily training with the team, but also a chance to gain muscle mass in co-ordination with the physiotherapist.

"In crucial games and moments, it is important to be physically and mentally fit. The weight helps me in tackles, makes me a bit more agile and robust. Not only on the ground in a one-on-one, but also in the air."

Former Kenya SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri has cast aspersions on the recently revealed sponsorship deal between the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and BetKing.

The FKF announced the new deal for the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) is set to run for five years but Karauri feels the federation could have approached local companies for the same purpose.

Karauri signed a sponsorship deal with the KPL before SportPesa exited the country due to a battle on taxation with the government.

“FKF, even if it’s looking for votes, shouldn’t you have considered Betika or Odibet or any of the other 100 per cent licensed Kenyan companies?” Karauri tweeted.

In a response, Mwendwa dismissed Karauri’s claims and said SportPesa also sponsored foreign clubs with bigger deals.

“Not a fair comment Captain! Coming from you and knowing that football supported you even when you went outside and sponsored others for more than Kenya,” the FKF president responded.

In a Saturday interview with Radio Jambo, Mwendwa explained why BetKing should not be regarded as a fully foreign company.

“There is a small company called Safaribet here in Kenya but were clever in that they looked for a partner outside the country. The partner they found is BetKing,” Mwendwa revealed.

“If you visit the Registrar of Companies you will find the company is registered there even with a Betting and License Control Board registration number.

“So, the original company is a Kenyan that just entered into a business partnership with BetKing. I want to be clear and I think I have been clear.

“If you ask who are this company, it is not a Nigerian company but they have a huge presence in that country and are investing in other countries at great speed. Of course, the original owner was a Nigerian.”

Since he made the FKF-BetKing deal public, Mwendwa has defended it and attempted to answer questions arising from curious public members who have questioned the authenticity of the five-year KSh1.2 billion deal.

Kakamega Homeboyz’s Cleophas Shimanyula was the first KPL chairman to cast doubt over the history-breaking sponsorship deal.

“I am supporting the new deal but not 100% per cent support because the deal was hurriedly signed, FKF did not involve clubs not even stakeholders, I don’t think the deal is legit, maybe until I see my club account with money from FKF,” Shimanyula told Goal on Friday.

“We have seen such deals signed before and they don’t last, they don’t even go far, I am wondering why FKF moved to make the announcement whereas there was no representative from BetKing.”

According to Mwendwa, the official launch of the deal will take place by September 1.

Kaizer Chiefs defender Philani Zulu’s agent Saheed Adebayo says his client will work harder than before to repay the faith shown in him by the Naturena giants.

The former Maritzburg United left-back recently extended his stay with Amakhosi with a further year and Adebayo says there will be an improvement in the 27-year-old’s contribution.

Although Zulu has struggled for regular game time under coach Ernst Middendorp, the contract extension is a sign that he is still in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) table-toppers’ plans.

“He [Zulu] said he’ll work hard to repay the club’s faith shown to him,” said Adebayo as quoted by DailySun.

“This [contract renewal] is good for him because he didn’t play too much last and this season. I know him as a hard-working boy and that’s why Chiefs considered and renewed his contract.

“I feel there’ll be more improvement than in the past seasons.”

The versatile player that can also play as winger joined the Soweto giants in July 2017 when they were led by former manager Giovanni Solinas, but has struggled to cement his place in the team.

When Chiefs signed him, they were looking for the long term successor for veteran defender Tsepo Masilela who was released in 2018 and is now playing for AmaZulu.

However, Zulu has not yet managed to assume that role as the German mentor prefers the likes of Siphosakhe Ntiya-Ntiya and Yagan Sasman.

In the current campaign, Zulu has only featured in three PSL matches for the club and will need to fight harder to convince the technical team he deserves to start ahead of Ntiya-Ntiya and the former Ajax Cape Town defender.

Meanwhile, Chiefs decided to release midfielders Kabelo Mahlasela and Joseph Molangoane whilst opting to retain Zulu, goalkeeper Brylon Petersen as well as out of favour playmaker Siphelele Ntshangase.

On the other hand, the Glamour Boys have released midfielder George Maluleka who has since joined reigning league champions Mamelodi Sundowns on a three-year deal.

Latif Blessing scored an own goal as Los Angeles FC saw off their city rivals Los Angeles Galaxy 6-2 in Group F of the MLS is Back tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida on Saturday.

Bob Bradley’s men started off the competition on a sour note after losing 2-1 to Portland Timbers, who saw off Houston Dynamo by the same scoreline in Saturday’s other group fixture to make it into the Round of 16.

Their campaign suffered another blow when the ball deflected off Blessing on its way in only the fifth minute of the match.

Joy for the Galaxy was, however, short-lived as LA FC equalised eight minutes later via Diego Rossi. Christian Pavon made it 2-1 for Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s side in the 31st minute before Rossi equalised again on the stroke of half-time.

It was all black and gold in the second half with Rossi adding two more goals, with Mohammed El-Monir and former Manchester City player Bradley Wright-Phillips completing the rout.

Blessing played the entire game, produced 58 touches, 25 accurate passes at 80%, two successful dribbles from four attempts, won nine of 14 total duels and also made two tackles, three clearances and five interceptions.

LA FC lifted the 2019 Supporters Shield after they finished top of the Western Conference with a league-record 72 points, having won 21 games out of 34, scored 85 goals, the most of any team during the regular season, and conceded 37 goals, also the least of any side.

Blessing played every game in the regular season, clocking a total of 3,093 minutes on the pitch, and scored five goals and provided five assists.

The Ghanaian has been with the California outfit since their maiden season as an expansion team in 2018, and played 80 times in all competitions, scored 13 goals and provided 14 assists.

LA FC started well in the 2019 Western Conference play-offs after seeing off Minnesota United and Galaxy, but lost 3-1 to eventual MLS Cup champions Seattle Sounders in the conference finals at the Banc of California Stadium.

LA FC are second in Group F and will make it to the Round of 16 if they get the better of the already-qualified Timbers on Wednesday.

Ilkay Gundogan has admitted that Arsenal wanted to reach the FA Cup final more than Manchester City.

Arsenal booked their piece in the showpiece event by beating City 2-0 in the last-four clash at Wembley on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta's side took the lead with just 19 minutes on the clock when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang steered a Nicolas Pepe cross into the net following an 18-pass move which began in Emiliano Martinez's penalty area.

The Gunners had chances to double their lead before the interval, but City were able to regroup at half-time before going all out for an equaliser in the second period.

However, as Pep Guardiola's men pressed forward, Arsenal defended resolutely while waiting for a chance on the break, which came when Pepe picked the ball up near the halfway line in the 70th minute.

The Ivorian held it up brilliantly before passing back to Kieran Tierney, who picked out Aubameyang as he raced in behind the City defence.

The 31-year-old kept his composure to slot the ball through Ederson's legs for his and Arsenal's second of the match, and they held on for a famous victory to set up a meeting with either Manchester United or Chelsea on August 1.

Gundogan has conceded that City fell short of their usual high standards in the first 45, as he told the club's official website: “I think the energy we had starting the second half was exactly what we needed at the beginning of the game.

“Sometimes one very bad half is enough to lose the game and it looked like Arsenal wanted it more to go to the final today which was the most frustrating part.

“We had two kind of good chances in the beginning when we won the ball in front of the Arsenal goal but after that our game was sloppy and slow and there was a lack of energy.”

City now only have the Champions League left to play for after failing to defend their FA Cup crown, and Gundogan insists they will have to "improve quite quickly" in order to reach the next stage of the competition.

Guardiola saw his side beat Real Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie back in February, but Gundogan says they cannot afford to take rest on their laurels in the return, which will be held in Lisbon next month.

“We have two more league games to play and then we have a big game against Madrid," he said.

"We should definitely improve because the way we played today won’t be enough to go into the next round of the Champions League.

“We have to improve quite quickly because we don’t have much time… We need to try to do our best."

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) giants Gor Mahia are set to sign experienced goalkeeper Levis Opiyo and full-back Kevin Okumu ahead of the 2020/21 season, Goal understands.

Opiyo and right-back Okumu are currently in the books of the newly-promoted side Nairobi City Stars.

The two were key as the Nairobi club conquered the National Super League (NSL) and were declared champions when the season was cancelled by the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Opiyo’s arrival would probably fill the space of Robert Mapigano, whose future at Gor Mahia remains largely unknown given the financial turmoil the club underwent in the 2019/20 season.

The Tanzanian, in an earlier interview, stated he would only return to the KPL champions if the money the club owes him is paid in full. Mapigano was among the foreign players who arrived at Gor Mahia before the previous season began.

Should the experienced Opiyo sign for K’Ogalo, he would fight for starting places with veteran Boniface Oluoch.

Opiyo has played for one foreign club in his career, lower league German side Fortuna Babelsberg. He has played for many local clubs including Posta Rangers, Thika United, Sofapaka, Mathare United, Mahakama FC, Western Stima, and Vihiga United.

Opiyo made his name at Thika United where he worked with goalkeepers Lukas Indeche, Zamu Adisa and Joel Bataro when the Thika-based club was still in the KPL.

Okumu’s arrival would mean more competition in the full-back department that was greatly affected by injuries over the last 12 month.

Wellington Ochieng, Shafiq Batambuze and Philemon Otieno were out for the better part of the 2019/20 season due to injuries. In their absence, coach Steven Polack depended on Michael Apudo and Geoffrey Ochieng.

Apudo was signed from Posta Rangers in January and went on to claim the left-back position thereafter as Ochieng manned the opposite side.

Gor Mahia have always signed experienced full-backs who went on to make their names in those positions.

Ugandan Geoffrey Walusimbi became a regular figure at left-back while Karim Nizigiyiman of Burundi dominated the right-back position before both left.

Gor Mahia have not been linked with many players so far even though some of their key stars have indicated they might leave before the next season begins.

Defenders Charles Momanyi and Joash Onyango may not be part of the Green Army in future given their contracts are expected to end soon and Goal sources suggested the club has not initiated renewal talks.

Captain Kenneth Muguna has also indicated the desire to leave.

The FA Cup semi-finals are a "one-off" that give Manchester United the chance to forget about the race for a top-four Premier League finish, says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United have been in scintillating form since returning to action in June following the coronavirus-enforced break in the season.

Solskjaer's men have won six of their last eight fixtures, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 19 in the process, with a huge showdown against Chelsea up next on Sunday.

A 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Thursday saw the Red Devils remain on course for Champions League qualification, which served as the perfect warm-up for their last-four FA Cup clash at Wembley.

Solskjaer wants his players to go out and enjoy themselves after their recent exploits in the Premier League, with a first trophy since 2017 now well within United's sights.

The Norwegian head coach told the club's official website: “I think a semi-final is a one-off. We’ve just got to find the right temperament going into the game because it’s an occasion to enjoy and it’s a chance to go to a final.

"We’ve done well to get this far and we’ve got nothing to lose really. I just want them to go out there and enjoy the game. Of course, it’s going to be a tight game, we know all about Chelsea.

"We’ve played them so many times this season and they’re a good team, but we’re so close now to the final and I know that the boys are looking forward to it.”

Asked if his mentality is to look at all of United's remaining fixtures as cup finals, Solskjaer responded: “Yeah, it is. You can’t focus on the one after, this is the one.

"You can’t think I’ll save something in the tank for Wednesday because suddenly that momentum you have might swing against us.

"Of course, we felt disappointed after the Southampton equaliser in the 96th minute, but they reacted well and got back on their feet and got a great result against Crystal Palace. This is one to take your mind off the league and just go and enjoy it.”

The United boss also delivered an update on the fitness of defensive duo Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams, revealing that the former will not be ready in time for the meeting with Chelsea.

“Luke will be out, I can't see him recovering," Solskjaer added. "Brandon will hopefully be okay, he'll try to join in training today, [despite] his eye.

"We'll see if he can see the ball when he comes in! He should be fine.”

There was a big fanfare on July 16, the very first day that US-based Wan Kuzri joined the Malaysia U-19 training camp, not only by a curious horde of media personnel by also by his brother Wan Fayhsal who also happens to be the Deputy Youth and Sports Minister of Malaysia.

His presence raised suggestions from some quarters that it may influence Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and head coach Brad Maloney to ensure Wan Kuzri reach the final squad for the 2020 AFC U19 Championship but the notion has been rubbished by the governing body through a statement released on July 18.

FAM's general-secretary Stuart Ramalingam said in his statement that just like the Marcel Kalonda case, there isn't a practice within the organisation to compromise on quality because of relationships and stressed that Wan Kuzri will be given a fair and just audition of his level as a footballer. 

"FAM does not take shortcuts nor go against the rules in place when it comes to selecting players. The internal FAM process includes decisions from the coach and FAM committee that is aided by evaluation protocols from a technical aspect that is respected and fair for all parties.

"In the case of Wan Kuzri, he has obeyed the quarantine process in his return from United States to be part of the Under-19 training squad. And he will be judged like everyone else based on his technical abilities where he has to convince the panel of coaches that he is worthy to be selected.

"So there's no special treatment that is given to any player. We are respectful of all the processes whether that is internal or external, especially when it comes to player evaluation from a technical point which we don't depend entirely on just reputation and video recordings.

"No player can think he will be selected automatically based on reputation. But FAM is always ready to give help and opportunity to any player who is sincere in putting on the national jersey," said Ramalingam in his statement.

After two weeks in isolation and quarantine upon arriving in Malaysia, Wan Kuzri will have just half the time to impress the coaches compared to the other players in the training camp who has had a two-week head start on him although it would look on the surface that the rest of the squad was rather welcoming towards him in that first training session.

The training camp will only be until the end of July with the possibility of friendly matches still being mulled over to give all the players a chance to be part of the next training camp in preparation for Tashkent.

Punjab FC owners RoundGlass Sports have released Technical Director Michael Browne and Head of Scouting Kenneth Santa, Goal understands.

The Australian who joined the club in March last year parted ways with 2017-18 I-League champions.

Browne is a UEFA Pro Licence holder who had previously worked with the likes of Northern New South Wales Football Federation, the national team of Qatar and Charlton Athletic in various capacities. He also served as the head coach of the famous Aspire Academy in Qatar.

The Australian viewed the integration of youth players into the first team as a key indicator of good grass-root development. He emphasised on maintaining an academy of high standards which would produce national team players.

“Clubs need to focus on developing players. We want to have the best academy in India.  From last season we have got some promising young players. We hope to push quite a few of them to the senior team this year," Browne said in an interview with Goal last month.

"At the youth level, there are various yardsticks to measure success. Some judge success by the number of players that get promoted to the first team. It's not only about winning tournaments. It's also about developing potential talents into first-team players. Success can also be measured by how many of them get to play for India in the future. We certainly would not measure success by winning U13 trophies.

"There are always a few 19-year olds who are highly rated and yet they are not ready to start. They are not part of key training sessions. And all of a sudden they are not getting their needs looked after. We are going to make sure that their training needs are well taken care of. They can definitely be improved."

Along with Browne, Head of Scouting Santa will also be parting ways with the club. The Dane had previously worked with Premier League side Wolverhampton Wolves and had also served as the scout for Aspire Academy and the Qatar national team.

When Goal tried to reach out to Browne, he chose not to comment.

Real Madrid coach David Bettoni has talked up Zinedine Zidane's man-management skills, revealing the "extraordinary" relationship he enjoys with his players.

Zidane picked up the 11th trophy of his managerial career on Thursday after the Blancos secured their 34th Liga title.

The Frenchman returned to the Santiago Bernabeu dugout in March 2019 after nine months away, with the club in a far worse position than when he left.

Madrid won La Liga and three successive Champions League crowns during his first spell in charge between 2016 and 2018, but results took a turn for the worst following his departure.

Zidane was convinced to make his way back to the Spanish capital and steady the ship following the high-profile failures of Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari, both of whom were sacked within the first few months of their reigns.

Real's winning mentality has returned in 2019-20, with a run of ten consecutive victories post-coronavirus lockdown ensuring that they wrestled the Liga trophy away from arch-rivals Barcelona. 

Bettoni has now outlined the qualities which make Zidane such a successful head coach, including his ability to command respect in the dressing room.

"He is extraordinary in his relationship with the players," the Madrid assistant told L'Equipe.  "It is not a method, he is just like that: he has a natural connection with the locker room. Therefore, he is respected. That also goes with the unhappy elements of their playing time.

"He knows how to talk to them. He's a whole guy, who is aligned between what he feels and what he says. When he declares at a press conference that for him all the players are important, he really means it.

"He manages conflict by telling the truth and being fair. In the long term, it works."

Madrid will conclude their domestic campaign when they take in a trip to Leganes on Sunday night, before their focus switches back to the Champions League.

Zidane's men face an uphill battle to qualify for the quarter-finals when the competition resumes next month, as they will look to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit against Manchester City.

Former Onduparaka FC coach Asaph Mwebaze has accused Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) officials of meddling with sponsorship deals.

Mwebaze, who has been a coach for more than two decades, claims such underhand moves by officials end up affecting those involved in the game, especially clubs and players, negatively.

“Fufa and its officials are deep into club business as middlemen in sponsorships deals and then tax it after taking commissions. One would look at the Sports Broadcasting Limited deal and the current television deal,” Mwebaze said as he was quoted by Football256.

“Clubs in Uganda are actually charities that are looking after people without returns and without a futuristic plan to get better.

“Everybody in the industry is not making money or a profit on an investment of money and time. Everybody is operating on losses, club owners, players, coaches, referees, sponsors, journalists, service providers and the fans of the game.

“This is not surprising that many people are jumping a sinking ship in hope for a better life or a better payday.

“Market failure is the economic situation defined by an inefficient distribution of goods and services in the free market. In market failure, the individual incentives for rational behaviour do not lead to rational outcomes for the group. 

“This has been the story of ‘professional football’ in Uganda.”

The tactician went further to accuse the local FA of stifling dissenting voices especially from people involved in football.

“In Ugandan football, the word politics is a misdemeanour and discouraged at all levels,” Mwebaze added.

“Every facilitator in the different associations that make up Fufa the association, discourages members from participating in politics in the football arena.

“What is disturbing is that politics is defined as that gross activity where participants are fighting to see the national team fail. If anyone has a difference in opinion, then the definition is applied.

“People in Ugandan football get elected to the office then disparage the same act that got them there in the first place.

“This is done with the intent of blocking conversation, debate and critical thinking about the game and its administration.”

Mwebaze also coached Ugandan Premier League side Maroons FC.

Former Bafana Bafana international Shuaib Walters is concerned by the fact that South Africa is not producing goalkeepers who play in top European Leagues.

The 38-year-old was a professional goalkeeper for 15 years and he played for clubs in the Premier Soccer League and National First Division (NFD).

Walters was part of the Bafana squad at the 2010 Fifa World Cup finals - serving as the third choice keeper behind Itumeleng Khune and Moeneeb Josephs.

Walters also feels that experienced goalkeepers are usually backed over youth which is alarming for the state of South African football.

“We are really thin in the goalkeeping department. We don’t see young goalkeepers that are coming through and doing well at their clubs,” Walters told IOL.

“We are not exporting any goalkeepers to the big leagues either. Towards the end of my career. I still managed to get a national team call-up at the age of 36."

Bafana international Darren Keet, who is on the books of Belgian side OH Leuven, is one of the few South African goalkeepers plying their trade in Europe.

"But you then ask yourself where are the Under-23 goalkeepers who are playing regularly at their clubs?" the former Cape Town City keeper said.

"It is a concerning factor for domestic football and national team selectors.”

Walters retired from professional football in 2019 and he has since opened his goalkeeping academy to nurture youngsters from the age of 12.

Meanwhile, the former Ajax Cape Town shot-stopper believes few goalkeepers in the current crop come as equipped and knowledgeable as Ronwen Williams of SuperSport United.

“Ronwen is a perfect example of the development process that a goalkeeper needs. SuperSport took him in and they gave him proper fundamentals that goalkeepers need in order to mature," he said.

"They gave him the platform to make errors, become stronger and mature as a goalkeeper - and not a lot of clubs do that.”

Williams is an accomplished shot-stopper having been named PSL Young Player of the Season twice and he also won last's season PSL Goalkeeper of the Season accolade.

The 28-year-old is the current Bafana first-choice goalkeeper having represented South Africa at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Egypt.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho says he is treated more harshly than other managers, and that "people look at me with different eyes".

Mourinho inherited a squad which had fallen to 14th in the Premier League standings when he was drafted in to replace Mauricio Pochettino in the Spurs hot seat back in November.

The Lilywhites have since won 12 of their 24 top-flight games under Mourinho, and only Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United have amassed more points in the same period.

Despite that impressive record, Mourinho has come in for plenty of criticism for his perceived negative style of play and rigid tactical set-up in north London.

His selection policy has also been called into question, with club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele now struggling to hold down a place in the squad.

Mourinho feels he is unfairly scrutinised for every decision he makes, telling Sky Sports: "People look at me with different eyes. I know people expect me to do things that you don't expect with many others. I don't read much, but with some of the questions I get, I have that feeling, yes.

"For example, the other day after a game (the 3-1 win at Newcastle) the first question was about a player that didn't start.

"When a player is not playing with other coaches it's never a problem. They make rotations. They make decisions. They leave on the bench incredible players and everyone looks at them and feels that this is their job. That's the way a big team has to be.

"When Tottenham, for the first time in the season has, for example, Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn, Erik Lamela and Heung-Min Son (all available), people always ask me about the ones that are not playing. So, yes, in some aspects I feel that a bit."

The 57-year-old is confident that his side are now on course to fight for major honours, as he compared his first few months in charge at Tottenham to the beginning of his hugely successful spell at Porto.

"We, myself and the staff, analyse internally and we know we are doing a very positive job," he said. "I can compare it a little bit with my experience at Porto. When I got to Porto in January (2002), that half of the season was really hard, but was so important for the preparation of the next one.

"So that's what I'm doing now, accumulating knowledge and experience in the club to prepare for what's next."

Mourinho added on the possibility of adding to his Spurs' squad in the summer transfer window: "In normal circumstances, it's easy to see, Tottenham would be in the top four.

"Let's see what the others do. It's not just about us analysing ourselves it's also about being realistic and analysing our opponents.

"I'm happy with the globality of the squad I have, and I hope we can give some little touches to improve and make us better, more competitive, more adapted to my way of thinking with a balance I always try to find in a squad. If we manage that, then we will see."

Young Africans (Yanga SC) have reacted for the first time on the saga surrounding forward Bernard Morrison by asking him to leave the club if he feels he has ended a contract with them.

The Ghanaian forward has not reported to the Yanga camp since the team suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat against rivals Simba SC in the FA Cup semi-final clash at National Stadium in Dar es Salaam a week ago.

It was during the match when Morrison’s conduct came into the limelight after he was substituted for Patrick Sibomana and instead of going to the bench, the player threw a tantrum towards the technical bench and headed straight to the dressing room, where he changed and left the stadium.

Yanga have always insisted Morrison, who has been linked with a transfer move to Simba, has two years on his contract remaining but the player insists he has run down his contract and his free to leave.

It is, for this reason, Yanga information officer Hassan Bumbuli has told the player to go ahead and leave if he feels he has run down his contract he signed after joining from Orlando Pirates of South Africa.

“If he knows he has no contract at Yanga, he should immediately leave and sign a new deal wherever he thinks is good for him other than keeping damaging the image of the club,” Bumbuli is quoted by Daily News.

“He said he has not been paid a two-month salary which is not right. If that is the case, then he should print a bank statement that he has not received a two-month salary and show it to the reporters.

“After he was substituted on the day against Simba, he went to the dressing room, packed his belongings, and went away to an unknown destination until now nobody is aware of his whereabouts.

"The following day, he never showed up for training sessions so as the second day and nobody chased him away. I remember David Molinga also did the same thing previously but later, he came and joined his teammates at the camp, as such, what is so special about him [Morrison].

“We know many teams are after him and he should go other than speaking a lot about Yanga. He is a big player who is wanted by many teams.

“We have many domestic players who are doing a recommendable job for their respective clubs and the national team. We have players like Waziri Junior and John Bocco who are at the peak of their careers and deserve to be promoted like talking about Morrison all the time.”

After being substituted against Simba, Morrison looked to have waved ‘bye-bye’ to Yanga fans, with many saying he had played his last game for the Timu ya Mwanachi.

Kenya international Michael Olunga claims he has regained his scoring boots after ending a dry spell to help Kashiwa Reysol beat Shonan Bellmare 3-2 on Saturday.

Olunga earned a brace after going for three matches without finding the back of the net despite starting in all the previous encounters.

The former Thika United star scored the opener in the 19th minute with an assist from Yuta Kamiya. He earned the second from a spot-kick when Hayato Nakama was fouled inside the box in the 44th minute.

Nakama scored the third for Kashiwa Reysol in the 77th minute with Hayato providing the assist to help the home side register what became their second win of the season.

The former Gor Mahia striker has since revealed he was delighted to get off the mark and promised to score more goals now that the gates are opened.

“Of course as a striker when you go into games your main aim is to score goals but at the end of the day in football, there are moments where you will have a goal drought and you cannot find the back of the net again,” Olunga told reporters after the match.

“But of course it is a good feeling to get my scoring boots back again and I know now the gates are open and it is going to be a different ball game altogether and today [Saturday] I scored two goals and I am looking forward to the upcoming games.”

On the overall performance of his team, Olunga said: “The game was a little bit intense you know [Shonan] is a team that came to press us and they were trying to close the space and in the early minutes it was a balanced affair and then we scored from a corner the first goal and the things went calm for us and then we tried to dominate the game and try to create more chances.

“I am glad we managed to score three goals but still we had a lot of chances to convert but we will have to work hard, it is a good victory because we had lost three games in a row and it a positive step to regain our momentum.”

Olunga and Nakama’s efforts ensured Reysol picked up a second win in five matches while Bellmare are still in search of a win in five attempts.

Reysol, now with six points after five matches, moved up the ladder and are now 12th while Bellmare dropped to the 17th spot with just a point.