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Harry Kane scored the 200th and 201st club goals of his career as Tottenham boosted their bid for European qualification with a 3-1 win at Newcastle United.

Kane had gone three games without a goal, but the England captain headed home twice as Jose Mourinho celebrated his first Premier League victory at St James' Park.

Son Heung-min opened the scoring for Tottenham in the first half with his 18th goal of the season, but Matt Ritchie deservedly levelled after the break with a thunderous drive.

Kane restored the London club's advantage four minutes later, though, and struck again late on as Spurs followed up their derby win over Arsenal with another three points to move up to seventh with two games to play.

Tottenham were not at their best but ground out another victory, Serge Aurier showing great character to play just two days after the death of his brother.

Newcastle did not start like a team that had lost their last two games and Jonjo Shelvey spurned a great chance to put them in front, heading Ritchie's inviting cross over the crossbar from close range unchallenged after Miguel Almiron had an early shot deflected wide.

Son made the Magpies pay for their profligacy, DeAndre Yedlin allowing him too much room inside the penalty area to find bottom-left corner of the net after Fabian Schar had given the ball away after 27 minutes.

Martin Dubravka produced an acrobatic save to deny Son from long range soon after and Newcastle were almost level when Dwight Gayle headed Shelvey's inviting cross against the post.

Steve Bruce's side were level 11 minutes into the second half, though, Aurier's attempted clearance only finding the onrushing Ritchie, who smashed a stunning strike into the far corner.

Kane ensured Newcastle were not level for long, however, nodding in substitute Steven Bergwijn's cross to reach another landmark.

Valentino Lazaro found the side-netting as Newcastle strived for an equaliser, but Kane sealed it when he nodded in with time running out after Erik Lamela's shot was palmed into his path by Dubravka.
 

What does it mean? All to play for in scramble for European spots

Spurs are unbeaten in four matches, winning three of those, and are just a point behind sixth-placed Wolves after they were held 1-1 at Burnley. Sheffield United are only a point behind Mourinho's side ahead of their game in hand at Leicester City on Thursday.

Kane shows cutting edge Magpies are missing

Kane was certainly not firing on all cylinders and does not appear to be fully fit after a long lay-off before the season resumed.

The clinical striker grasped his chances when they came along, though, showing that predatory instinct to be in the right place at the right time. Newcastle could have had at least a point if they had been more ruthless.

Schar has a night to forget

Schar, playing in a makeshift defence, cost Newcastle when he was too casual in possession just outside his own penalty area and Son capitalised.

He was helped off in the closing stages after suffering what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder.

Key Opta facts

- Mourinho has recorded his first top-fight win at St James' Park at the eighth attempt, having failed to do so on six occasions with Chelsea and once with Man Utd.

- Newcastle have suffered their first home defeat in the league in seven games. The loss is only the second they have endured this season on home soil when scoring.

- Only Liverpool and Manchester City have won more Premier League games than Tottenham since Mourinho's first game in charge last November.

- Newcastle had 22 shots, the most they have had in a Premier League game this season and the most in a league defeat since a loss to Brighton (27) in October 2018.

What's next?

Spurs take on Champions League hopefuls Leicester in their final home game of the season on Sunday, while Newcastle travel to Brighton and Hove Albion on Monday.

Ghana international Jeffrey Schlupp is in line to make a return to Premier League action when Crystal Palace take on Manchester United on Thursday.

The midfielder is yet to see game time upon football's return after the coronavirus suspension, having picked up an injury in training ahead of the season resumption in June.

He sustained an injury in December and made a return just in time for the re-start, but another setback ahead of the club's comeback fixture against Bournemouth sent him to the treatment room again.

Earlier reports were that the German-born had been completely ruled out of action until next season.

"The doctors and medical people are wary, once again, having been out of football for a long time, how many minutes he [Schlupp] could safely play," Hodgson said in his pre-match conference on Wednesday, as reported by his club's official website.

"But it’s very good to have him available at least and he himself feels good and would be very happy to play the number of minutes I feel I could give him."

With three more matches to end their season, Palace currently are 14th on the league table while United are fifth with an ambition of finishing among the top four to clinch a Champions League spot.

"We’ve got another team of great quality coming to Selhurst. We are aware that a similar performance [as in the recent 3-2 loss to Chelsea] will be required to get the result," Hodgson added.

“It was a very good game from our side against a top team and I would consider ourselves unfortunate not to come away with a result.

“We are aware nothing less than a performance of that level will be good enough if we are to get something from the game.”

Schlupp has made 14 league appearances for Palace so far this season, starting nine matches, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

The 27-year-old joined the Eagles in 2017 from Leicester City, whom he helped win the league in 2015-16.

His last outing for Palace in the English top-flight came in a 0-0 draw with Watford in December last year. 

David Silva and Gabriel Jesus did the damage as Manchester City earned an unconvincing 2-1 home win over Bournemouth on Wednesday, nudging their visitors closer to the brink.

Eddie Howe's Cherries went into the contest on the back of a shock 4-1 win over Champions League hopefuls Leicester City, but they had no such joy in Manchester, with Silva providing another reminder of his class as his Premier League career winds to its conclusion.

The Spanish midfielder opened the scoring with a wonderful free-kick and then found Jesus for City's excellent second, but in the intervening period Bournemouth were twice unfortunate not to net themselves.

Joshua King then strayed agonisingly offside while scoring a second-half goal the visitors had chalked off, before David Brooks did net legally two minutes from time.

But it was too little, too late, as City clung on at the end and Bournemouth remained three points adrift of safety.

Although Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling dropped to the bench, City began with great intent and took just six minutes to open the scoring – Silva bending a free-kick around the wall and in from 25 yards.

Bournemouth responded excellently, however.

Junior Stanislas went close with a free-kick of his own just past the half-hour mark, as Ederson tipped it on to the post and then got lucky as the ball struck his head and went out for a corner.

Dominic Solanke then saw a close-range effort crucially deflected just over by Nicolas Otamendi, and City capitalised in the 39th minute, Jesus finding the bottom-right corner after a wonderful slaloming run.

Bournemouth were unfortunate again with an hour played – King turned Stanislas' shot in from close range, but a VAR review showed the Norwegian was marginally offside.

City had another escape soon after, with Dan Gosling's effort blocked by Ilkay Gundogan after Ederson had fumbled a cross.

Ederson's clean sheet was wiped out in the 88th minute, with Callum Wilson squaring to Brooks for an easy finish on the break, but City managed to hold on in the face of intense late pressure.

What does it mean? A hint of hope remains for Bournemouth

Even after their remarkable win over Leicester, this was never going to be a realistic chance for three points, given the obvious gulf between the two sides.

In any other scenario, this loss would have essentially doomed Bournemouth, but they can take solace in the fact that at least one of Watford and West Ham – the two teams directly above them on 34 points – will drop points on Friday as they face each other at London Stadium.

Silva stands out

It was hardly a vintage performance from City, but Silva was his usual classy self, opening the scoring in style, before releasing Jesus for his goal with a well-weighted pass.

Big shoes to Phil

Phil Foden is expected to be Silva's so-called heir at City, and while there is no doubt he is a fine talent, he was a little quiet in this game. He did eventually come to life towards the end, setting up half-time substitute Sterling for a chance before then going close himself, but on the whole he was somewhat disappointing.

Key Opta Stats:

- City have won their last six home Premier League matches by an aggregate score of 21-1.
- Although they lost 2-1, Bournemouth were the first team to attempt more shots at goal (14-8) than City in a league match at the Etihad since Stoke City in April 2016.
- They were also the first opposing away team to do so against a side managed by Pep Guardiola since Hoffenheim in March 2014 when he was Bayern Munich boss.
- This was Guardiola's 150th Premier League match as manager – he has won 111 games so far, six more than any other manager won in their first 150 in the competition.
- Silva has scored with each of his last two direct free-kick attempts in the Premier League, with those coming in his last three games – he had scored just one direct free-kick in his previous 305 appearances.

What's next?

City turn their attentions to the FA Cup now, as they prepare to face Arsenal at Wembley in Saturday's semi-final clash, before going to Watford in the league three days later. Bournemouth's faltering fight against relegation resumes with the visit of Southampton on Sunday.

Young Africans (Yanga SC) striker Gnamien Yikpe was on target as they beat Singida United 3-1 in a Mainland Premier League match played at National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.

The Jangwani giants were in need of a win to calm their fans after they had lost to rivals Simba SC in the FA Cup, a defeat that denied them a direct ticket to the Caf Confederation Cup.

Yanga coach Luc Eymael opted to rotate his squad with Ghanaian forward Bernard Morrison, who has gone AWOL since the defeat to Simba, missing from the starting squad.

Eymael also dropped captain Papy Tshishimbi from the starting XI with Kenyan custodian Farouk Shikalo also coming in to replace Metacha Mnata, while Congolese striker David Molinga was handed the honours to lead the attack.

Despite starting the fixture strongly against the already relegated Singida side, Yanga were forced to wait until the 34th minute to take the lead when Paul Godfrey slotted home from a counter-attack.

Veteran striker Mrisho Ngasa then made it 2-0 for Yanga after connecting to a cross from Molinga but with few a minutes remaining to the half-time break, Singida pulled a goal back courtesy of Stephen Sey.

Second-half substitute Yikpe, who signed for Yanga from Kenyan champions Gor Mahia, and has been the subject of criticism from the fans, got the third goal after racing onto a defence-splitting pass before rounding the keeper to plant the ball into an empty net in the 69th minute.

Earlier on, Azam FC squandered their chance to stay second on the 20-team league table after they lost by a solitary goal to Mtibwa Sugar.

Issa Rashid scored the all-important goal for the Sugar Millers, who managed to keep the Azam strikers at bay to carry home maximum points.

In other matches, Namungo FC edged out Mbeya City 1-0 with the goal coming from Abeid Athumani, Kagera Sugar won 1-0 against Coastal Union, JKT Tanzania pulled off a 1-1 draw against Alliance FC while Ndanda FC scored a goal in each half to beat Tanzania Prisons 2-1.

With the win, Yanga have now moved second on the log with 67 points, two more than third-placed Azam, while Namungo are fourth on 63 points.

Azam FC's efforts to hold onto second place in the Mainland Premier League table suffered yet another shock on Wednesday when they were defeated 1-0 by Mtibwa Sugar.

The Dar es Salaam giants are in a tight race against Yanga SC to capture second place at the end of the season, and their latest loss at Turiani may end up proving costly.

The defeat, which is their second in the last five matches, means Azam will go into the next matchday still on 65 points.

Mtibwa Sugar struck the only goal in the 38th minute, scored by Issa Rashid, and the visitors were unable to find an equaliser.

The win could prove vital for the Sugar Millers, who have been embroiled in a relegation battle for much of the season, as they climb five places to 13th on 41 points.

Namungo FC, who secured their place in the Caf Confederation Cup by virtue of reaching the FA Cup final, defeated Mbeya City 1-0 at home.

The victory means Namungo, on 63 points, are still within a touching distance of their second-place rivals Yanga and Azam.

Namungo’s goal was scored by Abeid Athumani in the 46th minute, and leaves Mbeya, on 39 points from 35 matches, 18th place and still firmly in a relegation battle.

They are only four points clear of 19th-placed Mbao FC, who are away at Simba SC on Thursday.

Another 1-0 scoreline was registered in Bukoba when the hosts Kagera Sugar saw off Coastal Union. Awesu Awesu’s 40th-minute penalty was enough to separate the two sides in a tightly fought bout.

Kagera Sugar, ninth on the log, picked up their 49th point of the season while Coastal Union's tally of 51 points remains unchanged.

Meanwhile, JKT Tanzania and Alliance FC registered a 1-1 draw in their meeting; David Richard struck to give JKT Tanzania an equalizer in the third minute of added time after Adam Adam had scored for the visitors in the first half.

JKT Tanzania are eighth, while Alliance are 14th.

Finally, Ndanda FC were victors at home against Tanzania Prisons after they recorded a 2-1 win. Vitalis Mayanga scored in the 39th minute before Donald Taro added the second for Ndanda, seven minutes after the resumption of the second half.

Jumanne Elifadhili was the scorer for Tanzania Prisons - via a penalty - in the 65th minute. Ndanda are 15th while Tanzania Prisons are 11th.

Ghana's football leadership are set to convene for an Ordinary Session of Congress on August 27, the Football Association (GFA) has announced.

The decision was settled upon at a meeting of the GFA Executive Council on Tuesday.

Among other things, the conference will discuss the activity report for the 2019-20 football season which was prematurely terminated because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The Executive Council of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), in the exercise of its powers under Article 31(2) of the GFA Statutes 2019, has fixed the 26th ordinary session of Congress for Thursday, August 27, 2020," the GFA announced on its official website on Wednesday.

"The decision was taken at Tuesday’s Council meeting at the GFA Headquarters in Accra.

"However, in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant limitations imposed under the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012) on public gatherings, the meeting cannot be held the usual way, where Congressmen and women gather at a venue for their deliberations and decision making."

The Ordinary Session will signify Ghana's first step towards burying the unsuccessful 2019-20 season and commencing steps towards a new term.

"It would be recalled in a bulletin (No.1 of 2020) addressed to all Companies and the media, the Registrar of Companies, pursuant to the power conferred on her by Section 378(2) of the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992), directed that all companies may hold their Annual General Meetings (AGM) electronically.

"Consequently, the Ghana Football Association (GFA), having its number of Congress delegates exceeding the limit of One Hundred (100) persons, will apply and conduct its Congress via Online Video Conferencing subject to clearance from the Registrar of Companies on August 27, 2020.

"In compliance with Article 31 of the GFA Statutes 2019, members of the GFA will be sent the formal convocation of Congress in writing accordingly."

Ghana's 2019-20 football season was permanently cancelled on June 30 after a three-month standstill due to the Covid-19 disturbances.

The men's Premier League (GPL) and FA Cup championships headline the competitions affected by the annulment.                                    

A new term, 2020-21, is expected to start in September/October should the nation’s coronavirus situation improve.

Kenya international Joseph Okumu will miss action for the next three weeks after picking up an injury while turning out for his Swedish side on Monday night.

The towering defender picked up an injury and was stretchered off in the 29th minute as IF Elfsborg beat hosts Kalmar FF 2-1 in a Swedish Allsvenskan league match.

The club has now confirmed the Harambee Stars defender will sit out of action for up to three weeks to recover from the muscle problem.

“Small muscle deficiency in the back thighs and Joseph [Okumu] is expected to be back in full football in two-three weeks," revealed team doctor Matilda Lundblad on the club’s social media pages.

“We wish Joseph good luck in rehab training and we hope you will be back on the field soon!”

In a recent interview, Okumu revealed he would love to captain the national team sometime in the future.

The 23-year-old centre-back has been one of the rising stars in the country and his exceptional display in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations held in Egypt sealed his place in the first XI.

The youngster played in all three matches in Group C - the 2-0 loss to Algeria before helping the team to a 3-2 win against neighbours Tanzania and eventually losing 3-0 to Senegal. 

"It is a dream for any player to captain his national team," Okumu told Goal when asked whether he wishes to skipper Harambee Stars in future.

"If an opportunity to [captain] the team comes my way, I will take it with both hands. It will be a privilege, but if it does not, my job is to give my country the best services and I will continue pushing myself harder on the pitch."

In 2017, the towering defender was released by South African side Free State Stars after barely one season.

Newcastle United could soon have new owners, with a £300 million ($375m) takeover bid under way to take the Premier League club out of the hands of the notorious Mike Ashley.

Magpies fans have been agitating for a change of owner for years now, having witnessed two relegations under Ashley's stewardship, with a feeling of frustration festering among devotees of the Tyneside club.

Ashley is all too aware of that sentiment and he placed the club up for sale back in 2017. After some false starts, it appears that he may now have found a buyer, with the Premier League being informed that the process is close to completion.

So who is buying Newcastle from the Sports Direct boss and what are their plans? Goal brings you everything you need to know about the prospective takeover.

Who is buying Newcastle United?

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is headed up by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is the main mover behind the bid to purchase Newcastle United from Ashley.

It has been reported that the takeover plans will see the Saudi PIF acquire an 80 per cent stake in the club. The remaining 20% will be split between Amanda Staveley's PCP Capital Partners (10%) and British businessmen, the Reuben brothers (10%).

The PIF is Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, which invests in various different projects around the world. PCP Capital Partners is a venture capital company and the Reuben brothers - David and Simon - are primarily in the property investment sector.

If the takeover of the club goes ahead, Yasir Al-Rumayyan is in line to become Newcastle chairman, according to the Evening Chronicle. Al-Rumayyan, who is also involved with Saudi Aramco, Uber and SoftBank, will be joined on the club board by Staveley. 

Yorkshire native Staveley, who helped broker the purchase of Manchester City by Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour in 2008, has been involved in negotiations regarding the potential purchase of Newcastle for a number of years, having attempted to strike a deal with Ashley in 2017, when he initially put the club up for sale.

After that deal disintegrated, Ashley described the talks as "exhausting, frustrating and a complete waste of time", but Staveley was not put off by the sports retail magnate's dismissive comments, telling The National in 2019 that it was "water under the bridge".

“We are big fans of Newcastle, big fans of the team,” Staveley said at the time, adding that the Tyneside outfit was among "a lot of clubs" her group was looking at.

The plan behind the takeover is, naturally, to improve the fortunes of the club and transform Newcastle into a team that challenges for Premier League and Champions League glory, similar to that which has happened at Chelsea and Man City.

"For too long, Newcastle has existed for the benefit of one man and that won’t be the case with the new owners," Alex Hurst, chair of Newcastle United Supporters Trust, told the Guardian. 

"As supporters, what we want to see from them is the club being run in a sustainable, transparent and ambitious manner.

"We aren’t demanding we win trophies, or win the Champions League, and we appreciate they might not be able to provide us with a 'Manchester City effect', but what we do want is a firm sense that we have our club back and that it’s again going in the right direction."

Interestingly, it is not the first Premier League club that the Saudi investors have been involved in discussions with. There had been reports in 2019 that Mohammed bin Salman was considering a £3.8 billion ($4.9bn) takeover of Manchester United. The takeover talks were dismissed as "completely untrue", but discussions were held between the club and the PIF about an "advertisement sponsorship project".

What are the difficulties with the Newcastle takeover?

A number of issues have arisen since April when the Saudi takeover of Newcastle appeared to be gathering momentum.

The chief sticking point relates to a dispute with Qatari television company beIN Sports and allegations of broadcast piracy, which is something that the Premier League has had to treat very seriously

In June, the BBC revealed that Angus MacNeil, a member of the British parliament, wrote a letter to the government condemning the idea of broadcast piracy in Saudi Arabia and urging them to block the takeover.

Saudi authorities appeared to be dealing with the issues and were reported to have moved closer to a deal, but a set-back occurred in July when beIN Sports was banned from operating in Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, beIN said: “We would question - as we have for three years - how Saudi citizens can watch Premier League matches legally in Saudi Arabia with this ‘permanent’ ban on the Premier League’s licensed broadcaster."

The stand-off between the Qatari broadcasters and the Saudi government is part of a wider dispute between the two countries, which has been ongoing for a number of years and has been described in some quarters as a "cold war".

As well as the financial and legal complications related to the broadcast dispute, Amnesty International has declared that the Premier League risks becoming "a patsy" if it sanctions the takeover.

"I believe there are serious questions to address in determining whether the owners and directors of the company seeking to acquire NUFC are meeting standards that can protect the reputation and image of the game," Amnesty's UK director Kate Allen said in a letter to Premier League chief Richard Masters.

"If the Crown Prince, by virtue of his authority over Saudi Arabia's economic relations and via control of his country's sovereign wealth fund, becomes the beneficial owner of NUFC, how can this be positive for the reputation and image of the Premier League?

"So long as these questions remain unaddressed, the Premier League is putting itself at risk of becoming a patsy of those who want to use the glamour and prestige of Premier League football to cover up actions that are deeply immoral, in breach of international law and at odds with the values of the Premier League and the global footballing community."

The BBC reported in June that complaints made by Hatiz Cengiz, the fiancee of assassinated journalist Jamal Khashoggi, have also been heard by Premier League bosses.

What transfers are Newcastle's potential new owners considering?

Should the Staveley-driven, Saudi-backed takeover of Newcastle eventually happen, significant financial investment is expected, particularly in the transfer market.

The Middle Eastern kingdom is one of the richest states in the world and their backing would potentially make Newcastle a major player when it comes to signing players, similar to Man City's transformation under Sheikh Mansour.

Barcelona have offered Philippe Coutinho to the club, Goal has learned, with the Spanish giants believed to be open to striking a loan-to-buy agreement. However, Arsenal have also been sounded out

Antoine Griezmann has been touted as a potential recruit once the takeover is complete, with Sport Mediaset reporting that the Barcelona star is on the agenda. The outlet also reports that former Juventus and AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri is being lined up as a replacement for Steve Bruce.

As well as Allegri, ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has been tipped as a potential new Newcastle manager, with Magpies legend Mick Martin telling the Express: "[Pochettino] knows big players, he knows South America and he knows Europe. He’s a big name in the game."

Former Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez has also been thrown into the rumour mill, despite leaving the club for China following a protracted disagreement with Ashley over the club's transfers.

A number of Premier League players have also been linked with Newcastle, including Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn and Burnley winger Dwight McNeil. McGinn, who has also been touted as a potential Manchester United transfer target, would likely cost in the region of £20 million to £30 million, while McNeil is believed to be valued at £35 million.

Lyon striker Moussa Dembele has been a target for Newcastle for a number of months now, while fans excitedly ponder the possibility that new billionaire owners would have the capacity to sign Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.

Others who might be more realistic in the immediate future are AC Milan duo Franck Kessie and Hakan Calhanoglu. Ivory Coast international Kessie would add steel to the Magpies midfield, while Turkey star Calhanoglu possesses impressive technique, particularly from set-pieces.

Will Newcastle's new owners expand St James' Park?

As well as investing money into the club's transfer budget in order to lure big-name players to the north east of England, Newcastle's prospective new owners are planning to improve St James' Park.

The 52,000-capacity stadium was given a slight facelift in 2019, but has not been extensively expanded since 2000 and other stadium developments have seen it slip down the table of biggest football venues in the UK. It is now the 10th largest football stadium in the country and, despite boasting one of the biggest fanbases in the UK, Newcastle now have a smaller ground than clubs such as West Ham and Tottenham.

It is not yet clear how St James' Park will be redeveloped, but a typically modernising upgrade is likely.

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa has confirmed they have secured a sponsorship deal with a betting firm for the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

Mwendwa revealed the FKF secured the partnership which is worth KSh1.2 billion for five seasons with an unnamed gaming firm.

The news comes after the 2019/20 season ran without a sponsor as the league managers, KPL Management, failed to secure a replacement for SportPesa who exited the Kenyan market following a protracted tax battle with the government.

“The deal has been signed already but we are going to make public who our new partner is in the coming days,” Mwendwa told Goal on Wednesday.

“But for your information, it is a global betting firm.”

The FKF has secured the deal in earnest before the start of the 2020/21 season which will mark the first campaign the federation will be in charge of as the KPL exits.

The KPL’s contract to manage the league is expected to end in July 2020 and Mwendwa had confirmed they were not keen in renewing it.

SportPesa also sponsored KPL heavyweights Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards who ended up facing tough seasons financially.

AFC Leopards saw key foreign players leave the club after they went for five months without pay.

Head coach Casa Mbungo Vincent Habamahoro, Ismail Diarra, former captain Soter Kayumba, and Tresor Ndikumana exited Ingwe after the circumstances failed to improve.

Whyvonne Isuza, Brian Marita, and John Makwatta left for Wazito FC, Tusker and Zesco United, respectively.

The 1998 league champions had to seek help from fans via a pay bill number and such efforts ensured they honoured the matches.

On the other hand, Gor Mahia’s struggle was characterised by go-slows and salary delays. Jackson Owusu faced the wrath of a Buruburu Hotel when the club could no longer afford to pay his bills due to the financial hitches.

Last year, FKF landed a KSh90 million sponsorship deal with betting firm Betika for the National Super League (NSL).

The partnership ensured each of the 20 NSL teams gets KSh750, 000 every season and the latest news should be welcome for the KPL sides that struggled in the past season.

The financial hitches saw the 2005/06 league champions Sony Sugar relegated after they failed to honour three away matches.

Chemelil Sugar, according to FKF’s decision to cancel the season due to the coronavirus pandemic, stand relegated

They had also failed to honour two matches and were at the bottom of the 17-team table when the federation cancelled the competition in May.

Ebere Orji continued with her fine scoring form as she netted twice but Linkopings were held to a 2-2 draw by Faith Micheal's Pitea in Wednesday's Swedish Damallsvenskan encounter.

The 33-year-old is settling in well in Linkoping since arriving from Umea in January and has scored three goals in three appearances for Olof Unogard's team this season.

The draw means the 2018 Swedish champions are now unbeaten in four matches, while Unogard's team failed to win for the first time four matches since the start of the 2020 season.

Having gained a two-point lead at the top of the log, Linkopings built on their impressive run and nearly found the breakthrough through Uchenna Kanu in the 32nd minute.

On the brink of half-time, Frida Maanum set up Orji to break the deadlock and score her fourth goal of the season in the 45th minute.

However, Pitea found the leveller when Nina Jakobsson was played through by Cecilia Edlund four minutes into the second half.

In the 61st minute, Johanna Alm teed up the Nigerian striker to grab her brace of the match and restore the lead for the visitors.

Linkopings' hopes of snatching the three points were dashed when they conceded a penalty which Julia Karlernas converted two minutes from full-time to force both teams to share the spoils.

With her latest brace, Orji, who was in action for 70 minutes, has taken her tally to five goals in four games and still tops the scorer's chart, and compatriot Kanu was involved from start to finish.

For Pitea, Micheal was also in action for the duration on her fourth outing this season as her side extended their unbeaten run.

Despite the draw, Linkopings are still on the top of the Damallsvenskan log with 10 points from four matches, while Pitea are second with eight points from the same number of games this term.

Up next, Linkopings will play host to Ngozi Okobi and Halimatu Ayinde's Eskilstuna United on July 19, while Pitea will seek to maintain the fine run at Vittsjo on the same day.

Real Madrid can seal the 2019-20 LaLiga title with three points against Villarreal this Thursday, although some surprises are still possible up and down the table in the penultimate round of games.

All 10 matches are scheduled to be played at 9pm local time on Thursday evening, with decisive results possible too in the hunt for European qualification and battle against relegation.

Real Madrid can clinch their first LaLiga title since 2016-17, and a record 34th Spanish championship in total, when they host Villarreal CF at their temporary Alfredo Di Stefano stadium home.

Zinedine Zidane’s side have won all nine of their games since the restart from the Covid 19-break, but fifth-placed Villarreal need the points themselves to be sure of Europa League qualification for next season.

Four points back with just two games to play, FC Barcelona know they need a victory to have any chance of keeping their hopes alive when they host 11th-placed CA Osasuna.

Barca have won 16 and drawn two of their 18 LaLiga home games so far this season. Osasuna’s last win at the Camp Nou came on the penultimate weekend of the 2008-09 season.

Sixth-placed Getafe CF are still looking to secure a return to the Europa League for 2020-21 when they host an Atletico Madrid side who last weekend secured qualification for next season’s Champions League.

Getafe’s last LaLiga victory over neighbours Atletico came back in 2011, they have not scored even once in 14 meetings since (13 defeats and one draw).

Sevilla FC also confirmed their top four finish last weekend thanks to a 2-0 victory over RCD Mallorca, with the Andalusians now travelling to Real Sociedad who with two games left are sitting in seventh spot, well set to secure another season in the Europa League next year.

9th-placed Valencia CF’s hopes of Uefa competition next season have slipped with just one win in their last six LaLiga games, so Los Che really need three points when they host an RCD Espanyol team already planning for next season after relegation to LaLiga SmartBank was confirmed last week.

SD Eibar and Real Valladolid have both been able to celebrate securing their place in LaLiga Santander for next season last weekend, so their meeting at Ipurua should be an amicable occasion, especially as Eibar coach Jose Luis Mendilibar was previously a popular boss of Valladolid.

D. Alaves draw against Getafe on Monday moved them four points clear of the drop zone, so they can ensure safety with a victory at a Real Betis team who are already safe and with new coach Mauricio Pellegrini appointed as their new coach for 2020-21.

RC Celta also know that a win will ensure them of safety when they host a Levante UD side who have already reached their objective for the season. Goals are likely at Balaidos as this fixture has averaged over four a game during the last four seasons.

Hoping for Alaves and Celta to slip up are CD Leganes and RCD Mallorca. 18th-placed Leganes improved their hopes of beating the drop when they beat Valencia 1-0 last weekend and really need to repeat that victory at Athletic Club, who themselves still have a chance of Europa League qualification.

19th-placed Mallorca will be fighting for their safety when they host a Granada CF team still hoping to make the Europa League.

Home form has been crucial in Mallorca’s attempt to escape the bottom three; they have taken six points while scoring seven goals in their last two games at Son Moix.

Watch LaLiga Santander live this weekend on SuperSport 7 and GOtv’s SuperSport Select 4.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has admitted teams find themselves in difficult positions to prepare for the resumption of the season. 

As things stand, the suspended campaign is only set to resume in the first week of August after the South African Football Association (Safa) rejected PSL's proposed date of July 18 for resumption.

Mosimane lamented the number of days they have to use as preparation after being out of action for almost four months due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

"I don't know when the league will resume because everybody says what they say - the PSL says what they say and Safa says what they want to say," said Mosimane in an interview with YOU FM.  

"So you'd never know but if we resume according to Safa dates then it's unbelievable that in 10 days time we have to start playing football after we haven't played football for three-and-a-half months.

"How can you not play football after three-and-a-half months and [suddenly] you are expected to play in 10 days?" 

The 55-year-old mentor understands why the PSL wants to resume the league as soon as possible, saying there are stress, pressure and financial implications facing both the league and the clubs.

However, he believes the integrity of football should not be tainted in the process, suggesting there will be no football without the players. 

"I think this thing is about finishing the league," he continued.

"We understand that we have to finish the league and we understand the stress, the pressure and also financial implications but we also have to worry about the game because to finish the season the games must be played and they must be played by players."

Mosimane also weighed in on rumours that other teams started training long before Safa gave them the go-ahead.

While he acknowledged there should be concrete proof of the allegations, but if they are true, then some teams are trying to gain an unfair advantage over others in the remaining matches of the season.    

"And if somehow they haven't played for three-and-a-half months... unless some people are training. There are rumours that teams have been training while there was lockdown Level 5 and Level 4. They want to gain an unfair advantage. So, yeah, there are rumours," Mosimane added.

"I mean, players talk; players from this team are friends with players from another team... and wherever you're training, people are watching and people are looking and you can't hide it.

"We just have to prove that somebody is training but how can you prove that? Unless you go training and take pictures of the people who are training."     

"But we hear that there are people who have been training and they want to gain an unfair advantage of winning the games but it's okay. Everybody has to win in whichever way they have to."

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has extended the option for competitions to allow five substitutes per team in every match into 2021, provoking the wrath of ex-pros Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher.

Football's rules governing body took the decision to give competitions scheduled to be completed by the end of 2020 the option to permit five subs back in May as leagues around the world resumed following widespread coronavirus-enforced stoppages.

Its board of directors conducted an in-depth review to determine whether to extend the option following feedback from stakeholders and an assessment of Covid-19's impact on competition calendars.

The board took the decision to extend it to competitions set to be completed by July 31, 2021 and to international competitions scheduled in July/August 2021.

The decision may prove to be somewhat less than universally popular, with both Neville and Carragher expressing their opposition in strong terms minutes after the announcement was made. 

"This is nonsense! Premier League stay with 3 subs please!!" the ex-Liverpool star fired on Twitter. 

Neville added: "I don’t like or agree with this at all!"

A FIFA media release said that the reasons for giving competitions the option remain valid and that player welfare will likely continue to be impacted due to the shorter-than-usual recovery and preparation period athletes in competitions that resumed in 2020 may have before the start of the 2020-21 season.

The release also pointed to the condensed fixture schedule that is set to be a feature of most major competitions next term due to delayed starts and major international tournaments preventing a later end to the 2020-21 campaign.

The Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A, which opted to resume the 2019-20 season following lockdown, are all set to start in September and end in May, with Ligue 1 - which was cut short in March and will commence in August - the lone exception among the top five European leagues.

Euro 2020 - delayed to 2021 because of the pandemic - is scheduled to begin on June 11, as is the 2021 Copa America. Both competitions are set to finish on July 11.

Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has explained why he had not heard of the country’s football icon Jimmy Kirunda until his death.

Kirunda collapsed and died on May 25 at the age of 70 and Museveni said he was pre-occupied with national struggle during the former Cranes captain's heyday.

“I, actually, never heard of Kirunda until when he died,” Museveni told journalists, as per Sports Nation. “Why? It is because for 16 years, 1971-1986, we, the freedom fighters, were cut off and we were not concentrating on the pleasure and leisure activities that were going on in Uganda.

“Being a footballer myself, I used to avidly follow, not only the news about football in East Africa, but I would follow up all the sports, especially, and athletics.

“I would know all the names such as the boxers, Seruwagi and Tom Kawere. The latter got a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, at Cardiff, in Wales, UK. Sprinters like the Goan from Kenya, Serafino Antao, [and footballers like Joe] Kadenge of Kenya and David Otti of Uganda."

Kirunda captained Uganda in the African Cup of Nations tournament through to the final against Ghana in 1978, something the country has not achieved since.

He won the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup five times in 1969, 1970, 1973, 1976 and 1977, and also managed to skipper the national side for 10 years.

Museveni claims that between 1966 and 1986, his focus was entirely devoted to the struggle.

“I would only pick up a few extra-ordinary performances by East African sportspersons such as Kipchoge Keino, with a record for 1500 metres in Mexico City, 1968," he continued. “I think Akii Bua’s 400 metres hurdles record in the Munich Games, 1972 and a Tanzanian Army Officer, Filbert [Bayi] who won the marathon for one of the Olympic events.

“Hence, I had never heard of our Kirunda, the footballer.”

Kirunda guided the team to regional glories as a coach in 1989, 1990 & 1992.

He played for Abu Dhabi Sports, Express FC, KCC FC (now KCCA FC) and SC Villa before coaching the Jogoos, Bell FC, Kassasiro Boys and Cooperative FC at different times. He was also the coach for the national side in 1989 and in 1996.

In 1976 and 1977, Kirunda won league titles with KCC.

In 2022, the FIFA World Cup will head to the Middle East for the first time.

Qatar won the right to host football's biggest tournament back in 2010 and despite their bid having been mired in controversy ever since, they remain on course to welcome world football's best and brightest.

The World Cup will be a massive undertaking for the peninsula, with vast development and redevelopment of stadiums and infrastructure required between now and 2022.

Goal has all the information you need to know about the tournament as it approaches.

Contents

When is the 2022 World Cup?

The 2022 World Cup will be the first ever to not take place in June and July.

This is because of Qatar's hot summers, with the average high in June, July and August hitting a sweltering 42°C.

As a result, the 2022 tournament will begin on November 21 and be more compressed than normal, finishing less than a month later on December 18 .

Even at that time of year, it is still very warm: the average high in November is 30°C and it only dips as far as 25°C in December.

The switch has, as you would expect, caused no shortage of controversy.

A number of club leagues - including the Premier League, which stated it was "neither workable nor desirable for European domestic football" - have expressed opposition to the rescheduling because of how it will interfere with their calendars.

English football, for example, will essentially be forced to largely cancel its traditional Christmas calendar.

A November-December tournament will also mean calling off the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which would have normally taken place the following January.

The end of the year was decided on because it is too hot in Qatar between May and September and clashes with the Winter Olympics (February) and Ramadan (April) ideally needed to be avoided.

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What is the World Cup 2022 fixture schedule?

World Cup 2022 will begin on November 21, 2022 and finish on December 18, 2022.

Group stage fixtures will run from Monday November 21 until Friday December 2. The last-16 stage will commence immediately afterwards with two games a day on December 3, 4, 5 and 6.

There will be two rest days on December 7 and 8 before the quarter-finals are played on December 9 and 10.

A further two rest days will be observed on December 11 and 12, with the semi-finals being played on December 13 and 14.

The third-place play-off will then take place on December 17, with the final being played on December 18.

Kick-off times

Group stage matches will kick off at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm GMT (5am, 8am, 11am and 2pm ET).

The simultaneous kick-off times for the final round of group games and all knockout games will be 3pm and 7pm GMT (10am and 2pm ET).

The World Cup 2022 final will kick off at 3pm GMT (10am ET) and is set to be played at the Lusail Stadium.

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What stadiums will be used for the 2022 World Cup?

Among the many questions being asked about the 2022 tournament is how exactly a country of 2.5 million, approximately one sixth the size of Ireland, is going to welcome the world.

This will be the last World Cup with 32 teams so Qatar will not, at least, have to deal with an expanded field.

But the country's government - an extremely wealthy monarchy - still expects to spend between $8 to $10 billion on the World Cup, and that is substantially less than the budget initially touted.

The original plan was to have 12 stadiums ready to host games but the number has been reduced to eight.

The showpiece venue will be the Lusail Iconic Stadium, which will host the final and has the largest proposed capacity by far at over 80,000.

The eight stadiums that will be used are: 

It is hoped that all stadiums will be completed in 2020. Yasser al-Mulla from the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, told reporters in January 2018 that "all the stadiums will be completed two years before the tournament starts."

One advantage of bringing the World Cup to such a small country, of course, is that travel times will be miniscule compared to the tournaments in Brazil and Russia.

The greatest distance between two stadiums will be approximately 130 kilometres, a drive of approximately an hour and a half.

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When will the draw for World Cup 2022 be made?

Normally, the draw for the World Cup finals takes place in early December the year before the tournament.

Because of the change of schedule for Qatar, though, the draw for the 2022 finals will take place in April of that year, approximately six months before kick-off.

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When does World Cup 2022 qualification start?

The first World Cup 2022 qualification schedule to get under way was the AFC section, which began in June 2019. The CAF section started in September 2019.

Public health concerns related to the global coronavirus pandemic meant that a number of cycles had their schedules interrupted, but qualification will resume in August, September and October 2020.

UEFA qualification will not begin until 2021.

Qatar will qualify automatically as hosts, but they participate in the early rounds of Asian qualifying anyway because it also acts as a route into the Asian Cup.

Whether they then continue into the final stage, should they progress that far, is yet to be decided.

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When do World Cup 2022 tickets go on sale?

You'll be waiting a long while for these yet. World Cup finals tickets are sold exclusively through FIFA these days and tend to go on sale less than a year before the tournament.

The ticket sales process for the 2018 World Cup , for example, started in September 2017.

So come back in 2021!

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Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Oupa Manyisa could on be on his way out of Mamelodi Sundowns at the end of the season. 

Manyisa's contract with the Brazilians expired on June 30 and he's yet to hear from the club as to whether or not he will play a role in the remaining matches of the season. 

According to a source close to the player, Manyisa isn't in Rustenburg with the rest of his teammates. 

"He's not in camp with Sundowns. You'd remember that the team is camping in Rustenburg," the source told Goal. "He's waiting to hear from the club because his contract expired last month." 

Manyisa joined Sundowns on a three-year deal from the Buccaneers in 2017 and he was expected to take his football career to another level under the stewardship of Pitso Mosimane.

However, injuries and stiff competition in the team have made it difficult for him to cement a regular spot in Mosimane's starting line-up. 

He injured himself in the Shell Helix Cup match against Kaizer Chiefs in October 2019 as Mosimane gave the majority of his fringe players a chance to prove themselves.

When Manyisa suffered an Achilles tendon injury, he had only featured twice for the Tshwane giants, both appearances coming in the Caf Champions League against Cote d'Or. 

Since then, he has not been able to return to the club's setup - but sources claim he has recovered and is able to run again. 

While Manyisa's contract has come to an end, Sundowns have a two-year option on his contract, and with the club quiet about his future and their own plans, the Randfontein-born midfielder appears primed for an exit. 

After rising to prominence while at Pirates and cementing his place in the Bafana Bafana squad, Manyisa's move to Sundowns has brought contrasting fortunes. 

He has the chance to win trophies again and play in the Caf Champions League, but the move cost him a place in the South African national team, and he hasn't been called to Bafana Bafana since his arrival at Chloorkop three years ago. 

Manyisa has won two league titles and the Telkom Knockout Cup with Sundowns; this despite being reduced to an impact player with only 47 official matches under his belt. 

He has a single goal and two assists to his name, with the only goal came in Sundowns' 3-2 loss to Polokwane City on January 6, 2018. 

Mason Greenwood is a doubt to face Crystal Palace on Thursday after being left with a damaged ankle by Oriol Romeu's challenge on Monday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says. 

Greenwood was caught late by Romeu in an incident that went unpunished by referee Chris Kavanagh during Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Southampton at Old Trafford. 

Manager Solskjaer, who was unhappy to see the challenge escape further punishment through a VAR review, now fears the in-form 18-year-old will not be available for the Premier League clash at Selhurst Park. 

Luke Shaw twisted his ankle in the same match and replacement Brandon Williams sustained a head injury, leading to substantial second-half injury time in which Michael Obafemi scored Southampton's equaliser. 

"I'll give Luke as much time as possible – him and Mason, their ankles are swollen and a bit blown up," Solskjaer told MUTV.  "I'll give them as much recovery time as possible to give them a chance.  

"Brandon should be fine, he has a gash over the eye but if he can see out of it, then...

"We've not trained obviously this morning [Wednesday] yet but we'll hopefully have two, maybe all three of them."

Solskjaer added of Greenwood, who played on until the 84th minute: "In the heat of the moment, he'll play on and the adrenaline gets you going, and then you get a little bit of reaction after.

"I said after the game that my ankles were a bit weak after many years of football. But obviously Mason carried on and I think it should have been looked upon by the referee, definitely."

Greenwood has played in all seven of United's matches since their campaign restarted on June 19, scoring four goals in his past four starts.

The Saints draw means United are fifth in the table, behind Leicester City on goal difference with three matches remaining.

And Solskjaer confirmed he will not consider resting any of his players against Palace ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Chelsea.

United have 48 hours less to prepare for the Wembley showdown than Chelsea, with Frank Lampard’s side having beaten Norwich City on Tuesday night.

However, Solskjaer said: "The team selection for Thursday is based on Thursday and not Sunday. Sunday is irrelevant, it does not come into my head at all, just Thursday.

"There were a couple of doubts before the Southampton game but they all reported fit on the day and hopefully we can give them time now and we won’t have to leave players out because of injury. But there might be one or two fresh legs coming in."